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Italian Butter Cookies

Italian butter cookies are piped into 2-inch rosettes and baked until their edges are lightly golden. These tender, buttery cookies get a subtle almond note from almond extract.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Total Time 44 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 126
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 0.67 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 egg large, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp almond extract
  • 2.25 cups all-purpose flour
  • 0.25 tsp kosher salt

Equipment

  • 1 18x13-inch rimmed baking sheet

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Line an 18x13-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  4. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth.
  5. Mix in the flour and salt on low just until a soft dough forms.
  6. Fit a piping bag with a 1/2-inch open-star tip and fill it with the dough.
  7. Pipe 12 rosettes about 2 inches wide onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart.
  8. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the cookie edges are lightly golden.
  9. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
  10. Let the baking sheet cool completely.
  11. Pipe the remaining dough onto the parchment.
  12. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the cookie edges are lightly golden, then cool the cookies in the same way.

Notes

For neat rosettes, pipe the dough while it is soft and keep the cookies evenly spaced. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months. For a gluten-free option, use a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend.