These melt in your mouth Italian Butter Cookies are a traditional cut-out shortbread cookie made with simple pantry ingredients. Rich, buttery, and perfect for any occasion, then dipped in chocolate or enjoyed plain!
Just as good as the cookies you find at the Italian bakery down the street, you'll quickly add this recipe to your recipe book for future use.
Italian Butter Cookies make the perfect cookie for your Christmas cookie tray. And if you are looking for something that can be ready in a jiff, try my lemon cookies made from box cake mix, Authentic Italian Pizzelle Cookies, or my Cranberry Orange Butter Cookies.
Visit my recipe box for some more great recipe ideas inspired by Italian tradition!
Jump to:
- Here's Why You'll Love these Cookies
- Ingredients You'll Need to Make Homemade Butter Cookies
- How to Make Italian Butter Cookies
- Storage
- Top Tips
- Substitutions in Chocolate Dipped Butter Cookies
- Variations of Chocolate Dipped Butter Cookies
- Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
- Desserts to Try Next
- Recipe Details
- PIN it for later here
- Food Safety
- Comments
Here's Why You'll Love these Cookies
You'll love these butter cookies because they are crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, but also because:
- you can cut them in to any shape you like or just roll them out in to logs
- dip them in milk chocolate, white chocolate or dark chocolate
- decorate them with rainbow sprinkles, shredded coconut or chopped peanuts
- make ahead friendly and freezer friendly
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Ingredients You'll Need to Make Homemade Butter Cookies
You will need the following ingredients to make these authentic Italian butter cookies: unsalted butter (preferred), confectioner's sugar, eggs, all purpose flour, vanilla extract, salt baking powder, high- quality chocolate, sprinkles and other toppings.
Melted Chocolate is not necessary, but is the glue which you would use to dip into the various toppings.
Sprinkles, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, and crushed candy cane are the toppings that will make your shortbread cookie unique.
Vanilla extract ads a pinch of flavor to your cookies.
Eggs and egg yolk add a unique richness to your cookie, hold it together and also help it rise just a bit.
See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Italian Butter Cookies
Add butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat ingredients at medium speed until smooth. About 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and orange zest and mix.
In another mixing bowl combine flour, salt, and baking powder together. Combine well using a whisk.
Combine well using a whisk. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture a little at a time alternating with the eggs. Mix on low speed while you continue to alternate between the flour mixture and eggs. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Finish mixing until the mixture resembles a dough.
If needed you can remove from stand mixer and finish combining ingredients manually on the counter.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
Roll out the cookie dough to about ¼ of an inch and using a cookie cutter cut out your cookies or a sharp knife and place them carefully on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Pictured above: heart cookies, star cookies, circle cookies, flower cookies.
Chill in the freezer for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350℉ degrees
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until edges are just slight light golden brown. The larger your cookies are, the more time they will need to bake.
Cool completely.
Place the chocolate wafers in bowl and melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or in the microwave.
Stir the chocolate occasionally so that it melts evenly. If you find that your chocolate is too dry and thick, add some pure cocoa butter chips (unflavored).
Pictured above: melted chocolate and decorations used for traditional Italian cookies
Once cooled dip in melted chocolate and immediately decorate with chopped nuts, sprinkles or shredded coconut. When dipping remember to dip the sides of the cookies. Let set for another hour on the baking sheet at room temperature.
Let set for another hour on the baking sheet at room temperature.
Storage
You can store these cookies in an airtight container for at least a month.
To freeze them place them gently in a Ziploc bag. Freeze them ensuring that they are not in contact with other items in your freezer. This will avoid them being crushed during the storing process.
When it's time to thaw them out, take them from freezer to fridge. And Once completely thawed out to room temperature you can leave them at room temperature on the counter in an airtight container.
If freezing, do not dip them in chocolate or decorate. Decorate them once thawed. This will prevent the chocolate and decorations from falling off the cookies during the thawing process.
Top Tips
Use room temperature butter and eggs because cold butter won't cream properly.
Chill the cookies before baking because cold = sharp edges.
Roll the dough evenly to ¼ inch thickness for even baking.
Pull out the cookies before they look done. Bake until the edges are just barely golden. The cookies will continue to set on the pan as they cool. Overbaking is the number one reason butter cookies lose their tender texture.
Cool completely before dipping. If you're dipping in chocolate, patience is the key. Dipping a warm cookie will cause the chocolate to slide right off.
Set the cookie after dipping completely by allowing the chocolate to dry for 4 to 6 hours. Then store in an airtight container at room temperature.
