Italian Bakery Butter Cookies

These super pretty Italian Bakery Butter Cookies or (jelly sticks) are s delicious butter cookies the ones you usually find behind the glass in an Italian bakery.

Using a pastry tube or a cookie press/gun is a useful tool in the kitchen to get them to look professional in shapes and one of the tricks and tips.

There are two recipes below for Italian butter cookies, the ones that are cut out with a cookie cutter are sturdier for holiday-themed shapes to decorate.

Finally, use a pastry bag with the largest star tip to make long stick shapes, wreaths, or cookie guns for other forms.

Cookies with butter can be very fragile, do not over-mix the dough, and use the largest pastry star tip to make nice ridges that look like bakery-style cookies.

These various shapes that come with the cookies press make the perfect addition to any Wedding Cookie Tray, Christmas, or any special occasion.

We enjoy all kinds of cookies and make several different kinds for the holiday season we call it the One-Stop Cookie Shop or you may like a Basic Variety Dough that makes all kinds of cookies with one dough to try.

Scroll down to my printable recipe card for both Italian Bakery Butter Cookies and Italian Butter Cutout Cookie recipes.

Italian Butter Cookies (or Jelly Sticks) Tips for Baking and Steps

1. prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper(always use a clean sheet)
2. preheat the oven to 350 degrees (always use a cooled cookie sheet for the next batch)
3. mix the butter and sugar for 5 minutes
4. use the largest star tip or a cookie gun for shapes (for cutout recipes use cookie cutters)
5. bake at 350 degrees until the edges start to brown
6. cool completely before filling or dipping

Other Cookie Decorating and Dipping Ideas

1. lemon, mint, rum, anise, almond, orange, maple, or another extract you like in place of vanilla
2. sandwich with jams, Nutella, ganache, or any preserves you prefer
3. add toffee chips, and mini chocolate chips, sprinkle on each end
4. minced maraschino cherries, coconut, finely chopped walnuts, or mini chocolate chips can be used on each end after dipping
5. tinted nuts or tinted coconut to match the holiday theme 
6. candy sprinkles to match the theme of the holiday or party
7. crushed peppermints are pretty for the holiday  
8. pistachios, macadamia nuts, pecan, walnuts, or for nut allergies pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds mixed with cinnamon and sugar 
9. lemon curd filling can be used in the center of flat cookies and then add sprinkles
10. finely minced cranberries, dates, figs, or raisins with cinnamon /sugar mixed with nuts for tops before baking
11. cherry, peach, apricot, blackberry, mint, fig, blueberry, strawberry, pineapple jams, or another flavor you love for the center before or after baking will work
12. dip in white melted chocolate, dark chocolate, or a light glaze of frosting on each end then into sprinkles, nuts, etc

Ingredients You Will Need ( see recipe card for exact measurements at the bottom)

• sugar
• vanilla extract and almond extract
• unsalted butter (if you use regular butter omit salt)
• baking powder
• flour
• salt
• egg 
• Optional:
• substitute lemon, mint, rum, anise, almond, orange, maple, or another extract you like in place of almond extract
• for fillings, and dipping chocolate or ganache frosting see the printable recipe card below

Tips

1. butter, flour, and egg need to be at room temperature
2. using an electric mixer always cream the butter with sugar (this is a must for at least 5 minutes)
3. make sure the baking sheet is lined with clean parchment paper do not reuse the one from the first baked batch of cookies, the oily residue surface will keep them from adhering to the paper
4. the baking sheet also must be cold do not try and use that pan that just came out of the oven
5. using a cookie gun: first, check the battery and make sure they are new. Next, make sure it's clean inside. The ridges for the pattern of the disc you pick should face up towards the dough and the smooth part faces down. Keep the plunger up until loading the dough.
6. when using the press, it should be straight up pressed down flat down on the parchment paper. I count to 3 seconds pull back and release the cookie shape on the parchment paper baking sheet pan
7. if using a pastry tube use the largest star tip
8. if you don't have a pastry bag or cookie press use a ziplock bag, add dough and cut an end off
9. allow two cookies needed for filling the jelly stick/Italian butter sandwich cookies
10. baking time takes around 7 to 8 minutes in a preheated oven of 375 degrees
11. cool completely before filling with jams, jelly, Nutella, ganache,  or just by dipping the ends in melted chocolate

More Recipes To Try:

Banana Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Chocolate Spice Cookies

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Cookies

Chocolate Chip Dipped Shortbread

Pin for Later

Cookie Press or Pastry Bag

When I first started using a cookie press I was so frustrated after a few tries but the dough needs to be the right temperature and actually using a pastry bag can be easier if you're not used to it.


Remember to allow two cookies if you're filling them as a sandwich and one cookie is fine to dip each end unfilled, the method is totally your preference.


This dough does very well using the largest star tip in a pastry bag and again if you decide to use a battery-operated style, each one is different so read the instructions to proceed with your brand of cookie press.


These two recipes below are the best-ever recipes for buttery Italian bakery cookies that taste like the originals and the cutout cookies below the recipe are much sturdier for decorating with frosting for themed events.

