Josephine’s Italian Wedding Cookies
Unlike me, my grandmother Josephine never really had a sweet tooth, so making dessert was a rare, special treat. But during the holidays or when guests came over, she’d always whip up a batch of Italian Wedding Cookies. These little bites of heaven were soft, crumbly, and topped with a delicate ballet slipper-pink anise glaze. As a kid, I thought they were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. What makes this recipe even more special is that it goes way back—about two centuries! It was passed down from my great grandmothers in Sicily. All the aunts had the same recipe, and their daughters and granddaughters still make them today.
Sentimental Shapes
In addition to the usual round cookies, my mom would always bake about a dozen shaped like the letters "S" and "J." This tradition came from her childhood, when her own mother made cookies in the initials of her kids' names: "S" for my mom, Santina, and "J" for her sister, Josie. I’ve continued that tradition with my own baking, and it feels even more special now that my kids, Sarah and Jake, coincidentally have the same initials. It’s like the tradition has come full circle!
Butter's Better...
I respect the authenticity of the original recipe, but I made a few small adjustments, with the biggest change being swapping butter for Crisco. I am admittedly a butter purist, but I always like to test a recipe in its original form first. I tried three variations:
- The original recipe with all shortening;
- A 50/50 butter and shortening blend;
- All butter
Here’s what I found: The all-Crisco version had more height but lacked flavor. The 50/50 blend was better, offering a balance of flavor and texture. However, the all-butter version was, in my opinion, the clear winner. It had superior flavor and a texture just as good as the 50/50 blend, making it worth the switch for the best overall taste.
Ingredients
- ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
- UNSALTED BUTTER (SOFTENED)
- GRANULATED SUGAR
- LARGE EGGS (ROOM TEMPERATURE)
- WHOLE MILK
- VANILLA EXTRACT
- KOSHER SALT
- BAKING POWDER
- POWDERED SUGAR
- SPRINKLES
- ALMOND and/or ANISE EXTRACT
- (FOR EGGNOG FLAVOR : You will need FULL FAT EGGNOG, NUTMEG and optionally CRUSHED GINGER COOKIES to sprinkle on top.)
Everything's Better in Miniature!
With just a few tweaks to the ingredients, I had a blast putting my own spin on a family recipe. First off, I’m a huge fan of anything in miniature! Maybe it’s a throwback to my "Easy Bake Oven" days, or perhaps it’s the fact that smaller portions let you indulge a little more. Either way, I think these cookies are especially charming when they’re teeny-tiny. To get the perfect size, I used a micro cookie scooper, then flattened the tops before placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. To ensure a uniform shape, I rolled them into little balls with clean hands.
More is more.
Making pink cookies felt downright adorable and maybe even a little frivolous coming from my pragmatic, Depression era, Sicilian grandmother. But sprinkles and extra glaze flavors were most certainly not on the menu. But they definitely are now! It's just too fun to bring this wonderful base cookie to life with new flavors, colors and textures.
I truly adore the flavor of anise. The sweet, licorice glaze is such a complex, comforting and nostalgic flavor for me. But not everyone is a fan. So I started making an alternative almond glaze flavor, which I think it a universal favorite.
Eggnog: The New Kid on the Block.
Recently, I added a new eggnog glaze version of this classic cookie. I love the flavor!!!! I simply swapped out milk with full fat eggnog in the glaze and added a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg. After glazing the cookies, I added some gold crunchy sugar sprinkles (turbinado sugar would work great as well) and crushed ginger cookies (Biscoff cookies would also be a nice choice). It's a delicate but distinct flavor and definitely a happy new addition to the family...especially around the holidays.
Taking a Dip
There's something magical that happens when you glaze these cookies. On their own, they're good, but honestly, a bit plain. However, the glaze transforms them — locking in moisture and taking the flavor to a whole new level. They become irresistibly moist, bursting with flavor, and absolutely scrumptious. I've seen people frost them halfway, leaving the plain cookie exposed, but I believe fully coating them in glaze is the best way to enhance both the texture and taste, creating the perfect cookie experience.
