20 Best Traditional Italian Christmas Cookie Recipes
A mix of authentic, old-fashioned recipes and modern variations to bring sweetness to your holiday.
If you can't be on a fabulous Italian holiday this Christmas season, at least you can do the next best thing: whip up a batch (or three) of Italian Christmas cookies right in your own kitchen for an experience guaranteed to transport you on a mental vacation to Italy. (After all, there's no place like home for the holidays — even though the Tuscan countryside with a glass of vino sure sounds nice, too.)
Our roundup of spectacular Christmas cookies includes recipes spanning the gamut from highly-traditional and even old-fashioned (think pizzelles, biscotti and rainbows) to simply modern confections with Italian-inspired twists.
And here's the best part: The cookies on our list are largely easy to make, so you don't have to be a real Italian nonna to know your way around the recipes (and you'll still have plenty of time to enjoy them with loved ones when you're all done).
And beyond the baking, so much of the joy is in the decorating: roll, ice, drizzle and sprinkle these holiday confections to festive perfection. So cue up some Christmas tunes in the kitchen and have fun with these delicious Italian Christmas cookies.
Still looking for more holiday baking inspiration? Check our roundups of easy and festive Christmas treats, including Christmas bar cookies, easy Christmas cupcakes and dozens of homemade Christmas candy recipes for an extra sweet holiday season.
Italian Christmas Cookies
Vanilla icing gives these almond-infused cookies a touch of sweetness without going overboard. Make them fit for Christmas by adding red and green sprinkles.
Neapolitan Cookies
It's easier to make these Instagram-worthy, slice-and-bake, tri-color cookies than you think. The trick is one dough, separated and tinted.
Get the Neapolitan Cookies recipe.
Pignoli Cookies
Pignoli means pine nuts in Italian, and they top this delicious almond-flavor dough perfectly. These cookies are very popular in Southern Italy and Sicily.
Get the Pignoli Cookies recipe.
Cranberry-Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti
These picture-perfect biscotti include cornmeal, ground ginger and orange zest. Jeweled dried cranberries and pistachios make them extra festive.
Lemon Thyme Coin Cookies
This Italian family favorite gets its rich texture from ricotta. Icing drizzled over the top makes them as pretty as little presents.
Get the Lemon Thyme Coin Cookies recipe.
Walnut Crescent Cookies
Nutty and spicy, these crescent-shaped cookies are a confectioner's sugar-coated dream during the holiday season.
Get the Walnut Crescent Cookies recipe.
Italian Lemon Cookies
The fun part comes when it’s time to frost these zesty bites, especially since this recipes makes so many cookies at one time. (And that’s a fine problem to have during the holidays!)
Italian Butter Cookies
No need to head to the bakery for these sweets. Just sandwich some strawberry jam between two homemade cookies for a treat that's as delicious as it is beautiful.
Italian Fig Cookies
Whatever you call them — Italian fig cookies, Sicilian fig cookies or cucidati — these fruit-filled cookies make for a crowd-pleasing treat.
Get the Italian Fig Cookies recipe at Saving Room for Dessert.
Rainbow Sprinkle Italian Cookies
Double up on flavor by ditching traditional anise for a combination of almond and vanilla extracts.
Get the Rainbow Sprinkle Italian Cookies at Grumpy's Honeybunch.
Cannoli Cookies
These Italian Christmas cookies — inspired by traditional Italian cannoli — are made with ricotta, chocolate chips and pistachios. Yum!
Italian Sugar Cookies
With just 10 easy ingredients, you can make classic sugar cookies from scratch. Keep to the Italian tradition by topping them with vanilla icing and colorful sprinkles.
Amaretto Tricolor Cookies
Also known as Neapolitans or rainbow cookies, these colorful treats are made up of a trio of cake-like layers, all held together with amaretto-spiked apricot jam.
Get the Amaretto Tricolor Cookies recipe at Karen's Kitchen Stories.
Befanini
These traditional shortbread cookies are served in Italy on Epiphany, which takes place each year on January 6. So, give this recipe a trial run before Christmas, then make it again in time for the January holiday.
Get the Befanini recipe at 196 Flavors.
Glazed Italian Christmas Cookies
A soft, cake-like texture defines these anise-tinged cookies covered in a sweet sugar glaze. Rainbow sprinkles on top make them an instant crowd pleaser for guests of all ages.
Get the Glazed Italian Christmas Cookies recipe at The Farm Girl Gabs.
Florentines
The origin of Florentine cookies is unclear — they could be originally Italian or French. But that hardly matters to the taste: sweet, crispy, crunchy and utterly delicious.
Get the Florentines recipe at Woman’s Day.
Double Chocolate Biscotti
There’s nothing cozier at holiday time than dipping biscotti in milk or another warm beverage. And because biscotti aren’t meant to be too sweet, they have less sugar than a lot of the other treats on this list.
Slice and Bake Chocolate and Pistachio Cookies
Roll these chocolate cookies in pistachios for a layered texture and flavor, and a distinctly Italian vibe.
Get the Slice and Bake Chocolate and Pistachio Cookies recipe.
Triple Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies
The hazelnuts and chocolate-hazelnut spread in these triple-chocolate cookies nod to Piedmont, Italy.
Get the Triple Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies recipe at Country Living.
Pizzelle Cookies
Divide the dough to make cookies in a variety of seasonal flavors, everything from classic anise to sweet vanilla to bursting citrus. No matter what you pick, don't forget to dust 'em with powdered sugar before serving!
Alesandra is a digital travel and lifestyle journalist based in Los Angeles whose work has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Prevention, Insider, Glamour, Shondaland, AFAR, Parents, TODAY and countless other online and print outlets. Alesandra has a masters degree in journalism with an emphasis on cultural reporting and criticism from NYU, and a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. An avid traveler, she trots the globe with her husband and their twins.
Amanda Garrity is a lifestyle writer and editor with over seven years of experience, including five years on staff at Good Housekeeping, where she covered all things home and holiday, including the latest interior design trends, inspiring DIY ideas and gift guides for any (and every) occasion. She also has a soft spot for feel-good TV, so you can catch her writing about popular shows like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and more.
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