With variations throughout the world, wedding cookies are a popular tradition during the holidays. This Italian Wedding Cookies Recipe version is simple to make with just six ingredients (plus salt!). They’re tender, buttery and utterly irresistible finished with a dusting of confectioners sugar! This recipe is brought to you by Bob’s Red Mill.
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Simple and Festive Italian Wedding Cookies
Melt-in-your-mouth Italian wedding cookies are festive for the holidays but also ideal anytime you want a sweet treat to share at weddings, baby or bridal showers, pot luck, or for a treat with afternoon tea.
These cookies are also known as Mexican wedding cookies, snowballs, and Russian tea cakes, among others. The main difference between variations is the nut(s) and/or flavorings used to create these tasty little treats.
This Recipe Is
- tender, with buttery almond flavor
- easy to make
- stores for up to a week
If you love homemade cookie recipes, you’ll enjoy the flavor and texture of these scrumptious, tender cookies.
About the Key Ingredients
Choosing high-quality ingredients is important for flavor and texture. It’s a reflection of the love and attention that goes into each recipe I create for my family, friends, and the Vanilla And Bean community.
Made in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, I’m delighted to share their pantry staples with you, highlighting a brand I trust for quality ingredients you’ll always find in my pantry.
- Butter – use unsalted high-quality butter, your favorite flavor! Make sure it’s at room temperature before you start mixing.
- Confectioners Sugar – also known as powdered sugar. This is used in the cookie batter and for rolling the cookie in twice, once while they’re still warm and again once the cookies are completely cool.
- Bob’s Red Mill Organic All Purpose Flour – this versatile all-purpose flour is an excellent choice for your baking needs.
- Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour – made from the finest California-grown almonds, which have been blanched and ground to a fine meal that’s ideal for almond wedding cookies.
At a Glance: How to Make Italian Wedding Cookies
Traditionally, Italian wedding cookies rely on coarsely chopped hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts. For this recipe, I’m using the convenience of almond flour which gives these confections a nutty flavor and tender texture.
- First, whip the butter until light and creamy.
- Second, add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until incorporated.
- Third, add the salt and extracts, almond flour and all purpose flour. Mix until the dough comes together.
- Next, scoop the cookie dough and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at 325 Fahrenheit for 16-20 minutes. They’ll be golden on the bottom and slightly golden on top.
- Last, cool the cookies for five minutes then, while still warm, gently toss in powdered sugar. Cool completely and toss again in powdered sugar. Rolling the warm cookies in confectioners sugar allows the final coat to stick.
These cookies have a long storage life, which means they’re easy to send to friends and family far and wide, or you can get a jump on your holiday cookie-making.
Traci’s Tips
- Plan Ahead: The little dough balls need to rest in the fridge before baking – give them at least thirty minutes.
- Holiday Foodie Gifts: These little treat bags show off your hand made Christmas cookies. Baker’s twine in red makes for a festive finish!
- Kitchen Tools: I recommend an external oven thermometer and weighing your ingredients using a digital kitchen scale for best outcome.
For more recipes using Bob’s Red Mill Organic All Purpose Flour and Almond Flour, head to their website.
6 Ingredient Italian Wedding Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz / 170 grams) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 1 1/3 cup (115 grams) Powdered Sugar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract, use pure or organic
- 1 1/4 cup (170 grams) Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (90 grams) Super Fine Almond Flour, I use Bob's Red Mill, sifted or whisked to loosen clumps
Instructions
- Get Ready: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Make room in the fridge for resting the cookies.
- Mix the Dough: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on speed 4 for about five minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl at least once while beating. The butter will be creamy, soft and slightly lighter in color. Scrape the bowl down again.
- To the butter, add 1/3 cup (40 grams) of powdered sugar. Beat for about 2 minutes on speed 4 until the sugar and butter are incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and add the salt, vanilla and almond extract. Mix for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl.
- To the butter mixture add the all purpose and almond flour all at once. Beat on speed 4 for about 40 seconds or until a dough forms. It will be soft and stick to the paddle. Scrape the bowl down.
- Scoop and Pan: Scoop cookie dough with a small cookie scoop (#50 scoop) or 1 1/4 tablespoons to portion individual cookies – no need to roll if scooping – they should be flat on the bottom. Transfer to prepared cookie sheets spacing dough balls about 1.5 inches apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Freezer TIP: At this point the scooped cookie dough can be frozen solid and stored in a freezer container for up to two weeks. Thaw in the fridge on a parchment lined sheet pan, then bake.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit (180 Celsius) and arrange oven rack in the middle of the oven. Bake cookies for 16-20 minutes OR until the bottoms are starting to turn golden. Use an offset spatula to gently lift the cookie to check for proper color. If you have two sheet pans in the oven at the same time, switch the cookies between racks half way through baking.
- Finish the Cookies: Transfer individual cookies to a cooling rack and cool for 5 minutes. Place the remaining 1 cup (75 grams) of powdered sugar in a medium lidded bowl (if your powder sugar is clumpy, simply sift it into the bowl). While still warm, gently toss three to four cookies at a time in the lidded container of powdered sugar (this allows the sugar to stick to the cookies). Transfer back to the cooling rack and repeat with the remaining cookies until all the cookies are lightly coated. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then repeat gently tossing the cookies in the powdered sugar until all the cookies are coated. TIP: to freshen the cookies at anytime before serving or gifting, sift powdered sugar over the cookies – to give them a fresh snowy finish!
- To Store: Store cookies in a lidded container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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These look absolutely delicious Traci! The perfect addition to the holiday cookie tray! January is going to be a tough month at the gym for me!
Thaaank you Mare!! We are on the same page come January! lol!