You can also store the cookies in the freezer in an airtight container, but don't dip them in chocolate or decorate them until you thaw them out.
Melt chocolate slowly to avoid overheating.
If using a microwave, heat chocolate wafers for 30 second intervals, stirring after each cycle. Reduce the time as the chocolate melts.
Let excess chocolate drip off cookies before placing them on cookie stand.
Substitutions in Chocolate Dipped Butter Cookies
Here are just a few ways to add variation to this recipe:
- Orange and Cranberry Cookie - add extra flavor by including orange zest and cranberries to make a zesty but tangy butter cookie.
- Almond and White Chocolate Dipped Cookie - Incorporate finely ground almonds or almond extract into the shortbread dough for a nutty twist with a delicately dipped white chocolate butter cookie
- Lavender and Milk Chocolate Dipped Cookie: add dried culinary lavender into the shortbread dough for a subtle floral aroma. Dip in milk chocolate for the piece de resistance.
If you can think of any other way to make this seafood risotto dish unique, go for it!
Variations of Chocolate Dipped Butter Cookies
Here are just a few ways to add variation to this recipe:
- Swirl Cookies: pip out cookies with a star attachment to make butter swirl cookies.
- Finger cookies - instead of rolling out the dough, take a spoonful and make cookies in the shape of a finger. Dip in chocolate and sprinkles after cooled down.
- Plain - eat them plain without dipping. Sometimes, less is better!
I'd love to hear your spin on these Italian Butter Cookies!
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
Butter cookies usually contain butter, sugar, flour, and sometimes eggs, resulting in a lighter and tender texture. Shortbread cookies, with a simpler composition of butter, sugar, and flour. Shortbread is usual denser and crumbly but doesn't normally contain egg.
Butter cookies are rich and sweet and are dense. They hold their shape better than shortbread cookies.
Yes. Butter cookies and sugar cookies usually contain egg. Shortbread cookies normally do not have egg as an ingredient.
Desserts to Try Next
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe Details
Italian Butter Cookies Cut Out Style
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Ingredients
- 1 cups butter room temperature
- ½ cups sugar
- ⅓ cups icing sugar
- ½ tbsp baking powder
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ tbsp salt eliminate if using salted butter
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour for rolling dough
Decoration
- ½ cups milk chocolate wafers melted, for dipping
- ½ oz pure cocoa butter chips OPTIONAL: about 6-8 chips
- ¼ cups sprinkles for topping
- ¼ cups chopped nuts for topping
- ¼ cups shredded coconut for topping
- 1 tbsp orange zest about 1 orange
Instructions
- Add butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat ingredients at medium speed until smooth. About 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and orange zest and mix.1 cups butter, ½ cups sugar, ⅓ cups icing sugar, 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp orange zest
- In another mixing bowl combine flour, salt, and baking powder together. Combine well using a whisk. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture a little at a time alternating with the eggs. Mix on low speed while you continue to alternate between the flour mixture and eggs. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Finish mixing until the mixture resembles a dough. If needed you can remove from stand mixer and finish combining ingredients manually on the counter.½ tbsp baking powder, 2 ½ cups all purpose flour, ¼ tbsp salt, 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- Roll out the cookie dough to about ¼ of an inch and using a cookie cutter cut out your cookies or a sharp knife and place them carefully on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.1 cup all purpose flour
- Chill in the freezer for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350℉ degrees
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until edges are just slight light golden brown. The larger your cookies are, the more time they will need to bake.
- Cool completely. OPTIONAL:Place the chocolate wafers in bowl and melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or in the microwave.Stir the chocolate occasionally so that it melts evenly. If you find that your chocolate is too dry and thick, add some pure cocoa butter chips (unflavored).Once cooled dip in melted chocolate and immediately decorate with chopped nuts, sprinkles or shredded coconut. When dipping remember to dip the sides of the cookies. Let set for another hour on the baking sheet at room temperature.½ cups milk chocolate wafers, ¼ cups sprinkles, ¼ cups chopped nuts, ¼ cups shredded coconut, ½ oz pure cocoa butter chips
Notes
Nutrition
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Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Terri says
Thanks for explaining the difference between the regular shortbread and Italian shortbread - I had no idea! These are divine...
AmyG says
Thank you Terri! I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Nancy says
these cookies melt in your mouth! I've made them a few times now! So tasty!! thanks for the great recipe
AmyG says
Hi Nancy,
I'm glad you liked them!
Colleen says
These cookies are melt in your mouth delicious! I will be making them again. Thank you for the great recipe!
AmyG says
Hi Colleen,
I'm so happy you like them!