Easy Italian Christmas Cookies
Prep Time: 30 min
Total Time: 1 hr 40 min
Servings: 44
This easy take on Italian Christmas cookies will be an instant holiday classic thanks to refrigerated Pillsbury™ Sugar Cookie Dough, a speedy glaze and festive candy sprinkles.
Ingredients
- 1 roll (468 g) refrigerated Pillsbury™ Sugar Cookie Dough
- 125 g cream cheese, softened (half of 250g package)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups icing sugar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons holiday candy decors
Method
- Heat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In medium bowl, crumble cookie dough. Stir or knead in cream cheese, flour and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla until well blended. (DO NOT EAT RAW COOKIE DOUGH AFTER COMBINING WITH FLOUR.) Shape dough into 44 (1 1/4-inch) balls. Place 1 inch apart on large ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- In small bowl, stir icing sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. Add more water, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, as needed for desired dipping consistency. Dip top of each cookie into glaze. Sprinkle with decors. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
Expert Tips
- If you’re craving more of an authentic Italian flavour, you can substitute vanilla with anise extract. Anise’s flavour is similar to licorice in taste and is often called for in baking Italian or German dishes.
- Make cookies ahead. Shape dough into balls, then cover and place in freezer. When ready to bake, just bring them out. Bake the whole batch, or just a few at a time.
- Our spin on classic Italian Christmas cookies is the quick and easy way to feed a crowd this season, thanks to its impressive yield of 44 servings. By using refrigerated Pillsbury™ Sugar Cookie Dough as its base, these cookies allow you to skip past fussy prep, giving you back more time with your family during the busy holiday season.