Italian Bakery Butter Cookies | What’s Cookin’ Italian Style Cuisine

These Italian Bakery Style Butter Cookies are tender, rich, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious with that unmistakable bakery texture everyone loves.

Perfect for holidays, weddings, cookie exchanges, afternoon coffee breaks, or simply satisfying a sweet tooth, these cookies are surprisingly easy to make at home.

The dough pipes beautifully into classic swirls, rings, and shapes, creating the elegant appearance found in traditional Italian bakeries. Whether dipped in chocolate, decorated with festive sprinkles, or enjoyed plain, these cookies are always a crowd favorite.

The best part is that one simple dough can create countless cookie varieties, making it a versatile recipe you’ll return to throughout the year.

Cookies with butter can be very fragile; do not over-mix the dough, and use the largest pastry star tip to make nice ridges that look like bakery-style cookies.

We enjoy all kinds of cookies and make several different kinds for the holiday season we call it the One-Stop Cookie Shop or you may like a Basic Variety Dough that makes all kinds of cookies with one dough to try.

Italian Butter Cookies (or Jelly Sticks): Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Rich buttery flavor, just like authentic Italian bakery cookies
• Crisp edges with a soft, tender center
• Easy dough that can be piped into a beautiful shape
• Perfect for holidays, weddings, and special occasions
• One dough creates dozens of different cookie varieties
• Freezes beautifully before or after baking
• Great make-ahead dessert for entertaining
• Wonderful for gift boxes and cookie trays
• Easy to customize with chocolate, nuts, jams, and sprinkles
• Tastes even better the next day

Other Cookie Fillings and Dipping Ideas

1. Lemon, mint, rum, anise, almond, orange, maple, or another extract you like in place of vanilla
2. Sandwich with jams, Nutella, ganache, or any preserves you prefer
3. Add toffee chips and mini chocolate chips, sprinkle on each end
4. Minced maraschino cherries, coconut, finely chopped walnuts, or mini chocolate chips can be used on each end after dipping
5. Tinted nuts or tinted coconut to match the holiday theme 
6. candy sprinkles to match the theme of the holiday or party
7. Crushed peppermints are pretty for the holiday  
8. Pistachios, macadamia nuts, pecans, walnuts, or, for nut allergies, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds mixed with cinnamon and sugar 
9. Lemon curd filling can be used in the center of flat cookies, and then sprinkles can be added
10. Finely minced cranberries, dates, figs, or raisins with cinnamon /sugar mixed with nuts for the tops before baking
11. Cherry, peach, apricot, blackberry, mint, fig, blueberry, strawberry, pineapple jams, or another flavor you love for the center, before or after baking, will work
12. Dip in white melted chocolate, dark chocolate, or a light glaze of frosting on each end, then into sprinkles, nuts, etc

Familiar Bakery Cookie Versions

This versatile dough can be transformed into many bakery classics:

1. Chocolate-Dipped Butter Cookies: Dip one end in melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles.
2. Jam Sandwich Cookies: Sandwich two cookies together with raspberry, apricot, or strawberry preserves.
3. Cherry-Topped Cookies: Add half a maraschino cherry to the center before baking.
4. Sprinkle Butter Cookies: Decorate with colored sprinkles before baking.
5. Pistachio Butter Cookies: Mix finely chopped pistachios into the dough and garnish with more after dipping in chocolate.
6. Holiday Wreath Cookies: Pipe circles and decorate with red and green sprinkles.
7. Chocolate Swirl Cookies: Drizzle cooled cookies with dark, milk, or white chocolate.
8. Almond Bakery Cookies: Replace some vanilla extract with almond extract for a classic bakery flavor.

Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

• Use room-temperature butter for the smoothest dough.
• Do not overmix once the flour is added.
• Chill the dough if it becomes too soft for piping.
• Use a large open-star piping tip for traditional bakery swirls.
  Line baking sheets with parchment paper for easy release.
• Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating.
• Dip only cooled cookies into melted chocolate.
• For uniform baking, make all cookies approximately the same size.
• Use high-quality butter for the richest flavor.
• Avoid overbaking; cookies should remain light in color.

Questions and Answers:

1. Why are bakery butter cookies so tender? The high butter content creates the soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes these cookies famous.
2. Can I freeze the dough? Yes. Pipe the shapes onto a baking sheet, freeze until firm, then store in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
3. Can I make them ahead? Absolutely. These cookies stay fresh for several days and often taste even better after resting overnight.
4. What is the best piping tip to use? A large open-star tip produces the classic Italian bakery appearance.
5. Can I use margarine? Butter is strongly recommended for authentic flavor and texture.

