Adorable befanini, little Italian sugar cookies, are perfect for New Year's 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. Easily gluten-free if needed.
If you've never made befanini before, you are sure to love them. These soft, butter-free, lightly sweet Italian cookies are made without any fuss. Like my low sugar cookies, befanini are not overly sweet.
I adapted this recipe to be gluten-free from a recipe by the food writer Emiko Davies. Like my gluten-free sugar cookies and oat flour sugar cookies recipes, the dough rolls and cuts out wonderfully.
These are great cookies to make with kids because the dough is sturdy and thick - they can roll it out, cut cute shapes, then decorate the cookies with sprinkles before baking.
These are beautifully pillowy cookies when they come out of the oven - in other words, very hard to resist. Top them with colored sugar icing, sprinkles, or even mini chocolate chips!
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What Are Befanini?
Befanini are often described as "cake-like," and it's true that the dough is a lot puffier than American sugar cookies. They originated on the Tuscan coast in a place called Versilia, and are traditionally made for January 5, the eve of the Epiphany. This is the night when the Befana, an old lady on a broomstick, brings treats to tuck into the stockings of Italian children.
Some recipes call for rum, but I swapped in a little whole milk instead. I chose to flavor my befanini with lemon zest, and orange zest is also a popular inclusion.
Why I Love These Pretty Little Cookies
- This is a one-bowl recipe. And not only is the dough made in one bowl, but it needs just a fork and a spoon to bring it together.
- It's a great cookie to make with kids. The sturdiness of the dough helps little hands handle and cut out the cookies easily. Plus, sprinkles!
- The cookies aren't too sweet. These cookies definitely won't make your teeth ache. There's just one cup of sugar divided between many little cookies.
- Adaptable. Make the recipe gluten-free as written, or use all-purpose flour.
Ingredients Needed
Here's a glance at the simple ingredients that go into these pretty little cookies. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.
- Flour - Use my homemade gluten free flour blend, your favorite 1:1 gluten-free blend, or all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder - To give the cookies a little lightness.
- Salt - I use fine sea salt in my baking, and table salt also works.
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs - I use large eggs, and medium eggs will also work.
- Lemon zest
- Milk - I used whole milk, and 2% also works.
- Colored sprinkles - Any sprinkles that you like! You can even try mini chocolate chips.
How to Make Befanini
Here's an overview in photos of how to make these Italian cookies:
1. Mix dry ingredients: In a big bowl, mix the dry ingredients, including the lemon zest, together.
2. Add eggs: Make a well in the flour mix and crack in 3 eggs.
3. Mix: Using a fork, work the eggs into the flour mixture. It will be dry, so add a little milk to bring it together.
4. Knead: Now use your hand to bring together the dough. It should be soft.
5. Cut out: Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut into your favorite shapes. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Bake: Place in a 350F oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Baking Tip: Add Milk
Note that the dough will be very soft but not overly sticky. When I use gluten-free flour, I find that the dough is even drier than with regular flour, so I add a few tablespoons of milk to bring it together.
Add the milk sparingly, though; you don't want to make the dough overly wet and floppy. You should be able to knead it into a soft ball in the bowl.
Tips & Recipe Notes
- Rest the dough. Don't skip the step of resting the cookie dough in the fridge - this applies to both cookies made with gluten-free flour and those made with wheat flour.
- Make it ahead. You can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking the cookies.
- Add more sugar. If you prefer a sweeter batch of cookies, feel free to increase the amount of sugar to 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups.
- 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!
- Other toppings. I kept it simple when I baked the cookies for this post, but I love making up a quick batch of colored icing (just sifted powdered sugar plus a little milk or water and food coloring) to paint onto each cookie. You can also add lemon glaze or maple glaze.
Proper Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. The befanini taste the best on the day that they are made.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this befanini recipe, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Recipe
Befanini
Ingredients
- 4 cups gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour (480 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 lemon zested
- 2 tablespoons milk or more as needed
- Colored sprinkles
Instructions
- Whisk together 4 cups gluten-free flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 cup granulated sugar, and the zest of 1 lemon in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, then crack in 3 of the 4 eggs (save one for glazing) into the middle.
- With a fork, begin beating from the center outwards, incorporating the dry ingredients slowly into the eggs until a thick dough forms. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons milk, or more if needed, if the dough is dry and doesn't come together after a bit of mixing. Use your hands to mix and knead the dough together, then wrap it in plastic and rest it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
- When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick. Use cookie cutters in your favorite shapes to cut the cookies and place them on the lined baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, beat the reserved egg, then brush the egg onto the top of each cookie and sprinkle it 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. Cool, then serve.
Notes
- 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!
I'd love to hear from you! Please leave me a note.