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Soft and lightly sweet Italian anginetti cookies are spiked with lemon, dipped in icing, and topped with sprinkles for a pretty finish. They’re soft, festive, and fantastic for any occasion!
Ever had an Italitan anginetti cookie? If not, I know you will absolutely love them! I adore the texture of these adorable little goodies, which fall somewhere between a classic American sugar cookie and a fluffy cake (so fun!). They’re perfect with a cup of coffee or espresso or set out on the counter for an after school snack.
Serve a plate of colorful anginetti for dessert following a meal of cozy zuppa toscana or pasta fagioli or make them for a springy birthday party along with citrusy orange cookies. Let’s bake!
Why You’ll Love This Cookie Recipe
- Make-ahead magic. Anginetti cookies keep their texture after being frozen and defrosted, making them great to stash in the freezer so you’ll have cookies on a minute’s notice. (I’ve included all the details on how to freeze them lower down.)
- Better than the bakery: You may not have an Italian bakery in your town but even if you do, you should totally make anginetti cookies fresh! They taste so much better, plus you can pile on as many sprinkles as your heart desires.
- Kid-friendly: Kids love these cookies because of their cakey texture and cute sprinkles, which makes them a little different than the usual brown butter chocolate chip cookies. They’ll also have a blast helping to make them! Let your little ones dip the cookies in icing and add the sprinkles—they’ll be so happy.
What Are Anginetti Cookies?
Anginetti, also known as Italian wedding cookies, are soft, almost cake-like cookies that come from southern Italy. You’ll mostly find them flavored with lemon and vanilla, like in the recipe in this post. The cookies are finished with a white icing glaze (I make mine with lemon juice and powdered sugar) for a little extra sweetness and flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
Ready to get started? Here’s a look at the ingredients needed to make Italian anginetti, with notes. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
- Dry ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking powder (make sure it’s fresh), and fine-grain salt.
- Salt – Fine-grain sea salt or table salt works best in this recipe.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter in my baking recipes. If you need to use salted butter, omit the salt.
- Granulated Sugar – You don’t need much sugar for these anginetti cookies. If you want them to taste a little sweeter, increase the sugar by 1/4 cup.
- Eggs – I used large eggs, which I recommend. Bring them to room temperature so that they blend easily into the dough.
- Lemon Juice and Zest – Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best, and you’ll also use the zest in the cookies.
- Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract will give the best flavor. If you don’t have it, substitute vanilla bean paste.
- Confectioners’ Sugar – Don’t forget to sift the sugar first to eliminate any lumps. This will help the icing turn out nice and smooth.
- Sprinkles – I love multi-colored sprinkles on anginetti, but you can use whatever sprinkles you like. During the holidays you can use holiday-colored sprinkles!
How To Make Anginetti Cookies
I’ve outlined this recipe in the photos below so you will have an idea of how you’ll put the dough together (hint: it takes 15 minutes or less!).
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 320°F and have 2 baking sheets ready.
- Make a dry mix. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream butter. Beat together the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs.
- Add lemon. Stir in the lemon juice, grated lemon zest, and vanilla extract.
- Combine. Mix in the flour mix until a smooth dough forms.
- Form and bake the cookies. Scoop the dough into small rounds, place them on the baking sheets, then bake for about 10-12 minutes.
- Make the frosting. Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
- Ice the cookies. Dip the top of each cookie into the icing.
- Set. Sprinkle the cookies! Make sure to let the icing set before serving the anginetti.
Recipe Tips
When measuring out your flour, make sure to use the spoon and level method so that you don’t wind up with too much flour in the dough (this can make the cookies dense – the opposite of what we want!). A few more tips to try include:
- If the dough is sticky: You may find that your dough is very sticky after you’ve combined and blended the ingredients. If so place the bowl of dough in the fridge for an hour or until it is easier to handle.
- Add different flavorings. Lemon is the traditional flavoring for anginetti cookies but you can try other flavors! Anise, vanilla extract, or almond extract are nice choices to suit whatever you’re craving.
- Make thick icing. For the best results, you want to make the icing thicker rather than runny so that it sticks to the cookies. You may need to add a little more powdered sugar to make this happen. Then, make sure the icing is fully set before serving or storing the cookies.
- Other shapes. Anginetti can be made in little rounds, like what’s shown in these photos or rolled into other shapes. Try rolling a ball of dough on a floured surface into a thin log, then forming it into a circle for a different look.
Serving Suggestions
Italians love anginetti with a shot of espresso, but a strong cup of coffee, tea, or a creamy espresso drink is also perfect! A cup of frothy caffe macchiato is the best with a plate of little anginetti. Or, make a cookie spread with anginetti, rich homemade butter cookies, and Christmas cake mix cookies.
Proper Storage
- Counter – Store the finished cookies in a single layer in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Fridge – Place frosted, set cookies in an airtight container with a piece of waxed paper between any layers, and store them in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezer – Anginetti cookies freeze well. Place them in a freezer-safe, airtight container with a piece of waxed paper between layers of cookies or in a single layer in a freezer-safe sealable bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the cookies completely in the fridge before serving.
More Cookie Recipes To Try
- Lemon Cookies
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Anginetti Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Icing:
- 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles, optional for decoration
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 320°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. This can be done using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Add eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon juice, grated lemon zest, and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined.
- Mix in the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. Be careful not to overmix.
- Shape the cookies. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop the dough into small rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges but still soft in the center. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely on wire racks.
- Make the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. The icing should be thick but pourable; if needed, adjust the consistency by adding more lemon juice or sugar.
- Cool the cookies and dip them in the icing. Once the cookies are completely cooled, dip the tops of each cookie into the lemon icing. If desired, sprinkle with colorful sprinkles while the icing is still wet. Allow the icing to set before serving or storing. Enjoy these Anginetti cookies with a cup of tea or coffee!
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
I made these last night, and I’m absolutely in love with them. They taste amazing, and they’re so pretty, too!
They remind me of the cookies you’d find in an authentic Italian bakery! I can see why these are perfect for any celebration – though I have to admit, they’re so good I wouldn’t want to wait for a special occasion to enjoy them.
Thank YOU! So glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
These cookies are delicious and the recipe was so simple to follow.
Thank YOU! Happy to hear you enjoyed them! Simple and delicious is the best combo!
These might be my favorite cookie. They have just the right amount of sweetness and are just soft enough. Yum!
Thank YOU! I am very glad you loved them! 🙂