Easy Italian Wedding Cookies Recipe

This Italian wedding cookies recipe has been driving me crazy for years. Every time I tried making them, they'd either fall apart or taste like cardboard. Then in 2019, I spent three weeks in a tiny bakery outside Naples with Chef Marco Benedetti, and everything clicked. His 89-year-old nonna showed me why my cookies kept failing - I was mixing them all wrong! These little butter bombs have been part of Italian weddings for centuries, and now I finally know why they're so special.

Why You'll Love This Italian Wedding Cookies

These Italian wedding cookies have saved my butt more times than I can count. Last month when Liam's teacher mentioned her birthday, I whipped up a batch in 30 minutes and suddenly I'm "the mom who makes those amazing cookies." They're weird in the best way - they look all fancy and delicate, but they're actually pretty hard to mess up. Even when Liam dumps half the powdered sugar on the floor instead of in the bowl, they still come out great.

What really gets me is how they make people react. I've watched my tough-as-nails neighbor Mrs. Peterson actually close her eyes and sigh after taking a bite. Liam calls them "disappearing cookies" because they just melt away in your mouth, and honestly, that seven-year-old knows his sweets. The crazy thing is they stay good for weeks in a tin, so you can make a huge batch when you're feeling motivated and just pull them out whenever you need to impress someone or bribe a teacher.

Italian Wedding Cookies Ingredients

The Foundation:

• 1 cup European-style unsalted butter
• 2 cups superfine almond flour
• ½ cup pure powdered sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

The Coating:

• 2 cups premium powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Optional Extras:

• ½ cup toasted pine nuts
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water

How To Make Italian Wedding Cookies

Get Everything Ready:

• Let your butter sit out for exactly 2 hours (it should give slightly when pressed)
• Crack your eggs and let them come to room temperature
• Preheat oven to 325°F - not 350°F like most cookies
• Line your baking sheets with parchment

The Magic Mixing:

• Cream that butter for a full 4 minutes until it's pale and fluffy
• Slowly add powdered sugar over 2 minutes (don't dump it all at once)
• Add eggs one at a time, waiting 30 seconds between each
• Mix in vanilla and almond extract for just 15 seconds

The Tricky Part:

• Sift your almond flour and salt together twice
• Add it to the butter mixture in three parts
• Mix on the lowest speed until it just comes together - stop immediately
• The dough should look shaggy, not smooth

Shape and Bake:

• Roll into 1-inch balls using a small scoop
• Space them 2 inches apart on your sheets
• Bake 14-16 minutes until the bottoms are golden
• Let them cool completely before even thinking about the powdered sugar

Substitutions

I've tested these substitutions when people have dietary issues or just can't find certain ingredients:

For Nut-Free Version:

• Almond flour → Sunflower seed flour (same amount)
• Almond extract → Just use more vanilla
• Keep everything else the same

Cutting Down Sugar:

• Regular powdered sugar → Sugar-free powdered sweetener
• Use 25% less than the recipe calls for
• Add extra vanilla to make up for lost sweetness

Dairy-Free Option:

• European butter → Good quality vegan butter (must be 80% fat)
• Make sure it's the stick kind, not the tub stuff
• Chill the dough for 30 minutes before shaping

Can't Find Superfine Almond Flour:

• Regular almond flour → Pulse it in a food processor for 30 seconds
• Don't go longer or you'll make almond butter

Equipment For Italian Wedding Cookies

• Stand mixer with paddle attachment
• Digital kitchen scale
• Small cookie scoop
• Fine-mesh sifter
• Multiple baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons

Italian Wedding Cookies Variations

Sicilian Lemon:

• Fresh lemon zest from 2 lemons
• Replace almond extract with lemon extract
• Toss in some tiny pieces of candied lemon peel

Roman Holiday:

• Handful of toasted pine nuts
• Few drops of orange blossom water
• Golden raisins chopped up small

Christmas Spice:

• Pinch of warm cinnamon
• Tiny bit of nutmeg
• Vanilla bean paste instead of regular vanilla

Wedding Day Special:

• Drop of rose water (seriously, just a drop)
• Chopped pistachios
• Edible gold dust for rolling

