Italian Easter Cookies (Taralli Dolci Di Pasqua) are a lightly sweet cookie with a crunchy sugar icing flavored with citrus. Though perhaps less familiar to Americans than biscotti, taralli are also a fabulous care package cookie.
Why you'll love this recipe
Taralli 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.
- Melt butter in the microwave and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour and baking powder.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the eggs then beat in the sugar, melted butter, and vanilla.
- Stir in the flour mixture to form a soft dough. Then chill the dough 1 hour- overnight, until firm enough to handle.
- 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.
- Cool completely before icing.
- To make the icing, stir the confectioner’s sugar, water, and extract in a small saucepan, over low heat just until barely warm.
- Working quickly before the icing hardens, dip cookie tops into the icing and immediately add sprinkles.
Tips
- 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 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. Quick and easy with just 4 ingredients!
Italian Butter Cookies are traditional, Italian bakery cookies. 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.
My experience with this recipe
I have been to Italy twice; once as a child and once as an adult. When I was twelve and thirteen, my family lived in Europe. In the summer, we hitched a travel trailer to the back of our VW minibus and traveled all over Europe, stopping at camp grounds along the way.
I have vivid memories of traipsing through site after site of Roman ruins in blistering Italian summer heat and the cooling relief of dimly lit churches painted with Renaissance frescos. However, I have no memory from that trip of Italian food or drink other than an occasional gelato.
My Italian trip as an adult was a week in Rome with my then 16 year old son. Vast amounts of research was done before that trip to pin point every award winning gelateria and pizzeria in Rome.
I dreamed of sipping espresso from one end of Rome to the other. With a map in hand we planned to visit archeological sites and museums on our way to and from our culinary destinations.
Now comes the pathetic part of my tale. Right before we boarded the plane for our 10 hour flight, I began to feel nauseous. Maybe something I ate at the airport?
I popped a few Pepto pills and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, somewhere over the Atlantic it became obvious that the Pepto wasn’t helping. I just felt more and more nauseous and weak.
I have never been sick while traveling before (or since, thank goodness) and there I was alone with my teenage son feeling so suddenly sick that I needed a wheelchair to get off the plane!
The good news is that an English speaking doctor came to our hotel and gave me an Italian wonder drug. The nausea disappeared, but I was warned to eat very lightly. I was immensely glad to feel up to our anticipated adventure, even if I wasn’t able to eat or drink as planned.
I was in the land of espresso, pasta, pizza, and gelato consuming tea and toast. I will just have to hope that the coin I threw in the Trevi Fountain will ensure a return trip to Rome someday.
In the meantime, I sip plenty of espresso here at home. Italian Easter Cookies are the perfect accompaniment.
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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 confectioner’s sugar
- 4 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract or ⅛ teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia
- Nonpareil sprinkles
Instructions
- 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 baking sheet 2"- 3” apart. These cookies expand while baking.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes, until puffed and just turning golden brown.
- Cool completely on wire racks before icing.
- To make the 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
Nutrition
First Published: March 30, 2015. Last Updated: January 28, 2022. 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!