Befanini, or little Italian sugar cookies, are perfect for New Year baking - or anytime! These lightly sweetened treats are so fun to make with kids! They'll love shaping the cookies and of course, adding sprinkles.
Simple Befanini Cookies Recipe
If you've never made befanini before, you are sure to love them. They're essentially soft, butter-free, lightly sweet Italian sugar cookies made without any fuss. These are great cookies to make with kids because the dough is sturdy and thick - you can roll it out and let them cut out shapes and decorate them with sprinkles before baking.
This recipe comes by way of the food writer Emiko Davies, although there are others online, some that do call for butter. What I like about these cookies is that the dough is just a bit sturdier than some of the American sugar cookie recipes, and it doesn't feel quite as sticky. The cookies are best eaten the day they are made, although you could probably stretch it to another day.
These are beautifully pillowy cookies when they come out of the oven - in other words, very hard to resist. You can easily make befanini gluten-free with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Top them with colored sugar icing, sprinkles, or even mini chocolate chips!
Why You'll Love These
I love a not-too-sweet cookie and I bet you will, too! Here's why we love these cookies:
- One bowl recipe: I love a one-bowl recipe, it makes life so much easier!
- A great cookie to make with kids: The sturdiness of the dough helps little hands handle and cut out the cookies easily. Plus, sprinkles!
- Not too sweet: These cookies definitely won't make your teeth ache. There's just one cup of sugar divided between many little cookies.
What You'll Need
You can see everything you need to make these befanini below - it's not a long list! The full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the recipe card lower down in this post.
- All-purpose flour - Or sub a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- Baking powder - To give the cookies a little lightness
- Salt - I use fine sea salt in my baking
- Sugar - Just enough to lightly sweeten the cookies
- Eggs - To bind the dough
- Lemon - Lemon zest adds a lovely citrusy touch
- Milk - I use whole milk in my baking
- Colored sprinkles - To make the cookies pretty!
Recipe Tips
- Make them gluten free - Use a gluten free 1:1 flour substitute for the all-purpose flour to make these gluten free.
- Add sugar - If you prefer a sweeter batch of cookies, feel free to increase the amount of sugar to 1 ½-1 ¾ cups of sugar.
- Vanilla - Unlike many cookie recipes, befanini doesn't call for vanilla extract. However, if you wish for a bit more flavor, add 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the dough.
- Get kids involved! This is a beautifully simple recipe, and it's perfect to make with kids. Let them stir the dough, roll it out, and cut it into whatever shapes they love. And of course, don't forget the sprinkles!
Storage Suggestions
Store the cookies in an airtight container, though preferably not more than a day or two.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
Befanini
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- Zest of 1 organic lemon
- A splash of milk if needed
- Colored sprinkles
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a wide bowl and make a ‘well’ in the center. Crack 3 of the eggs (save one for glazing) into the middle, along with the lemon zest. With a fork, begin beating from the center outwards, incorporating the dry ingredients slowly into the eggs until you have a thick dough. If it is a bit dry or crumbly, add a splash of milk to loosen so that you have a soft but not sticky compact dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes. It is easiest to work in batches, so cut the dough in half and keep one half wrapped and chilled until you finish the first half.
- Heat oven to 350ºF. Roll the dough out on a well-floured surface to a thickness of about ¼-inch. Use a cookie cutter to cut out your favorite shapes. When ready to bake, crack the reserved egg and beat in a bowl. With a pastry brush, glaze the tops of the cookies with the egg and decorate with colored sprinkles.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are puffed and lightly golden on top. Let cool and serve or store in an airtight container, though preferably not more than a day or two.
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