Storage Tips For Italian Wedding Cookies

Counter Storage (2 weeks):

• Let them cool completely first (this is crucial)
• Airtight containers with parchment between layers
• Never put them in the fridge - it makes them soggy
• Keep a piece of bread in the container to maintain moisture

Freezer Storage (3 months):

• Flash freeze them on trays first
• Then transfer to freezer bags
• Don't coat with powdered sugar until after thawing
• They thaw in about 20 minutes

Transport Tips:

• Pack in rigid containers, not bags
• Bring extra powdered sugar for touch-ups
• Handle like you're carrying eggs - they're delicate

The Re-Dusting Trick:

• These cookies lose their powdered sugar coating over time
• Just roll them in fresh powdered sugar before serving
• Liam calls this "making them fluffy again"

Time for Sweet Celebration!

Now you've got all the secrets to making Italian wedding cookies that would make any nonna proud. These delicate little treasures prove that the best traditions are worth learning, even if it takes a few tries to get them right. Trust me, once you nail this recipe, you'll be the person everyone asks to bring dessert to every party. I still can't believe how long it took me to figure out that mixing technique, but now that I have it down, these cookies are my secret weapon for impressing people.

Craving more crowd-pleasing treats that'll make you the neighborhood hero? Try our Easy Meatloaf Cupcakes Recipe for a fun dinner that gets kids actually excited about eating their vegetables. Need something that sneaks healthy ingredients past the pickiest eaters? Our Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe is so rich and fudgy that nobody will ever guess there's zucchini hiding in there. For those special occasions when you really want to blow people away, our Easy Chocolate Caramel Cake Recipe creates those "how did you make this" moments that make everyone think you're some kind of baking genius!

Share your Italian Wedding Cookies success! We absolutely love seeing your beautiful wedding cookie creations and hearing about whose minds you've blown with these little butter clouds!

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Italian Wedding Cookies

Delicate, melt in your Italian Wedding Cookies rolled in powdered sugar. A centuries-old Italian classic that’s surprisingly easy to master once you know the secret mixing method.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Best Italian wedding cookies recipe, Healthy Italian wedding cookies, Italian Wedding Cookies, Italian Wedding cookies near me, Italian wedding cookies recipe, Italian wedding cookies, lemon, Mexican Wedding cookies, Traditional italian wedding cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 36 cookies

Cost: $8

Equipment

• 1 Stand mixer (With paddle attachment)
• 1 Digital kitchen scale (For accurate measuring)
• 1 Small cookie scoop (To portion evenly)
• 1 Fine mesh sifter (For almond flour and sugar)
• 2–3 Baking sheets (Rotating trays recommended)
• 1 Parchment paper roll (To line baking sheets)
• 1 Large mixing bowl (For dry ingredients)
• 1 set Measuring spoons (For extracts and salt)

Ingredients

The Foundation:

• 1 cup Unsalted butter - European-style, softened 2 hours
• 2 cups Almond flour - Superfine preferred, sifted
• 0.5 cup Powdered sugar - For creaming with butter
• 2 Eggs - Large, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract - Pure
• 0.5 teaspoon Almond extract - Pure
• 0.25 teaspoon Sea salt - Fine

The Coating:

• 2 cups Powdered sugar - For rolling
• 2 tablespoon Cornstarch - Helps sugar cling better

Optional Extras:

• 0.5 cup Pine nuts - Toasted
• 1 Lemon zest - From 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon Orange blossom water - Optional floral note

Instructions

• Prepare ingredients: soften butter for 2 hours, bring eggs to room temperature, preheat oven to 325°F, and line baking sheets.
• Cream butter until fluffy (4 minutes), gradually add powdered sugar, then eggs one at a time, followed by extracts.
• Sift almond flour and salt twice. Add dry ingredients to wet in three parts, mixing on low just until shaggy dough forms.
• Roll dough into 1-inch balls, place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined sheets, and bake for 14–16 minutes until golden.
• Let cookies cool completely, then roll in powdered sugar mixed with cornstarch. Re-roll before serving if needed.

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes

Nutrition

Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.5g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 25mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.4mg