Italian Knot Cookies (Anginetti), are always a favorite. This recipe is my grandmother’s recipe and is truly a treasure. Soft, pillow bites of perfection.These cookies are a favorite for our large family get togethers.
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More about Grandma’sAnginetti
These anginetti cookies can be used for almost any occasion. Christmas, Easter, weddings or really any day. They are so good you can not help but make them.
These traditional cookies go by so many names and flavors, such as tarallucci and genetti. Find out more about these delicious little pillow bites. If you want to find more Christmas treats to make this season, look no further.
Why This Italian Cookie Recipe is a Keeper
These Italian Wedding Cookies are a tender, sweet cookie that are the perfect celebration cookie. In Italy the recipes for these cookies are past down generation to generation and each family have their own treasured version.
- Easy: The preparation and ingredients are all easy. Make these cookies without a lot of work.
- Decoration: Fun for the kids to help decorate and eat.
- Adaptable: This Italian Wedding Cookie is of course, good for weddings but all holidays and parties too, they are always a hit!
- Gift Giving: Wonderful treat for bridal showers or Christmas cookie platters. These cookies turned out so amazing everyone will thank you for this recipe.
If you’re looking for more cookie recipes, try these Pistachio Cookies, Italian Lemon Ricotta Cookies and Shortbread Cookies with Cherries.
With over 200 easy and delicious dinner ideas, you'll never have to worry about what to make for dinner again.
Why are they called Italian Love Knot Cookies?
Whie many people make these cookies for Christmas or Easter celebrations, they are often used as a wedding treat because they represent a love knot. Therefore, you can use them for a variety of different celebrations.
Ingredient Notes for this Italian Wedding Cookie
This sweet, tender dough is more soft and cake like than traditional cookies, and glazed with a flavored icing before being decorated with colorful nonpareils or sprinkles. These fluffy pillow like cookies with baking powder are always a hit.
- Extract: Both almond and vanilla extract are added to this classic cookie. However, you could use lemon zest for Italian Lemon Knot Cookies.
- Vegetable Shortening: The shortening holds it shape when baking better than traditional butter.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for these Traditional Italian Cookie
- Glaze: While we use a traditional glaze for the Italian cookies, you can dust with powdered sugar or even frost the cookies with a lemon extract laced frosting.
- Butter: Feel free to substitute the shortening with salted butter or unsalted butter (then add a pinch of salt). Or use a mixture of shortening and butter.
How to Make Italian Cookies with Icing
These cookies are staples of the Italian American community. Cakes and cookies are a love language in my family. These cookies always turn out well.
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These are the basic steps for making Italian Christmas Cookies. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions. I’m so happy to hear from my readers and reader interactions are always appreciated.
STEP 1: Prepare Baking Sheets and Cream Together the dough
First, preheat oven to 400F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. Second, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Next in a large bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
STEP 2: Beat using a Electric Mixer and Spoon the Flour
Next, add the eggs and extracts for 30 seconds, then add half of the flour mixture and next beat until fully incorporated, then add remaining half of the flour mixture.
STEP 3: Making the Knot
Finally, scoop out a portion of the cookie dough with a cookie scoop and roll into a rope shape about 7 inches long then:
Hold the rope: Take one end of the rope in each hand. Form a “U” shape: Bring the ends of the rope up so that it forms a “U” shape. Cross the rope: Cross one side of the rope over the other, forming a hole or loop to create the center. Tie the knot: Carefully tuck one end of the rope through the loop. This creates the “knot”, similar to how you would knot a ribbon or string. Remember, practice makes perfect when it comes to knot-tying! Let me know if you need help with anything else.
STEP 4: Icing and Sprinkles
Make the glaze by whisking together powdered icing sugar, milk, melted butter and your choice of flavor extract. Finally, portion one tablespoon of the icing onto each cookie and cookies are dipped into colorful sprinkles. Do this on a wire cooling rack to allow the excess icing to drip off. Lastly, allow the icing to set for 30 minutes before serving or storing.
Recipe FAQs for Knot Cookies with Sprinkles
Expert Tips for Making This Tarallucci: Italian Lemon Knot Cookie Recipe
It is important to remember to that you are allowing the excess to drip off before topped with colorful sprinkles. Do not wait until the glaze is completely dry or the sprinkles will not stick.
- Short cut tip: Simply dust with powdered sugar instead of icing for a classic cookie.
- Color: Food coloring can be added to the icing to make them more festive appeal to your special occasions.
- Sprinkle Hack: To keep the color from bleeding off your sprinkles, use a thicker consistency of icing, make sure that the cookies have completely cooled and wait to add sprinkles until icing has almost set.
- Zest: Orange or lime zest add another dimension of flavor and freshness to your cookie. Lemon-flavored cookies are always refreshing.
- Add Nuts: Finely ground nuts such as walnuts, pistachios, almond or pecans can be added for texture and flavor.
- Anise or Almond Extract: Replace the almond extract for anise extract in the cookie dough if you like that licorice flavor.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Lemon juice can be added to taste In this icing. It will really adds a zing to the cookies that you add the lemon zest to. (You may need to add a little more confectioners’ sugar to the icing to the consistency right.
What to Serve with Italian Wedding Cookies Recipe
Italian Knot Cookies (Anginetti )
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¾ cup Vegetable Shortening
- ¾ cup White Sugar
- 3 Eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Almond Extract
- Optional Icing Glaze:
- 2 cups Powdered Icing Sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Whole Milk or Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla or Almond Extract
- Christmas Sprinkles, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in eggs and extracts for 30 seconds, then add half of the flour mixture. Beat until fully incorporated, then add remaining half of the flour mixture.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out the cookies on the prepared mats. For a more smooth appearance, you can roll the cookies into balls but that is optional.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just lightly golden and cookies start to crack on top.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.
- For the icing, whisk together powdered icing sugar, milk, melted butter and your choice of flavor extract and adjust the consistency with additional powdered sugar or milk.
- Portion one tablespoon of the icing onto each cookie and add sprinkles.
- Allow icing to dry for 30 minutes before serving or storing.
- Makes approximately 30 cookies.
Expert Tips
- Add Nuts: Finely ground nuts such as walnuts, pistachios, almond or pecans can be added for texture and flavor.
- Short cut tip: Simply dust with powdered sugar instead of icing for a classic cookie.
- Color: Food coloring can be added to the icing to make them more festive appeal to your special occasions.
- Sprinkle Hack: To keep the color from bleeding off your sprinkles, use a thicker consistency of icing, make sure that the cookies have completely cooled and wait to add sprinkles until icing has almost set.
- Zest: Orange or lime zest add another dimension of flavor and freshness to your cookie.
- Anise Extract: Replace the almond extract for anise extract in the cookie dough if you like that licorice flavor.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Lemon juice to taste In this icing really adds a zing to the cookies that you add the lemon zest to. (You may need to add a little more confectioners’ sugar to the icing to ge the consistency right.
Estimated Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided are estimates. To learn more about how I calculate this information go to www.itisakeeper.com/about-its-a-keeper/privacy-disclosure-policies/
This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe. I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.
My Aunt Ruthie use to make these. The recipe taste just like hers….Thanks!