Italian Butter Cookies

Name: Italian Butter Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: about 3-1/2 dozen
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened; 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour; CHOCOLATE COATING:; 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips; 1 tablespoon shortening; 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Total Time Prep: 20 min. Bake: 15 min./batch + cooling

Yield about 3-1/2 dozen

Test Kitchen Approved

Buttery soft with a sweet chocolate tip, these Italian butter cookies are a surefire way to impress your guests. Make them ahead of time (they freeze exceptionally well), or fresh in just a few hours; either way, you'll have a simple yet tasty treat to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
CHOCOLATE COATING:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour; mix well. cover and chill for 1 hour. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into 2-1/2-in. x 1/2-in. sticks. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten about three-fourths of each stick lengthwise with a fork. Bake at 350° until set, 14-16 minutes. Cool on baking sheets. Melt chocolate chips and shortening until smooth; dip the round end of each cookie. Sprinkle with nuts. Place on waxed paper until firm.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 97 calories, 7g fat (4g saturated fat), 12mg cholesterol, 35mg sodium, 9g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 1g fiber), 1g protein.

These wonderfully moist morsels are too tempting to resist. They melt right in your mouth. Rather than sprinkling the chocolate tips with nuts, you can roll them in red and green jimmies or leave them plain. —Charolette Westfall, Houston, Texas

Recipe Creator