Italian Butterball Cookies
Italian butterball cookies are soft, buttery, melt in your mouth deliciousness.
There are so many different names for this very popular cookie. Italian Wedding Cookies, Butterball Cookies with Pecans, Italian Cookies, even Mexican Wedding Cookies. But we call them butterball cookies in our house.
I usually only make these during Christmas time but have been known to have a craving hit during the year.
Try our Peanut Butter Balls!
Italian Butterball Cookies
How to make Italian Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Finely chop the pecans. You don’t want big chunks in these cookies. Sorry about the ginormous photo of the cutting board. I had help with the pics on this post from my daughter.
Cream the softened butter with 3/4 cup of confectioners sugar. Add the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl whisk the all-purpose flour, salt, and, baking powder together. Stir in the chopped pecans.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake about 10 minutes, keep an eye on them. You don’t want them to brown.
Let cool completely.
Roll in the powdered sugar to coat evenly, shake off extra.
Enjoy!
Try our Monster Cookies!
Italian Butterball Cookie Recipe
Italian Butterball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter – softened
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 oz pecans, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar (up to 1/2 cup to coat)
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Chop the nuts, set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together the softened butter and 3/4 cup confectioners sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract.1/2 cup unsalted butter – softened, 1 large egg, room temperature, 3/4 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir in the chopped pecans. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated. Scraping down the bowl as needed.1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 4 oz pecans, finely chopped
- Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake about 10 minutes or until firm. Watch closely, you don't want them to brown too much on the bottoms. Cool on the baking pan for about 5 minutes.
- Remove from cookie sheet to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Place 1/4 cup confectioners sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll the cooled cookies in the confectioner's sugar to coat.1/4 cup confectioners sugar
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe inspired by allrecipes.com
They look very similar to my Alma‘s German butter cookie recipe. That recipe calls for part cornstarch, and part flour, to create a much silky cookie. Do you think that would work in this recipe?
Hey Michele,
So, yes. Adding cornstarch will make a more ‘silky’ texture. It inhibits the gluten development, which will reduce chewiness and will give you a softer quality. 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch per 1 cup of flour is kind of where you want to be at. Good luck!