Italian Bakery Butter Cookies

Yield: 40

Author: Claudia Lamascolo

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 22 Min

These are the butter cookies you find filled in Italian bakeries usually piped in leaf shapes filled with jam and dipped in chocolate

Ingredients

• Italian Bakery Butter Cookies (or some call them Butter Jelly Sticks)
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (4 ounces each)
• Note: if you use salted omit salt in this recipe below
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• Filling: any jam you prefer IE apricot, strawberry, raspberry, pineapple
• Good-grade chocolate melted for dipping the ends of each cookie
• Garnish: chopped nuts, chopped cherries, sprinkles, coconut, mini chocolate chips
• Italian Butter Cut-Out Cookie Recipe (using cookie cutters):
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons milk
• assorted cookie cutters
• parchment paper
• cookie sheet

Instructions

1. Italian Bakery Butter Cookies/ Pastry Tube Cookie Directions:
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Line your baking cookie sheets with parchment paper/
4. Beat the sugar with butter for 5 minutes.
5. Add the egg then extracts.
6. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly blended.
7. Note: you will need two cookies to make a sandwich with jelly so count the cookies as you make them even in amounts.
8. Use a cookie press or pastry bag (usually the largest star tip) to pipe the shapes you prefer, IE leaves, Milano cookie shapes, fingers, etc.
9. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges just begins to brown.
10. Cool completely, and fill with any flavored jam.
11. Dip each end into melted chocolate, add nuts, chopped cherries, sprinkles to match the holiday theme, nuts, and chocolate chips.
12. Italian Cutout Cookie Directions:
13. Mix all together in a heavy-duty mixer until this forms a ball, add more milk by drops if too dry.
14. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.
15. Roll dough out 1/4 inch thick, and cut out with assorted cookie cutters.
16. Bake at 350 degrees hot oven on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
17. Bake till edges are slightly browned around 8 minutes.
18. Do not use a hot cookie sheet when making the next batch, make sure it is cool.
19. Cool cookies completely before handling them to decorate, dip or sandwich together with filling.
20. Note: These can be made without filling with jam also just one cookie then dip each end in chocolate and garnish with sprinkles
21. If using two cookies sandwich them together with Nutella spread frosting or jam.
22. cool completely before filling with jams, jelly, Nutella or dipping the ends in ganache frosting, icing, or melted chocolate
23. dip each end in melted chocolate and sprinkled with candies, nuts, or whatever you like.

Notes

Other Cookie Decorating and Dipping Ideas

1. lemon, mint, rum, anise, almond, orange, maple, or another extract you like in place of vanilla
2. sandwich with jams, Nutella, ganache, or any preserves you prefer
3. add toffee chips, and mini chocolate chips, sprinkle on each end
4. minced maraschino cherries, coconut, finely chopped walnuts, or mini chocolate chips can be used on each end after dipping
5. tinted nuts or tinted coconut to match the holiday them 
6. candy sprinkles to match the theme of the holiday or party
7. crushed peppermints are pretty for the holiday  
8. pistachios, macadamia nuts, pecan, walnuts, or for nut allergies pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds mixed with cinnamon and sugar 
9. lemon curd filling can be used in the center of flat cookies and then add sprinkles
10. finely minced cranberries, dates, figs, or raisins with cinnamon /sugar mixed with nuts for tops before baking
11. cherry, peach, apricot, blackberry, mint, fig, blueberry, strawberry, pineapple jams, or another flavor you love for the center before or after baking will work
12. dip in white melted chocolate, dark chocolate, or a light glaze of frosting on each end then into sprinkles, nuts, etc

Tips

1. butter, flour, and egg need to be at room temperature
2. using an electric mixer always cream the butter with sugar (this is a must for at least 5 minutes)
3. make sure the baking sheet is lined with clean parchment paper do not reuse the one from the first baked batch of cookies, the oily residue surface will keep them from adhering to the paper
4. the baking sheet also must be cold do not try and use that pan that just came out of the oven
5. using a cookie gun: first, check the battery and make sure they are new. Next, make sure it's clean inside. The ridges for the pattern of the disc you pick should face up towards the dough and the smooth part faces down. Keep the plunger up until loading the dough.
6. when using the press, it should be straight up pressed down flat down on the parchment paper. I count to 3 seconds pull back and release the cookie shape on the parchment paper baking sheet pan
7. if using a pastry tube use the largest star tip
8. if you don't have a pastry bag or cookie press use a ziplock bag, add dough and cut an end off
9. allow two cookies needed for filling the jelly stick/Italian butter sandwich cookies
10. baking time takes around 7 to 8 minutes in a preheated oven of 375 degrees

Nutrition Facts

Calories

146.27

Fat (grams)

7.36

Sat. Fat (grams)

4.49

Carbs (grams)

18.15

Fiber (grams)

0.39

Net carbs

17.75

Sugar (grams)

7.04

Protein (grams)

1.73

Sodium (milligrams)

95.72

Cholesterol (grams)

22.43

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Basic Variety Italian Cookie Dough

Perfect Spritz Cookies

25 Holiday Cookies

https://www.whatscookinitalianstylecuisine.com/2012/10/halloween-italian-style-butter-cookie.html

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Italian Bakery Butter Cookies, Italian butter cookies, Italian filled cookies, butter filled cookie sandwiches

butter cookies, filled cookies, Italian filled cookies, cookie recipes, Italian cookie recipes

Italian

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Here are more of our favorite cookie recipes:

Cucidati Fig Sicilian Cookies

24 One-Stop Cookie Shop

Fried Bow Tie Cookies

25 Holiday Cookies

Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2012. It was edited and re-published in 2022.