Italian Knot Cookies, or Anginetti, are always a favorite. This recipe is my grandmother’s and is truly a treasure. Soft, pillow bites of perfection.
These Italian Knot Cookies (Anginetti) 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.
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What We Love About This Recipe
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.
- 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.
Ingredient Notes
- 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.
Variations and Substitutions
- Glaze: – While we use a traditional glaze for the Italian cookies, you can dust with powdered sugar or even frost the cookies.
- 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 Anginetti
These are the basic steps for making Italian Wedding Cookies Recipe. Please refer to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions, cook time and nutrition information.
STEP 1: PREP AND MIX
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. Set aside and then 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, SCOOP AND BAKE
Next, beat in 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. Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough on the prepared cookie sheets.
For a more smooth appearance, you can roll the pieces of dough into balls but that is optional Then bake for 8-10 minutes, until just lightly golden and cookies start to crack on top. Allow cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
STEP 3: ICE
For the icing, whisk together powdered icing sugar, milk, melted butter and your choice of flavor extract. Finally, portion one tablespoon of the icing onto each cookie and add sprinkles. Do this on a wire rack to allow the excess icing to drip off. Lastly, allow icing to dry for 30 minutes before serving or storing.
Prep and Storage Tips
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE AHEAD OF TIME
Make the cookie dough up to 24 hours in advance and wrap well in plastic wrap or store in a covered medium bowl in the refrigerator.
HOW TO STORE THIS RECIPE
These cookies will stay fresh for about a week in an airtight container at room temperature. or for three months in the freezer.
HOW TO FREEZE THIS RECIPE
Freeze in a freezer bag or airtight container in single layers, place parchment in between the layers. They will stay good for up to three months. Or freeze the cookies without the glaze and then glaze and decorate after thawing.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can replace the sugar with Splenda or Swerve for both the cookie and the icing.
These Italian Knot Cookies (Anginetti) rank high but there are a few others, find the list of the Italian Knot Cookies (Anginetti) Find the best loved Italian Cookies.
Indeed, adjust the recipe for the amount that you need. This recipe will make about thirty cookies.
Truly there are several things you can do to keep your cookies fresh. First, make sure that the cookies are completely cooled before you package the up. Second, air is the enemy. Make sure that you are using airtight containers. Taste of Home offers so good tips.
Expert Tips for Making This Recipe
- 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 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 ge the consistency right.
What to Serve with Italian Knot Cookies (Anginetti)
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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 for 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.
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My Aunt Ruthie use to make these. The recipe taste just like hers….Thanks!