More Recipes To Try:

Banana Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Chocolate Spice Cookies

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Cookies

Chocolate Chip Dipped Shortbread

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Decorating Ideas

• Dip in dark chocolate and sprinkle with nonpareils
• Drizzle with white chocolate
• Add festive holiday sprinkles
• Dust with powdered sugar
• Top with candied cherries
• Garnish with chopped pistachios
• Decorate with colored sugar crystals
• Fill centers with fruit preserves
• Pipe melted chocolate stripes across the tops
• Add edible gold dust for special occasions 
• Use colored icing for holiday themes
• Sandwich with Nutella or cookie butter

Italian Bakery Butter Cookies

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Yield: 40

Author: Claudia Lamascolo

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 22 Min

These are the butter cookies you find filled in Italian bakeries usually piped in leaf shapes filled with jam and dipped in chocolate

Ingredients

• Italian Bakery Butter Cookies (or some call them Butter Jelly Sticks)
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (4 ounces each)
• Note: if you use salted omit salt in this recipe below
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• Filling: any jam you prefer IE apricot, strawberry, raspberry, pineapple
• Good-grade chocolate melted for dipping the ends of each cookie
• Garnish: chopped nuts, chopped cherries, sprinkles, coconut, mini chocolate chips
• Italian Butter Cut-Out Cookie Recipe (using cookie cutters):
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons milk
• assorted cookie cutters
• parchment paper
• cookie sheet

Instructions

1. Italian Bakery Butter Cookies/ Pastry Tube Cookie Directions:
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Line your baking cookie sheets with parchment paper/
4. Beat the sugar with butter for 5 minutes.
5. Add the egg then extracts.
6. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly blended.
7. Note: you will need two cookies to make a sandwich with jelly so count the cookies as you make them even in amounts.
8. Use a cookie press or pastry bag (usually the largest star tip) to pipe the shapes you prefer, IE leaves, Milano cookie shapes, fingers, etc.
9. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges just begins to brown.
10. Cool completely, and fill with any flavored jam.
11. Dip each end into melted chocolate, add nuts, chopped cherries, sprinkles to match the holiday theme, nuts, and chocolate chips.
12. Italian Cutout Cookie Directions:
13. Mix all together in a heavy-duty mixer until this forms a ball, add more milk by drops if too dry.
14. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.
15. Roll dough out 1/4 inch thick, and cut out with assorted cookie cutters.
16. Bake at 350 degrees hot oven on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
17. Bake till edges are slightly browned around 8 minutes.
18. Do not use a hot cookie sheet when making the next batch, make sure it is cool.
19. Cool cookies completely before handling them to decorate, dip or sandwich together with filling.
20. Note: These can be made without filling with jam also just one cookie then dip each end in chocolate and garnish with sprinkles
21. If using two cookies sandwich them together with Nutella spread frosting or jam.
22. cool completely before filling with jams, jelly, Nutella or dipping the ends in ganache frosting, icing, or melted chocolate
23. dip each end in melted chocolate and sprinkled with candies, nuts, or whatever you like.

Notes

Other Cookie Decorating and Dipping Ideas

1. lemon, mint, rum, anise, almond, orange, maple, or another extract you like in place of vanilla
2. sandwich with jams, Nutella, ganache, or any preserves you prefer
3. add toffee chips, and mini chocolate chips, sprinkle on each end
4. minced maraschino cherries, coconut, finely chopped walnuts, or mini chocolate chips can be used on each end after dipping
5. tinted nuts or tinted coconut to match the holiday them 
6. candy sprinkles to match the theme of the holiday or party
7. crushed peppermints are pretty for the holiday  
8. pistachios, macadamia nuts, pecan, walnuts, or for nut allergies pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds mixed with cinnamon and sugar 
9. lemon curd filling can be used in the center of flat cookies and then add sprinkles
10. finely minced cranberries, dates, figs, or raisins with cinnamon /sugar mixed with nuts for tops before baking
11. cherry, peach, apricot, blackberry, mint, fig, blueberry, strawberry, pineapple jams, or another flavor you love for the center before or after baking will work
12. dip in white melted chocolate, dark chocolate, or a light glaze of frosting on each end then into sprinkles, nuts, etc

Tips

1. butter, flour, and egg need to be at room temperature
2. using an electric mixer always cream the butter with sugar (this is a must for at least 5 minutes)
3. make sure the baking sheet is lined with clean parchment paper do not reuse the one from the first baked batch of cookies, the oily residue surface will keep them from adhering to the paper
4. the baking sheet also must be cold do not try and use that pan that just came out of the oven
5. using a cookie gun: first, check the battery and make sure they are new. Next, make sure it’s clean inside. The ridges for the pattern of the disc you pick should face up towards the dough and the smooth part faces down. Keep the plunger up until loading the dough.
6. when using the press, it should be straight up pressed down flat down on the parchment paper. I count to 3 seconds pull back and release the cookie shape on the parchment paper baking sheet pan
7. if using a pastry tube use the largest star tip
8. if you don’t have a pastry bag or cookie press use a ziplock bag, add dough and cut an end off
9. allow two cookies needed for filling the jelly stick/Italian butter sandwich cookies
10. baking time takes around 7 to 8 minutes in a preheated oven of 375 degrees

https://www.whatscookinitalianstylecuisine.com/2012/10/halloween-italian-style-butter-cookie.html

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Italian

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24 One-Stop Cookie Shop

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25 Holiday Cookies

Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2012. It was edited and re-published in 2022.