These cookies are a cherished part of my family’s history and traditions, and I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do!
If you try them and enjoy them, thank you for leaving a star review and comment below.
Josephine’s Italian Wedding Cookies
Description
Italian Wedding Cookies are soft, yet crumbly orbs of delicious! They include a basic base dough that is rolled into balls and glazed after they are baked and cooled. The classic vintage glaze flavor is anise. But I like to create multiple glaze flavors for variety, including almond and new holiday version – eggnog. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup of whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze
- 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon extract (anise or almond)
- Red food coloring (optional)
- Sprinkles (optional)
**For eggnog flavored glaze, alternate milk with full fat eggnog and add a pinch (about 1/8 teaspoon) of freshly ground nutmeg.**
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In the standing mixer, beat softened butter on medium high speed for one minute until smooth.
- Add sugar and beat for another minute on high speed.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds until incorporated.
- Add flour in two steps, alternating with the milk on a low speed. be careful not to overmix or the cookies will be tough.
- Using a cookie scooper, scoop out flat bottom cookies for evenly sized cookies. (I use a micro scooper for miniature cookie). Then, with clean hands, roll them into perfectly shaped balls on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- With this all butter version, I like to refrigerate the cookies for about 20-30 minutes before baking.
- Bake them for about 10 minutes. They should look firm and be very lightly browned on th bottom but still light on the tops.
- Set them aside to cool.
Glaze
- While the cookies are baking and cooling, sift the powdered sugar (to help ensure there are no lumps in the glaze).
- Add powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk to th bowl of standing mixer and beat on high speed with a paddle attachment.
- Assess the thickness of your glaze and add up to another tablespoon if it looks too thick. (You can always add a little milk to the dipping bowl and stir it with a spoon if you want a thinner glaze.)
- Add 1 teaspoon of the extract of your choice (anise and almonds are my favorites.)
- If you want the traditional pink cookies, add a small amount of red food coloring gel. The glaze lighten when it’s on the cookies, so a soft, pale pink color in the bowl will read white on a cookie. Experiment to find your perfect hue.
- If you want to make two glaze flavors with one recipe, separate the glaze evenly into two bowls and add 1/2 teaspoon of extract to each bowl.
- Assemble ramekins of sprinkles and any other toppings you would like to add.
Assembly
- Put your glaze(s) into a small but somewhat deep bowl.
- Once the cookies are completely cooled, you can put multiple cookies at a time into the glaze bowl. Using a slotted or small spoon, you can rotate the cookie until it’s completely covered.
- With a light touch, use your index finger and thumb to remove the cookie from the spoon and rest it on a grate with parchment or wax paper underneath to catch the glaze drippings.
- If you want to add sprinkles on top, do it a few seconds after dipping. If you want too long, the glaze will set and the toppings won’t stick.
- Let the cookies dry for about 10-15 minutes on the grate. I like to remove them when the tops look dry and transfer them to a piece of parchment paper to ensure that they don’t get “glued” to the grate. The bottoms will still be slightly damp even when the tops are dry, which is ok.
Storage
- Store cookies in an airtight container or tin in the refrigerator until ready to eat. They are best same day or next day but will stay fresh for up to three days.
- Take them out of the refrigerator about 20 -30 minutes before you are ready to serve them.
- If you are making multiple glazes, I would recommend storing the different flavors in separate containers so the flavors don’t mix.
Notes
If you want to make larger cookies, you can adjust the bake time. Check them at 12 minutes and add time as needed.
Matriarch Muse : Josephine
My grandmother, Josephine Manganaro Palmeri was born in Pittston, Pennsylvania in 1911. Her parents immigrated from Sicily. Her cooking style was rustic, simple, pragmatic, in that she used everything she had, and always SO delicious. Her kitchen always smelled of garlic and olive oil and more often than not, she had a mouthwatering pot of sauce simmering on the stove. She didn't have a sweet tooth personally, but when company came or on the holidays, she would make scrumptious Italian cookies, like her famous Italian Pink Wedding Cookies.
