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Italian Butter Cookie recipe like the ones found in an Italian Bakery

96K views 107 replies 28 participants last post by  steph72 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello everyone, I have been researching the net for an Italian Butter Cookie, like the ones found in almost every Italian Bakery store. I have tested about 5 different ones. Some people call them a Italian Spritz Cookie, & some a Butter cookie, but the spritz is not this cakey, crumbly cookie that we all enjoy eating. I am aware that these cookies are piped out, & I do have all the equipment that is needed. If anyone could share that type of recipe that would be great. I do believe that this basic batter one can achieve many styles, such as. Rasberry, apricot, filled finger cookies with jam or chocolate & a little drizzle of chocolate & jimmies on the end, & so much more. Thank you for any help! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif

**Can anyone tel me if i blend all these ingredients except the egg whites.

Than whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, & than fold the whites into the almond based batter, will this make them more light & airy as apposed to a heavy spritz cookie, so this batter can be piped out.

I know the egg whites should be incorporated directly into the batter, but I want to do it differently, does anyone have any takes on this process? & has it ever been done?

Italian Butter Cookies:
Yield 2Lbs of dough


Butter 7oz
Shortning 7oz


Confectioners Sugar 1c + 2T
Egg Whites 4


Almond Paste 3oz
Salt pinch
Almond X 1t
Vanilla X 1 t
AP Flour 3 1/4 c


almond paste is the key to them being italian butter cookies without the almond paste its just a butter cookie..this recipe can be used to all the cookies you mention.

update: 01.22.2013

well, i made these cookies. made the batter first, than beat the egg whites & folded them into the batter mixture, Lets just say, the cookie was good, however. It's not what I wanted in a cookie, & they turned out flat, So bak to the drawing board, To search for that ultimate Italian Bakery Cookie. How hard can this recipe be? And its not a spritz cookie either, oh well I'll keep trying...
 
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#2 ·
This might work for you Pjswim, The creaming method is important for this cookie , some people use fine sugar for it and get better results, (you can chop/refine your sugar in a food processor). I also like to pop my piped cookies in the freezer for 10-15 min to get the butter hard again so they hold there piped shape better. You can also try using Pastry flour instead of APF or a combination of the 2.

Italian Butter Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


Ingredients:
  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  1. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale, about 3 - 5 minutes.
  2. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
  3. At low speed add the combined dry ingredients and mix until just blended. (Do not over-mix.)
  4. Place into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe onto prepared parchment lined cookie sheets, spacing two inches apart.
  5. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes (until the bottoms and edges begin to turn golden brown.)
  6. Slide the whole piece of parchment onto a large wire rack, and cool completely.

 
#3 ·
Here is another one from Chef Tess http://cheftessbakeresse.blogspot.com/2010/06/evil-italian-butter-cookies.html

SAND COOKIES

1 1/2 cups flour (we used AP)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar * (see Note)
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs

*(we also liked 3/4 c. conf sugar & 1/4 c. granulated which made them a slight bit sweeter)

Creaming method. Put through bag with large star tip. Bake @ 375 F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly brown.
 
#4 ·
Crumb Boss also has one she calls a "Butter Spritz Cookie" , There is a video to go along with it that shows mixing, piping and cookie variations. http://www.crumbboss.com/?p=84

Butter 10oz (1 1/4 cups)
10X Sugar 10oz (2 cups) ( 10x sugar is powdered sugar )
Salt 1t

Shortening 10oz (1 1/4 cups)
Vanilla X 1T ( X = extract ) (T=tablespoon ?)
Orange X 2t ( X = extract ) (t=Tea spoon ?)

Fresh Large Eggs 1
Egg Whites 2

All Purpose Flour 1.5lbs ( 5 cups )

Note 1: I use a scale, so I converted it for people who do not, Powdered sugar, corn starch and flour are a pain to convert so I am not 100% sure on them. )
 
#5 ·
Hello Tasquah!

  • Thanx for the tip. As I mentioned to Chef Tess, I have tried this recipe & the Evil Italian Butter Cookies as well from her.
  • She gave me a few pointers, so I will try that out. I also got two of the recipes from Crumb Boss as to. I have tried them but need to tweak the recipe. I guess I'm such a scooch when it comes to a type of cookie that I am looking for. If its ok I am going to follow you? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif Thanx P.J.
 
#6 ·
Thanx again, I have a scale too. The hubby & I had weighed everything. Than I pre-measured by cups. My scale was off, so guess what? Out in the trash it went. I will be purchasing a better one.

This was the very first time that I used measurements by a scale so the was different. But I really like the challange. Thanx for the post! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/licklips.gif
 
#8 ·
Hi phatch!

Thanx for the tip. I visited the web site that U provided me. Checked it out, but really didnt see any type of info that I was looking for. However, I really do appreciate all your help! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif P.J.
 
