Italian Easter Cookies (Taralli Dolci Di Pasqua) are a lightly sweet cookie with a crunchy sugar icing flavored with citrus. These delicious treats will melt in your mouth.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Italian Easter Cookies have a fun ring shape and look so pretty with lemon glaze and colorful sprinkles.
- The crisp lemon icing adds just enough sweetness to the cookies.
- Though perhaps less familiar to Americans than biscotti, taralli are also a fabulous care package cookie.
Taralli cookies are firm rather than crunchy, with a lightly sweet vanilla dough encased in crisp citrus icing.
The ingredients for this icing look like the typical ingredients for a simple confectioner’s sugar glaze, but something changes when those ingredients are gently warmed.
The resulting icing is thicker, crunchier, and hardens VERY quickly, so quickly that you have to move quickly in order for the sprinkles to stick.
Taralli cookies make a great care package cookie even when it isn’t Easter, as they stay fresh for at least a week and travel well.
Taralli are also great to fill the cookie jar at home and enjoy alongside a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cookies
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the eggs then beat in the sugar, melted butter, and vanilla.
- Stir in the dry ingredients to form a soft dough. Chill the dough 1 hour- overnight.
- When ready to bake, divide dough into 36 even pieces, roll into a balls, then into a 6” ropes. Press the ends of each rope together to form rings.
- Bake until puffed and just turning golden.
Icing
- Stir the icing ingredients in a small saucepan, over low heat just until barely warm.
- Working quickly before the icing hardens, dip the top of the cookies into the icing and immediately add sprinkles.
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Storage
Store Italian Easter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Tips
- The icing hardens VERY quickly and must be used immediately. For best results, the cookies and sprinkles should be ready to use before making the icing.
- It is helpful if one person can do the icing, while a second person quickly adds the nonpareil sprinkles before the icing hardens.
- Once the icing in the saucepan hardens, do not try to reheat it. The sugar will crystalize and make a sandy icing.
More Italian cookie recipes
This Chocolate Chip Biscotti recipe makes crispy, crunchy chocolate chip cookies that can be munched on their own our dunked in your coffee.
Italian Almond Cookies (Pasticcini di Mandorle) are soft, flourless cookies that taste like marzipan coated in powdered sugar. Quick and easy with just 4 ingredients!
Almond Flour Chocolate Cookies are a chocolate version of Pasticcini di Mandorle with a delicious combination of marzipan and chocolate flavor in a quick, easy, and naturally gluten free cookie.
Italian Butter Cookies are traditional, Italian cookies found at bakeries. These pretty cookies will melt in your mouth.
Italian Chocolate Cookies are soft, cake-like spice cookies shaped like a meatball! Mix in chocolate chips, raisins, or both!
Italian Fig Cookies (Cucidati) are a delicious, tender cookie with a fruity fig filling.
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Italian Easter Cookies (Taralli Dolci Di Pasqua)
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
- 6 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Icing ingredients
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 4 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract or ⅛ teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia
- Nonpareil sprinkles
Instructions
Cookies
- Melt butter in the microwave and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl combine flour and baking powder.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whisk the eggs then beat in the sugar.
- Mix in the melted butter and vanilla.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough 1 hour- overnight, until firm enough to handle.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide dough into 32 even pieces ( about 46 grams/1.6 ounces each).
- Roll dough pieces into a ball, then into a 7 inch rope. Press the ends of the rope together to form a circle.
- Place dough rings on the prepared cookie sheet, 2"- 3” apart. These cookies expand while baking.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes, until puffed and just turning golden brown.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
Icing
- Stir confectioner’s sugar, water, and extract in a small saucepan, over low heat just until combined and barely warm. WARNING: This icing hardens VERY quickly and must be used immediately. The cookies and sprinkles should be ready to use before making the icing. It is helpful if one person can do the icing, while a second person quickly adds the nonpareil sprinkles before the icing hardens.
- Dip the cookie tops into the icing or use a pastry brush to coat the cookies with icing, and immediately add sprinkles. Once the icing in the saucepan hardens, do not try to reheat it. The sugar will crystallize and make a sandy icing.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Notes
- The icing hardens VERY quickly and must be used immediately. The cookies and sprinkles should be ready to use before making the icing.
- It is helpful if one person can do the icing, while a second person quickly adds the sprinkles before the icing hardens.
- Once the icing in the saucepan hardens, do not try to reheat it. The sugar will crystalize and make a sandy icing.
- Wrap the cookies individually in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock freezer bag or plastic storage container.
- If using a storage container, add crumples tissue paper between the cookie and the lid, if necessary, to prevent ANY movement while shipping.
Nutrition
First Published: March 30, 2015. Last Updated: February 21, 2024. Updated for additional information and better reader experience.
Linda Colandrea
Delicious! One of my favorite Italian cookies! Gracie!
Wendy Sondov
You are welcome, Linda! I'm so glad you are enjoying the recipe!
Cat
Where do you purchase your non-pareil sprinkles?
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Cat. I purchase nonpareils whereever I can find them! I've bought them from cake decortating stores, Michaels, Target, Home Goods, World Market and online from Amazon or India Tree. The sprinkles on these cookies were all purchased white (flat white not pearlized). You can color your own by putting the nonpareils in a plastic bag (I like to use about 1/4 cup) with a few drops of gel food coloring. Smoosh the bag until the sprinkles are evenly colored. Leave the bag open so that the sprinkles can dry overnight. Once dry, smoosh the bag again to speparate any clumps. I hope this helps!
Kathi
There is cornstarch in 10X sugar to keep it a powder (instead of glumping). It works like baby powder for sugar crystals 🙂
When you heat the icing mixture, the cornstarch acts like a thickener (like when used for baking pies). As a plus, the sugar melts into solution quickly because it is so fine
that's the voodoo behind heating the icing.
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Kathi. Thanks for the great icing chemistry explanation! 🙂
Janet
I tried your Taralli recipe. They turned out ok. Not the same Taralli cookie that I was looking for.
In any event, can these cookies be frozen?
Wendy Sondov
Hi Janet. I have frozen these cookies before icing with good results. I am not sure how the icing would do frozen then defrosted. If you have already iced all of your cookies, why not try freezing one for a few hours, then defrosting it to see how the icing holds up? I hope you are able to find the exact cookie you are looking for.
Joanne
I want to make 2 batches. Do I just double the recipe?
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Joanne. I haven't tried doubling this recipe but I would advise making two batches instead. Not all recipes work when doubled and I would hate to waste all of those ingredients! If you look at the quantities of the ingredients, I think you will agree that doubling the recipe will most likely be way too much dough in the mixer (unless you have a huge mixer). Also, the special icing hardens VERY quickly. I don't think it would be possible for one person to ice two batches of these cookies before the icing is unusable. I hope this answers your question. Let me know if I can help further. Happy Baking!
Robbie
I grew up eating these and they are my favorite cookie. (Even better than chocolate chip cookies!) My mom's paternal grandparents were born in Italy and my great grandmother used to make them. My grandfather learned how to make them so the tradition continued. No one thought to get the recipe. I cannot wait to try these out. Maybe for Christmas.
The Monday Box
Oh, Robbie, I sure hope these cookies can at least come close to your grandmother's! Why don't we think of the important questions until there is no one to answer them?! Please let me know how these compare when you try them. I will keep my fingers crossed!