Italian Butter Cookies Recipe -

I don’t know about you but I love, love, love Italian butter cookies. You know the ones I mean – the kind you always get on cookie trays. With the jam in the middle, or dipped in chocolate with sprinkles?

I always looked forward to stealing one or two or ten when a box of cookies showed up but never thought I would ever actually bake them. And guess what? They are not that hard to make at all. They do require a bit of well, butter as you might expect from their name. So read on to learn how to make these delightfully delicious treats.

All purchase links are affiliate links which means if you buy anything through them I will receive a small commission (at no additional charge to you)

Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you buy from my link I might make a small commission. This does not affect the price you pay. See the full affiliate disclosure here.

Table of Contents

Italian Butter Cookies Recipe

The number it makes is rather fluid depending upon what sizes and shapes you choose.

For the cookies:

[cboxarea id="cbox-IVEtmKHDExiTjpDi"]

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup, unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBS whole milk if needed

For Decorations

jam of choice – I used peach
semi sweet chocolate for melting
unsalted butter
sprinkles and non pareils

Preheat oven to 350
line baking sheets with parchment paper

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt
In a stand mixer with the paddle attached, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy

Mix in the egg yolks, one at a time, then add the vanilla.
At low speed gradually add the flour mixture until just incorporated. IF the dough seems too dry you can add the milk at this time, 1/2 TBS at a time. (I did not need to add the milk) You want a soft but still slightly sticky dough.

Now you form your cookies – you can use a piping bag and an open star tip or do as I did – portion out about 1 tsp of dough, roll it into a ball and then press a shape into the center. (I used a Russian piping tip)

For the filled cookies I portioned out 2 tsp sections of dough, made little logs, pressed them down and then used the tines of a fork to make the indentations.
Add about a quarter teaspoon of jam to the indentation in the center

Bake on the prepared baking sheets in the preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes for the smaller, round cookies and slightly longer for the larger cookies. Turn once during baking.
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Decorate:

For the dipped cookies: melt the semi sweet chocolate with the butter. Dip half the cookie in the chocolate and set on waxed paper to cool.
If desired dip in sprinkles or non-pareils
You can also drizzle a little chocolate over the jammy cookies if desired