Lemon drop cookies, iced Italian cookies or anginetti, whatever your family calls them you’ll be sure to find these traditional Italian cookies at many special occasions and holiday cookie trays.
Has the Christmas fever started shaking you?
The start of the holidays is earlier and earlier every year, with Christmas displays and decoration on the high street even before Halloween is over. Arranging family travel in advance to secure reasonable ticket prices, imagining how we will decorate our tree and homes, and thinking how we can outdo last year’s celebrations. All this effort culminates over two weeks of Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
I’m probably late on the band wagon with these cookies, but honestly, why Christmas fever starts early?
Are we craving the break ? Are the holidays an excuse for a break that many of us truly need?
Is it a spiritual time or are we just happy for the break? Perhaps all of the above!
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It’s rarely we have chances to slow down, visit family, visit friends or simple just take time to stay in our pajamas all day watching movies if that is what we choose, or perhaps make some other treat that is quick, easy AND delicious, like these lemon drop cookies.
They take very little time and you will become the star of the day by serving them to those you love.
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Honestly, there are so many variations to this cookie, just do a Google search and you’ll see what I mean, Lemon drop cookies, iced Italian cookies or anginetti, whatever your family calls them you’ll be sure to find these traditional Italian cookies at many special occasions and holiday cookie trays. Their lightly sweet taste is again as most Italian cookies, perfect for dipping in espresso…..or wine!
Ready to make Italian Lemon Drop Cookies? I thought so.
Italian Lemon Drop Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 stick butter softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs and lemon extract and beat well. Add flour mixture, mix well until smooth texture. (dough will be a bit sticky) If dough seems light colored, add a drop or 2 of yellow food coloring. Chill dough until firm.
- With a small cookie scoop, drop dough onto a slightly greased cookie sheet, spacing them about 2-inches apart.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until firm and lightly brown.
- Remove cookies from cookie sheet and allow to cool completely.
- Combine the Icing ingredients in a bowl until just smooth. You want it more thick than thin, but still runny.
- Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze, then return to the wire rack, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides of the cookie.
- Top with sprinkles or a little lemon zest, while glaze is still wet.
- Store in an airtight container.
- * If you want to freeze the cookies, freeze unfrosted and frost once thawed.
We loved these cookies. I doubled the extract and added a spoonful of cream cheese to the icing….DELICIOUS!!!!
How big is a stick of butter? Ours doesnt come in sticks…
Hi! In the U.S. a stick of butter is 1/2 cup, which is about 113 g (4 oz). So just use that amount instead of a “stick.”
Could I make KETO by using almond flour and keto sugar?
I needed you to go step by step. I don’t know what are cookie ingredients and which ones are icing ingredients. I ended up with a lemon cookie cake type thing that didn’t setup so I had to use a pie tin to bake.
The icing ingredients are powdered sugar, water, and 1 tsp lemon extract. You could also use lemon juice instead of the water and extract.
The last three ingredients are for the glaze. I made the glaze by mixing 3cups powder sugar a little more than 3tablespoons milk, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract.
The cookies are so good!
You use the powdered Sugar , water and the second extract for the icing
I bake and freeze my Christmas cookies ahead of time because I make a lot of cookies. Can I freeze the cookies if I glaze them and let them set?
So happy this one has no ricotta. Can’t wait to try it!l Merry Christmas❤️
I did that last time I made them but I placed in the freezer on a cookie sheet after glazing, let the gkaze harden for about 20 minutes, then placed in ziplock bags.
The icing ingredients are the last 3 listed
You can freeze the cookies but they should be freshly glazed.
you can but if you use sprinkles they may bleed…
Am I blind but I didn’t see the instructions for the icing. Can you confirm what they are?
Delicious cookies!
I love this cookie! The first time I made them, I thought they may have been too big, but so delicious. So the second time, I tried to make smaller ones and they turned out a bit dry.. Does anyone have any idea why they may have been drier? The only difference was possibly my butter was too soft? Or did I beat the batter too long? Did I keep them in the oven too long? Anyone have any ideas? Thank you!
I love this recipe!!! These are perfect!!! Light and fluffy.
I did need to increase the water for the frosting it was really really thick and hard to stir. I also increased the lemon extract in the frosting.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
I saw one person had issues with knowing what was cookie vs icing, so :
Cookie Ingredients:
1⁄2 cup sugar
1 stick butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 1⁄2 teaspoons lemon extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
Icing ingredients:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1⁄4 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon extract
I found this made far too much icing, which isn’t the end of the world, just slightly annoying as there is a sugar shortage where I am and I don’t want to miss out on making another recipe because I run out. I am going to try freezing the cookies WITH the icing as I make hundreds of cookies for Christmas, and don’t have time to be adding icing later. Will report back on whether that results in the icing cracking or some other issue.
Pretty little cookies with good lemon flavor but dry. Light and fluffy but needs a tall glass of milk.
My Italian wife fell in love with me all over again when I made these… I think I’ll make these on a regular basis.
Made these last year and everyone loved them. So easy to make
I’ve never reviewed a recipe before but this one needs one. The cookies themselves are PERFECT! However, I followed the frosting recipe as described and it tastes like alcohol. I would recommend you cook the icing, cook the extract, or use lemon oil/juice instead of just raw lemon extract.
Good cookies