Italian Easter Cookies (Printable Version)

Soft lemon treats topped with vanilla icing and colorful sprinkles, perfect for spring celebrations.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 3 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
09 - 2 tablespoons milk

→ Icing

10 - 1 cup powdered sugar
11 - 2-3 tablespoons milk
12 - 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Decoration

13 - Colored sprinkles (nonpareils or confetti)

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
03 - Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract and lemon zest.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, alternating with milk, mixing until soft dough forms.
06 - Scoop tablespoon-sized pieces of dough, roll into 4-inch logs, shape into rings, and pinch ends to seal.
07 - Place rings on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
08 - Bake for 12-15 minutes until bottoms are lightly golden. Cool completely on wire rack.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and slightly thick.
10 - Dip top of each cooled cookie into icing, then sprinkle with colored sprinkles. Allow icing to set before serving.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • The soft cake-like texture makes them impossible to stop at just one, and the hint of lemon feels like spring itself
  • Kids absolutely love helping with the sprinkles, turning cookie decorating into an Easter tradition everyone participates in
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are not optional here, and cold butter will leave you with dough that refuses to come together properly
  • The icing consistency matters, too thick and it looks clumpy, too thin and it runs right off the cookies
03 -
  • Use a microplane for the lemon zest to avoid getting any bitter white pith in your dough
  • Grated orange zest works beautifully if you want to switch up the citrus flavor

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