With a double coating of powdered sugar, these delicately crumbly Italian Wedding Cookies are beautiful on a platter or stacked into tins for holiday gift giving. Made with roasted, salted almonds, they're lightly salty, sweet, nutty, buttery and completely irresistible.
These small, fun to eat, two-bite cookies are well loved and go by many names including: Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies, snowball cookies, butterballs and the dough can even be shaped into crescents to make crescent cookies.
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Ingredients You Need to Make Italian Wedding Cookies
- Flour: all-purpose flour
- Unsalted Butter: or salted butter, but omit kosher salt
- Almonds: roasted and salted
- Sugar: white granulated sugar
- Vanilla: ideally pure vanilla extract
- Kosher Salt: omit if using salted butter
- Powdered Sugar: for coating
Italian Wedding Cookies are sweet, but not cloyingly so. If you're inclined to nibble on the dough (like I am), don't be alarmed when it isn't very sweet. The sugar comes in layers. You'll add a little bit to the dough and to the food processor when you whirl your almonds until finely ground. Then you'll roll your warm cookies not once but twice in powdered sugar.
Recipe Options
- I recommend using roasted, salted almonds, but many versions use pecans or walnuts and they work well too. Whatever nut you choose, I recommend toasting them first for added flavor depth and crunch.
- For extra almond flavor, swap in almond extract for half of the vanilla.
Important Tips
- It's essential to roll your baked cookies in powdered sugar while they're still warm or the powdered sugar coating won't stick. Let them cool slightly on the baking sheet so they don't fall apart, then roll in an ample layer of powdered sugar in a baking dish and let them cool in the sugar. You won't use all of the sugar, but it makes the process much easier to use a generous amount). Once your cookies have cooled, roll them once more in the sugar so they're perfectly coated in brilliant, powdery white.
- It's easy to double (or even triple) this recipe - they make a great edible gift for the holidays.
Storing Your Cookies
These cookies store very well in cookie tins or a ceramic or glass, airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Once baked and rolled in sugar, you can always freshen their appearance with a quick roll in powdered sugar before serving or stacking into gift tins or boxes.
How to Bake from Frozen
You can freeze baked cookies, but for the tastiest, prettiest cookies, freeze the uncooked dough balls instead. Bake frozen dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time and proceed with the recipe at the middle of step 5.
FAQ
Just a few simple ingredients to make this delicately sweet dough: flour, butter, sugar, almonds, vanilla, salt and powdered sugar / confectioners sugar.
If your cookies flattened, they then likely the flour / fat ratio was off - too little flour / too much fat.
They'll keep at room temperature in an airtight container (ideally glass or a cookie tin) for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.
More Essential Holiday Cookie Recipes
- Melt in Your Mouth Butter Cookies
- Excellent Soft Sugar Cookies
- Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
- Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
How to Make Italian Wedding Cookies
Pulse almonds and 1 tablespoon of sugar in the bowl of a food processor until finely ground. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, ¼ cup of sugar and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl and add flour and salt, then mix until combined. Add ground almond mixture and mix until combined. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to incorporate all dry ingredients.
Scoop dough and roll into balls ¾-inch in diameter and place them 1-inch apart on parchment lined baking sheets. In an oven preheated to 325˚F, bake 22 to 26 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time, until the bottoms are light golden brown. Transfer baking sheet to cooling rack and let cool for 3 minutes (do not allow to cool completely or the powdered sugar coating will not stick).
Transfer warm cookies with a thin metal spatula to an even layer of powdered sugar in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish; roll to coat cookies well on all sides. Let cool in sugar to room temperature, then roll in powdered sugar once more. Remove cookies and serve or transfer to an airtight container to store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Italian Wedding Cookies
Ingredients
- 5 ounces roasted and salted almonds ~1 cup
- 5 tablespoons sugar divided
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 1 ½ sticks, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 204g
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt omit if using salted butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar 454g, for coating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325˚F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place almonds and 1 tablespoon of sugar in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until finely ground. Set aside.
- Add butter, remaining ¼ cup of sugar and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down bowl and add flour and salt; mix until combined. Add ground almond mixture and mix again until combined. (The dough will look dry at first, but will come together.) Remove bowl and scrape sides and bottom to be sure that all dry ingredients are combined.
- With a teaspoon or small cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into ¾-inch balls. Place 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 22 to 26 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time, until the bottoms are light golden brown (If baking 2 pans at once, switch between racks as well). Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool for 3 minutes (do not allow to cool completely or the powdered sugar coating won't stick).
- While the cookies bake, spread powdered sugar in an even layer in a shallow baking dish (13x9x2-inch).
- With a thin, metal spatula transfer warm cookies to powdered sugar and roll to coat on all sides. Let stand in the sugar until cooled to room temperature, then roll in powdered sugar once more before removing. Serve or store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months (see recipe note).
Notes
- You can freeze baked cookies, but for the tastiest, prettiest cookies, freeze the dough balls instead. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature before baking, then proceed with recipe at step #5.
Marissa, if you don't have the ability to process your own almonds what would the proper amount of almond flour be? Equal amounts?
Hi KC! I haven't tested this recipe with almond flour, but my best guess is that you'll want about a rounded cup with a generous pinch of salt (or weigh out 5 ounces). The cookies won't have quite the same crunch as the coarser grind, but they should still be delicious.
Why did my spread out. They didn’t stay round
Hi Barbara! These have a flat bottom (not perfectly round), but shouldn't spread more than what's pictured. Too little flour / too much butter is the typical reason for overly spreading cookies - could your measurements have been off?
Beautiful, delectable, and elegant cookies with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. What not to love about them, right?!
aww... thanks, Ben!
These are some of my favorite cookies, Marissa. For an unexpected treat, I add a few mini chocolate chips inside of the cookie balls. And now I will have to start toasting the pecans for that extra boost of flavor.
Chocolate chips are a fun addition, Linda! And, yes, toast those nuts! 🙂
I absolutely love these cookies - I can't imagine a holiday season without a container of these on the counter! The problem is you can't sneak one without getting caught...the trail of powdered sugar gives you away. 🙂
haha...you make a great point, David!
They are a huge favourite in our house 🙂
Ours too!
These cookies are so festive, Marissa! A perfect addition to any holiday cookie box!
Thanks, Katherine!
One of my all time favorite cookies Marissa! For the holidays and all year long! Delicious!
It's true - these are fun all year long!
I can’t wait to try these, Marissa! The double dip and almonds have me hooked. I like to take a batch of cookies to my closest friends before Christmas and these will be the ones I give. Great recipe as always.
Thank you, Sally! I hope these will be a hit with you and your friends!