These Italian easter cookies are cakey, soft, buttery, full of lemon flavor, and are topped with lemon glaze and pastel sprinkles.
These cookies are also known as Italian love knot cookies, uncinetti, taralli, and nonna’s lemon cookies. These are super easy to make and come together in 30 minutes!
They are a no-chill cookie recipe which is my favorite part about this recipe. They freeze great and are perfectly served next to a cup of coffee or tea or for an easter party!
These drop style cookies do not need chill time, but if you want to make them shaped like knots, you can chill the dough in the fridge for an hour and then it will be easy to work with.
For more cookie recipes check out my hamantaschen cookies, cinnamon roll cookies, coffee cake cookies, danish butter cookies, buckeyes cookies, and mini chocolate chip cookies.
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Why this recipe works
- Festive- These cookies are a classic Italian cookie that is served during the holiday season and are perfect for easter!
- Flavor- the flavor of these cookies is lemony from using fresh lemon zest and lemon juice and can be made with other citrus fruits like oranges.
- Texture- the texture of these cookies is cakey and soft and melt in your mouth with the delicious slightly crispy glaze on top.
- Ease- these cookies are super easy to make and come together in one bowl! They are made with ingredients you can find in most kitchens!
- Time- this whole recipe takes under an hour from start to finish, so it’s great if you need a quick dessert when you are short it time.
Ingredients
Before you start to make these Italian cookies for easter recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil.
Lemon juice- use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Fresh lemon will give you the best result. We don't recommend using store-bought lemon juice. This will make the flavor pop!
Lemon zest- you will need 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. We recommend zesting the lemon first and then juicing it.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Baking powder– baking powder allows the cake to rise. Make sure that your baking powder is not expired.
Sugar- we used granulated sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar as well.
Eggs- you will need 2 large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your egg is at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- vanilla extract adds extra flavor. For extra vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean extract or an actual vanilla bean!
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the lemon glaze
Powder sugar- you will need powder sugar for the glaze. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter, vanilla extract, kosher salt, and sugar, and cream it with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes or until it's creamy and light in color.
Add the eggs and mix until smooth and well combined.
Then, add the flour, and baking powder, and mix with the hand mixer until just combined. Finish with a rubber spatula. Do not overmix!
Use a small cookie scoop (1 tbsp) and scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart.
Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 11-15 minutes or until the cookies are puffed and they have a light golden brown color.
If you like your cookies soft, bake them for 11-12 minutes. If you like your cookies crispier, bake them for 15 minutes.
Let the cookies cool while you make the lemon glaze. Make a simple lemon glaze by mixing together in a small mixing bowl powder sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Dip each cookie in the lemon glaze and top it with your favorite easter sprinkles. I used round pastel sprinkles.
Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cookies and not dense and dry cookies.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making these cookies, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the cookies to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cookies release easily from the pan.
- Use a cookies scoop to scoop out the cookies, that way you will have even-sized cookies, plus it ensures that your cookies bake evenly.
- I suggest letting these cookies cool for 5 minutes and then transferring them to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 more minutes. This step ensures that the bottom of your cookies will not be soggy from the steam.
Faq's
Your cookies should puff up and turn a light golden brown when they are ready. This usually takes about 10-11 minutes. You don't want to overbake them to keep them soft.
We used regular unsalted butter for this recipe. If you want to use salted butter in this recipe, simply skip the salt and make the recipe as written.
Among the most popular Easter cookies are sugar cookies shaped like bunnies, chicks, and eggs, often decorated with colorful icing and sprinkles.
Storing
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing
After these cookies are cooled completely, cover them with a plastic wrap tightly (a few layers) transfer them into an airtight freezer-friendly container, and freeze them for up to 2 months.
I recommend freezing them unfrosted and frosting them after you defrost them.
Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for about an hour.
Another way to freeze these is freezing the dough. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to make these, place them in the fridge for a few hours to make them easier to scoop.
Substitutions
Dairy-free - If you are dairy-free, replace the butter with vegan butter or plant-based butter.
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour. I never tried it with this recipe, but it should work just fine.
Variations
Sprinkles- top these with your favorite easter sprinkles.
Citrus- swap the lemon zest with orange zest and the lemon juice with orange juice for an orange-flavored cookie.
Food coloring- you can add food coloring to the glaze for a festive look.
Anise flavored- you can swap the vanilla extract with anise extract for Italian anise cookies.
Cream cheese glaze- you can swap the simple glaze with cream cheese glaze! Use the recipe from my cinnamon roll cookies recipe.
Almond crunch- mix in some chopped almonds to the dough for an added crunch and nutty taste.
Raspberry swirl- create a raspberry swirl by layering raspberry preserves into the cookie dough before baking.
Chocolate drizzled cookies- elevate the indulgence factor by drizzling melted chocolate over the cooled cookies, creating an irresistible combination of soft melt-in-your-mouth cookies and decadent chocolate.
Equipment
More easter cookies
Strawberry shortbread cookies- These strawberry shortbread cookies are buttery, and full of strawberry flavor and have a texture that will just melt in your mouth.
Orange pound cake with orange glaze- This orange pound cake is loaded with orange flavor and is moist, buttery, dense, and topped with a delicious orange glaze.
Lemon crinkle cookies- These lemon crinkle cookies are chewy and soft and are filled with lemon zest and lemon juice for a delicious citrus flavor.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Soft Italian Easter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter softened, unsalted
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- 2 Eggs large
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract or vanilla bean extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
Lemon glaze
- 2 cups Powder sugar
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoon Milk or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter, vanilla extract, kosher salt, and sugar, and cream it with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes or until it's creamy and light in color.
- Add the eggs and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Then, add the flour, and baking powder, and mix with the hand mixer until just combined. Finish with a rubber spatula. Do not overmix!
- Use a small cookie scoop (1 tbsp) and scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 11-15 minutes or until the cookies are puffed and they have a light golden brown color.
- If you like your cookies soft, bake them for 11-12 minutes. If you like your cookies crispier, bake them for 15 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool while you make the lemon glaze. Make a simple lemon glaze by mixing together in a small mixing bowl powder sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
- Dip each cookie in the lemon glaze and top it with your favorite easter sprinkles. I used round pastel sprinkles.
- Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cookies and not dense and dry cookies.
- Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. An hour or two before making these cookies, take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The butter should be soft to the touch. If your butter is too cold, it will be harder to mix and there will be lumps of butter in the dough.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the cookies to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your cookies release easily from the pan.
- Use a cookies scoop to scoop out the cookies, that way you will have even-sized cookies, plus it ensures that your cookies bake evenly.
- I suggest letting these cookies cool for 5 minutes and then transferring them to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 more minutes. This step ensures that the bottom of your cookies will not be soggy from the steam.
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