Italian Easter Cookies

Italian Easter cookies, or uncinetti, are tender, knot-shaped cookies flavored with lemon and almond. They're dipped in pastel glaze and topped with festive sprinkles.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings cookies

Author Heather

Ingredients

Cookies

¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter room temperature
2 tablespoons (28 g) whole milk
⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour *measured properly
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Glaze

1 cup (113 g) confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons whole milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Food coloring optional
Sprinkles optional

Instructions

Cookies

Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add butter, milk, sugar, egg, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mash together with a wooden spoon until combined.
In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to remove clumps.
Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and gently knead until smooth and all dry ingredients are incorporated.
Divide dough into 1.5 tablespoon portions and roll into 5-6 inch ropes. Gently tie each rope over itself to make a knot and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies no longer look shiny and feel set on top (they will not brown on top).
Transfer to a cooling rack to bring to room temperature. While cookies cool, prepare the glaze.

Glaze

In a bowl, add confectioner's sugar, lemon juice, whole milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
Optionally, divide glaze between smaller bowls and add desired food coloring to each (to achieve a pastel color in a small amount of icing, use a toothpick to add a small dot at a time).
Spread glaze over cookies and add sprinkles while glaze is wet.
Allow cookies to dry for at least 1 hour before storing.

Notes

* How to measure flour properly: For accurate results every time, use a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method. Stir the flour (especially if it's been packed down in a bag/container), then gently spoon into the measuring cup, leveling off the top with a knife. Scooping with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup and adds up to 25% extra to the recipe, resulting in dry, bland cookies that don't spread properly.
Storing dough: Cookie dough will keep in refrigerator for 2-3 days or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Storing cookies: Cookies will keep for 5-7 days in a tightly sealed container at room temperature or in the freezer for 3 months. Add a slice of bread to the cookie container to help keep cookies moist. Replace as needed (bread will dry out).
More tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cookies, based on reader comments and questions.

Nutrition