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.
Karren
Your Italian cookies look amazing!!
Thank you for sharing on Friday Features #omhgff on Oh My Heartsie Girl, your post being featured this week and will be shared on Instagram, watch for it.
It will also be pinned on Pinterest and shared to Facebook.
Now I hope you enjoy the little boost, and stop by again to share.
Have a great weekend!
Angelina
These look so tasty! I used to eat these in my childhood from a local bakery! Featuring you as part of Thursday Favorite Things!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Angelina! I hope these live up to your delicious childhood cookie memories! Thank you for featuring the Italian Easter Cookies!
April J Harris
I'm so sorry you were not well on your trip to Rome - that's just not fair when there's so many lovely things to eat! These are beautiful cookies, that is for sure. They look pretty much irresistible, Wendy! Sharing on the Hearth and Soul Facebook page. Hope to see you at the party this week!
Carlee
These would be right at home on our Easter table. They are so pretty to boot. Now we just need to get you another trip to Italy planned.... feel free to take me along!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
Not only are these pretty, they look really tasty! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party.
AnnMarie
Oh my oh my! I am embarrassed to say that I am 100% Italian and have not heard of these cookies! I printed the recipe and am making them asap. I have my grandmothers biscotti and fig cookie recipe, I make Italian meatball cookies too so I am excited to add these to my recipe file. Thanks for sharing!
The Monday Box
I'm so glad you are excited to find these, AnnMarie! There are SO many amazing Italian cookies with many regional specialties. It would be hard to hear of all of them! I also just posted another Italian cookie, Pasticcini di Mandorle. Take a look. They are so simple and so delicious!https://themondaybox.com/2018/03/flourless-soft-almond-cookies-pasticccini-di-mandorle/
Allyson
Question: for the Italian Easter cookies should there be lemon extract in the cookie dough also? I've read a few different recipes for the cookies and they all ha e lemon in with the cookie dough too? Just wondering because I made a batch with out the lemon extract and hope I did t mess up the cookies.
The Monday Box
Hi, Allyson. This version of Italian Easter Cookies used vanilla flavored dough with lemon flavor only in the icing. The vanilla smooths out the lemon for a creamy flavor instead of acidic. Recipes vary for these cookies, but you didn't mess up at all! I hope you enjoy your Taralli Dolce! 🙂
Allyson
Thank goodness ... I was worried that I messed up. I hope everyone likes them tomorrow : )
Happy Easter!
The Monday Box
Wishing you a sweet Easter, Allyson! 🙂
Karren
The cookies sound amazing!!! You always have such clever tricks with the icing. CAn the icing be re-heated a bit if Im not fast enough wih dipping?
You are featured this week on #OMHGFF stop by and check out the other great features this week! Happy Easter!!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Karren! I am not sure about reheating the icing, because I haven't tried it. I was not rushing when I dipped these cookies, and the icing was a perfect consistency until the last 2 or 3 cookies, so I didn't bother trying to reheat. The heat should remelt the sugar, so my guess is that reheating would work, if needed. Thank you for featuring these cookies on #OMHGFF!
Melissa
I haven't seen any of these since all of my Italian Aunts were living and making cookies at the holidays! I need to start the tradition up again. Thanks for sharing your recipe at the Family Joy Blog Link Party this week!
The Monday Box
I hope you'll try these and that they will bring you happy memories. Cookie traditions are the best kind! Thanks for hosting the Family Joy Blog Link Party!
Heidi
How fun these little cookies are! Thanks for sharing them on Funtastic Friday!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Heidi!
Susan @ Culinary Envy
I will take a dozen to go please! These look amazing! Gotta love Italian pastries.
The Monday Box
Thanks, Susan! So many different Italian cookies are great for care packages!
Beverly
Wendy,
These cookies look amazing. They remind me of ones my friend's mother use to make. I wanted to let you know that you are my feature at Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop that will open at 7 tonight.
Hugs,
Bev
The Monday Box
Thanks so much, Beverly, for featuring these Italian Easter Cookies! I am glad they brought back happy cookie memories! 🙂
April J Harris
I'm so sorry you were ill on your trip. There's nothing like being ill on a plane. Although we fly a lot, it's only happened to me once and luckily I was not as ill as you were! Your Italian Easter Cookies look so pretty and sound so good. They remind me very much of cookies I've had in Italy and I hope to make some for this weekend! Pinning and sharing. Thank you so much for being a part of Hearth and Soul, Wendy.
The Monday Box
Thanks, April! I definitely need a do-over on that trip! I was SO thankful that the worst part was over shortly after we landed and that I was able to do so many of the things my son and I had planned. There can never be enough trips to Italy!
Cristina
These look so delicious! Pinning it!
AnnMarie
I am 100% Italian and have been to Italy but don't remember ever having these cookies. They are just the kind of love to have with coffee. And I love that I can add them to my list of other Italian cookies I make every Christmas. Thanks for the recipe!