Fans Say Giada's 30-Minute Italian Wedding Cookies Are a Perfect Addition to Your Holiday Spread
The winter holidays are a time for indulging in favorite comfort foods and seasonal sweets, whether it's a mug of hot chocolate, a cozy spiced cider muffin or a few decorated Christmas cookies when celebrating with friends and family. We're all about building up a no-cook holiday dessert board so everyone can help themselves to delicious treats. But if you're looking for a simple cookie recipe that will add some homemade snowy splendor to your holiday party, we have just the pick for you.
Giada De Laurentiis just shared her recipe for classic Italian Wedding Cookies, or the almond-flavored buttery cookies dusted with confectioner's sugar, on her blog Giadzy. The recipe requires just six ingredients and 30 minutes, so you can whip up a homemade treat everyone will love in a pinch.
"At Italian weddings, there is often a sweets table in addition to the cake, laden with cookies and other treats for the guests," De Laurentiis' team wrote on Giadzy. "It's a tradition that works just as well for a holiday party, and front and center on your table should be Giada's Italian wedding cookies—they melt in your mouth! A generous dusting of powdered sugar adds a snowy cap—perfect for the winter season."
To make these cookies, you'll need to gather a stick of unsalted butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, salt, one egg, all-purpose flour and almond flour. Giada first beats together the sugar and butter with a mixer, then adds the extract, salt and egg. When the wet ingredients are fully incorporated, she slowly adds the flours with the mixer on low. A stand mixer, like KitchenAid's artisan model (buy it: $350, was $430, Williams Sonoma) would make this recipe especially easy, but a hand mixer would also work. When the dough is done, Giada scoops the cookies one tablespoon at a time and bakes them for around 20 minutes at 350°F. When the cookies come out of the oven, she dusts them with some more powdered sugar, then allows them to cool.
Commenters chimed in on Instagram to share the names they grew up calling these classic melt-in-your-mouth cookies as children—from Mexican wedding cookies and Russian tea cakes to polvorones and snowballs. Many said their holiday celebrations wouldn't be complete without this cookie, whether they used Giada's recipe or one passed down by family members.
If you'd rather cut back on the butter in this recipe, you can try these Princess Tea Cakes, our makeover of the classic cookie. No matter which recipe you go for, you'll be sure to enjoy these wintry treats with your favorite hot beverage and some holiday cheer. And if you're on a real baking kick, be sure to try one of our top 10 most popular cookies of the year—you'll be sure to find something to satisfy your sweet tooth.