Buon Natale! Indulge in Italy’s Traditional Christmas Cookies
Are you one of those people that have tons of gatherings to go to during the Christmas and holiday season? And if you are, chances are you do not show up empty-handed. It is often considered more polite to bring something to the gathering you are attending. But, when it comes time to attend any gathering during the Christmas and holiday season, you may be wondering what to take that is going to be different and not something that someone else is going to bring.
This is where the Italian Christmas Cookies can come in handy. If you have several Christmas and holiday season events to attend, make a huge batch of these cookies and freeze some to thaw out for when you need to attend. Most people find that these cookies freeze well and do not have any issues with thawing out to eat. It can make your day a bit easier when you already know something to take that is not going to be something that everyone else is bringing.
A Guide to Popular Italian Christmas Cookies
How do you make Italian Christmas Cookies for your upcoming Christmas and holiday season party? Here are the ingredients:
- 1 cup of butter, softened
- 2 cups of sugar
- 3 large eggs that are at room temperature
- 1 carton of ricotta cheese, you only need 15 ounces, so watch the carton size
- 2 tsp of vanilla extract
- 4 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of baking soda
For the frosting that goes on top of these cookies, you will need:
- 1/4 cup of softened butter
- 3 to 4 cups of confectioner’s sugar
- 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk
- Sprinkles or nuts to top these, depending upon the look you want to go with
To start, set your eggs out while you are getting everything else ready so that they get to room temperature. You will then want to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, you will cream together butter and sugar. Add in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the ricotta and vanilla. Then add in the flour, salt and baking soda until you have a creamy mixture. On your baking sheet, drop these by the tablespoon full about two inches apart. Bake these for 12 to 15 minutes. Then allow cooling while you combine all the frosting ingredients to put on top of these cookies.
You will find that they will be hit at any Christmas or holiday season party that you attend, as people will find that they are sweet but airy. Don’t be surprised if you have people wanting to know the recipe. Be sure that you do not use nuts on the top of these cookies if you will be attending a Christmas and holiday season party in which there are known nut allergies among those in attendance to be on the safe side.