Soft Butter Cookies: The Italian Recipe
Recipe for simple, quick, Italian soft butter cookies with a few basic ingredients, how to make shortbread cookies to dip or offer to friends.
Doses for 480 g cookies (1.06 lb))
Calorie per porzione48kcal
Cost Low
Other details
- Difficulty: Easy (and funny)
Ingredients
Ingredients for preparing simple butter cookies
- 200 g All-purpose Flour (7.05 oz)
- 100 g Sugar (3.53 oz)
- 100 g Butter (3.53 oz)
- 1 Whole Egg
- 8 g Baking Powder (0.28 oz)
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract (optional) (15 ml)
- to taste Salt (recommended: a pinch)
Instructions
Italian Butter Cookies, here's how to prepare them
- To prepare Italian Butter Cookies start by adding in a container the diced butter and sugar. Work the two ingredients with a fork or your hands to combine them until you obtain a sort of lumpy cream. (Tip: Do not use a whisk to try to speed up the process or you'll cover the kitchen in sugar and butter.)
- Add the whole egg, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix a little with a fork and then knead with your hands.
- Continue working the dough on a work surface until you create a homogeneous dough ball.
- Once you've obtained the ideal dough, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- After the time has passed, take the dough, dust the work surface with flour, and roll it out with a rolling pin until it reaches a thickness of 3-4 millimeters (0.12-0.16 inches).
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Meanwhile, take a baking sheet, place parchment paper on it, and then go back to the dough to start cutting the butter cookies with your favorite cookie cutters.
- As you cut the cookies, place them on the baking sheet, well spaced apart.
- Compact the remaining dough scraps and roll it out again to make more cookies until all the dough for the butter cookies is used up.
- The cookies should bake for 10-12 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F). You can definitely take them out as soon as they start to have the ideal golden color.
- Allow the butter cookies to cool for at least fifteen minutes before serving, dusted with powdered sugar, plain, or decorated.
Conservation
After preparing the delicious homemade soft butter cookies, it is important to know how to best store them to ensure they maintain their flavor and texture. Here are some helpful storage tips:
- Cooling: After removing them from the oven, let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet. This allows them to set and achieve a soft texture.
- Airtight containers: Transfer the cookies to an airtight container, preferably made of glass or plastic, with a tightly sealed lid. This way, you will prevent moisture and keep them fresh for longer.
- Separate layers: If you want to stack the cookies in the container, make sure to separate them between each layer with parchment paper or plastic wrap. This will prevent them from sticking together.
- Cool and dry place: Store the cookies in a cool and dry place, away from heat sources and humidity. Avoid keeping them near the stove or window, for example.
- Freezing: If you have made a large quantity of cookies and don't consume them all quickly, you can freeze them. Place them in a well-sealed freezer bag and store them in the freezer. They will remain good for several months. When you want to eat them, simply thaw them at room temperature.
Watching calories
The indicated calories refer to 1 individual butter cookie.