#9 ·
I made these cookies last night and they were HORRIBLE!!!!  I am a very experienced baker and followed the recipe exactly.  The baked cookies had a crumbly texture, but tasted like cornstarch and totally lacked any flavor!!  After baking the 1st batch, I added more vanilla to the uncooked dough.  But, the next batch was not any better.  I even tried adding almond extract  to the raw dough, but they were still nasty!!!

I wound up throwing the cookie dough in the garbage!!!

Has anyone else made this recipe?  I would really appreciate your feedback.

Does anyone have a "tried and true" recipe for "Bakery Style" sand cookies?  I am looking for a recipe described similar to this one(see original recipe).  The cookie has a crumbly chaulky texture, that melts in your mouth.  There is no butter taste, just vanilla flavored.  If anyone has a recipe for this type of cookie, PLEASE post.

THANKS!!!!

karenb
 
#105 ·
Does anyone have a "tried and true" recipe for "Bakery Style" sand cookies? I am looking for a recipe described similar to this one(see original recipe). The cookie has a crumbly chaulky texture, that melts in your mouth. There is no butter taste, just vanilla flavored. If anyone has a recipe for this type of cookie, PLEASE post.

THANKS!!!!

karenb
You might want to try viennese swirls.
 
#10 ·
I always thought those cookies were tasteless and made a sort of paste on the tongue. And that holds for Italian American bakeries in the states as well as for Italian bakeries in Italy. So maybe they came out right!/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif
 
#12 ·
Well, some people love them.  I just don't.  But no accounting for taste, and I don't want to offend those who love them. 
 
#14 · (Edited)
I tried different recipes found on the internet, but none resulted in that unique crumbly,almost "sandy" texture, and the taste was not the same as you would find in NY bakery cookies. Each recipe had too much butter.  The bakery cookies I enjoy do not taste like a butter cookie.  It has a very delicate flavor.   I worked on MANY batches and ended up with the following:

1 cup crisco

2 tbs salted butter

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 cups AP flour

6 to 7 drops of yellow food coloring

**you can also add 1/8 tsp of lemon extract and 1/8 tsp of orange extract.   Play with the flavorings until you get it to your liking.

In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the crisco and butter.  Add the confectioner's sugar - mix well.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating and mixing well so that the batter doesn't "break".  Add the extracts and food coloring.  Cream the batter by beating at medium speed for about 4 minutes (it is important to cream the batter - it impacts the texture of the baked cookie).  Add the flour and baking powder -  mix well. You might feel like the batter needs more flour, but resist all temptation.  The more flour you use, the harder the cookie will be (it won't be that "sandy" texture).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Try not to use dark coated pans because it tends to result in a cookie that is too dark on the bottom.   Pipe the cookies using a pastry bag and a 1M large piping tip.  

Bake for about 12 -15 minutes.  Do not over bake. Cool on racks.  When cooled, you can dip one end of the cookie into melted chocolate and sprinkles (jimmies) for that bakery look... or you can top them with sprinkles, chocolate chips, or non pareils before baking.  
 
#18 ·
@jillpamp325 - yes they are.  You can pipe the cookies lengthwise into "lady finger type" shapes.  When they are cooled, you can fill them with raspberry jam and sandwich them together.  Dip one end into melted chocolate (whichever you prefer using) and dip them into sprinkles.  
 
#19 ·
Hi Lismis, Well, after 20+ years of searching for the right recipe for these cookies, you came through with flying colors. I made them the other night & filled them with jelly the next day and dipped the end in melted chocolate, then sprinkles. Didn't have a pastry bag handy so I used my spritz cookie press & it worked our well. Thank you!  Alyce
 
#21 ·
Italian Butter Cookies:
Yield 2Lbs of dough

Butter 7oz
Shortning 7oz

Confectioners Sugar 1c + 2T
Egg Whites 4

Almond Paste 3oz
Salt pinch
Almond X 1t
Vanilla X 1 t
AP Flour 3 1/4 c

almond  paste is the key to them being italian butter cookies without the almond paste its just a butter cookie..this recipe can be used to all the cookies you mention.
 
#24 ·
hi jlucky26

I was surfing through cookie recipes again, & came accross your cookie recipe. i copied the recipe, however could I get the rest of the steps of recipe? I was going to copy lismis instructions, but hers was somewhat different. I really want to be exact & follow the recipe to a "T"

I hope this works out for me, My husband is Italian & I really want to make the right Italian cookie. It costs a bit much to be running to an Italian Bakery for some goodies, since we are now seniors, but I STILL LOVE to BAKE, <3 <3.

I just hope you can help me out with the instructions

PJ
 
#25 ·
This is a butter cookie recipe that may have the texture your looking for. I know a few different bakeries that use it, and it comes from the man who designed the cookie despositor machines (Kook-e-king)

Butter 1lb
Sugar 2c
Salt 1tsp
Eggs 2
AP Flour 5c

Vanilla 1/4tsp

Just cream the butter, sugar, salt together. Add in the eggs, vanilla extract and mix until combined. Do not mix above low, even better, mix by hand. Add in the flour and mix until combined. These cookies can be piped, or scooped.
 
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