Description
These Italian Butterball Cookies are irresistibly soft, buttery, and wonderfully melt-in-your-mouth. Made with creamy unsalted butter, powdered sugar, a fresh egg, pure vanilla extract, and fragrant almond extract, these classic Italian-inspired cookies feature delicate, tender centers, lightly golden bottoms, and beautifully pale tops. Each little butterball is generously rolled in powdered sugar after cooling to create a gorgeous snowy-white coating and an elegant, festive appearance. Perfect for Christmas cookie trays, Italian holiday celebrations, homemade gifts, afternoon tea, or enjoying with a warm cup of espresso, these easy homemade butter cookies are a delicious treat for any occasion!
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Italian Butterball Cookie Base:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (approximately 65°F–68°F / 18°C–20°C)
- 3/4 cup (90 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pure almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups (187 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- For the Snowy Coating:
- 1/4 cup (30 g) powdered sugar, sifted, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent the delicate Italian butterball cookies from sticking during baking.
- Cream Softened Butter and Powdered Sugar: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1/2 cup (113 g) of softened unsalted butter and 3/4 cup (90 g) of sifted powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed for approximately 2 minutes until the mixture becomes smooth, pale, light, and creamy. Make sure the butter is softened to approximately 65°F–68°F (18°C–20°C), but not melted.
- Incorporate the Egg: Add the large room-temperature egg to the creamed butter and powdered sugar mixture. Beat on medium speed until the egg is fully incorporated and the mixture becomes smooth and uniform.
- Add Vanilla and Almond Extracts: Pour 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of pure almond extract into the butter and egg mixture. Mix gently until both extracts are evenly incorporated, creating a wonderfully fragrant cookie dough base.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups (187 g) of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and a pinch of fine sea salt until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Form Italian Butterball Cookie Dough: Gradually add the prepared dry flour mixture to the wet butter, sugar, egg, and extract mixture. Mix gently on low speed just until a soft, smooth, uniform cookie dough forms and no dry flour streaks remain. Avoid overmixing to preserve the delicate, tender texture of the finished cookies.
- Shape and Arrange Cookie Balls: Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, divide the dough into approximately 1-inch portions, around 15 g each. Gently roll each portion between clean palms to form a smooth, round ball. Arrange the cookie dough balls approximately 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets to allow space for slight spreading during baking.
- Bake Until Set and Pale: Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake at 350°F (175°C) for approximately 10 minutes, or until the cookies feel set and the bottoms become lightly golden while the tops remain beautifully pale. Avoid overbaking, as the cookies should remain soft and tender inside rather than becoming dry or overly browned.
- Cool and Coat in Powdered Sugar: Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the warm pans for 10 minutes so their delicate structure can firm up. Carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack and let them cool completely to room temperature. Place the remaining 1/4 cup (30 g) of sifted powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each cooled cookie generously until completely covered in a beautiful snowy-white coating. Serve and enjoy their wonderfully soft, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture!
Notes
- Do Not Overbake: Remove the Italian butterball cookies from the oven at approximately the 10-minute mark, when the bottoms are lightly golden and the tops feel set but remain pale. Overbaking can dry out their delicate crumb and prevent the wonderfully soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Cool Completely Before Sugar Coating: Always allow the cookies to reach room temperature before rolling them in powdered sugar. Coating warm cookies causes the sugar to absorb moisture and dissolve into a wet glaze instead of creating the signature snowy-white dusting.
- Chill Sticky Dough Briefly: If your kitchen is warm or the egg-rich cookie dough feels sticky and difficult to roll, refrigerate the mixing bowl for approximately 15 minutes before shaping. Brief chilling firms up the butter and makes it easier to form smooth, evenly sized 1-inch cookie balls.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 80
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 25mg
- Fat: 3g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 15mg