Italian Butter Cookies, Pasta Frolla Montata

The most good, soft and buttery Italian Butter Cookies made with an Italian cookie dough called Pasta Frolla Montata. These cookies are easy to make and can be made into many different shapes and sizes and decorated with candied fruit, melted chocolate and chopped nuts.

These Italian butter cookies are made with a cookie dough called Pasta Frolla Montata. It's similar to a classic Pasta Frolla dough except the softened butter is whipped with powdered sugar until light, fluffy and extra creamy.

The cookie dough is soft so is piped using a piping bag and a star-shaped nozzle to create beautiful butter cookies in any shape you like from swirls studded with candied cherries to “S” or horseshoe shapes dipped in melted chocolate and decorated with chopped nuts or sprinkles.

See the recipe below including notes on ingredients, step by step photos, tips, variations and a video tutorial. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Butter – the butter needs to be softened at room temperature and always use unsalted. Is your butter still cold? check out our method for softening butter quickly.
• Flour – most of the time we use Italian 00 flour for our cookies and cakes as traditionally used in Italy but regular all-purpose flour can also be used.
• Orange zest – We love the orange flavour in these cookies but you can easily substitute it for lemon or leave it out entirely if you don't want a citrus flavour.
• Vanilla – we use vanilla extract but you could also use a whole vanilla bean with the seeds scraped out or vanilla bean paste. Don't use vanilla essence which is synthetic and doesn't taste great.
• Decorations – you can decorate these cookies with whatever you like. Candied cherries, melted chocolate, chopped nuts and sprinkles are all great options.

Step by step photos and instructions

Line two large baking trays with baking parchment.

Using a stand mixer or electric hand whisk, whisk the butter and powdered sugar on a medium speed for around 5 minutes until thick, light and fluffy (photos 1 and 2).

Add the vanilla and orange zest then add one egg at a time letting it fully incorporate into the batter before adding the other (photos 3 and 4).

Sift in the flour, use a paddle attachment or continue with an electric hand whisk to combine the flour until fully absorbed (photos 5 and 6).

Fill a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle with the cookie dough (it should be quite soft). Pipe different shaped cookies on the baking trays making sure they are at least 1cm/1/2inch apart. You can pipe circles, U or S shapes, straight cookies, hearts etc (photo 7).

If adding candied cherries or whole nuts to the cookies do so now. Place the cookies in the fridge for 30 minutes (photo 8).

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Bake the cookies one tray at a time on the middle shelf of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (photo 9).

To decorate

Melt your chocolate of choice, dark, milk or white in a bain-marie (heatproof bowl above a pot of hot water).

Drip the ends of the cookies in the chocolate or drizzle some over them. Top with chopped nuts or sprinkles and let set on some baking parchment (photos 10-12).

Recipe tips and FAQs

• Weigh your ingredients – as with all recipes that use flour, we highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients instead of using cups. Flour is notoriously difficult to measure accurately using cups and can drastically affect the end result. A kitchen scale will give you accurate measurements every time (and solid cookies).
• Use a large piping bag – We recommend using a large piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle since you'll be working with a large amount of cookie dough.
• Star-shaped nozzle – this is what we used to create the beautifully shaped Italian butter cookies you can see in the photos but you can experiment with different shapes and sizes.

How long do these cookies last?

The cookies will keep well in an airtight container for up to 1 week or more. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

Flavour variations and decoration

• Citrus zest – we use orange zest which is good especially when the cookies are half dipped in melted chocolate but you can also use lemon or leave the citrus zest out entirely.
• Chocolate Italian butter cookies – to make chocolate cookie dough you can swap 30g flour for 30g cocoa powder (about 3 tablespoons). You can also dip the baked cookies in melted chocolate to make double-chocolate cookies.
• Chopped nuts – after dipping the cookies in melted chocolate sprinkle over some chopped pistachios or hazelnuts (both are good).
• Sprinkles – choose your favourites and go with the season e.g Christmas sprinkles or Valentine's sprinkles.
• Candied cherries – place candied cherries in the middle of round shaped butter cookies before baking.
• Shredded (desicated) coconut – dip in chocolate then coconut.
• Extracts – you could swap the vanilla for almond extract or even orange or rum.

More good cookies to try

Christmas

Italian Almond Cookies (Ricciarelli)

Italian Cookies

Cuccidati (Italian Fig Cookies)

Italian Cookies

Italian Nutella Cookies (Nutellotti)

Italian Cookies

Pignoli Cookies (Biscotti ai Pinoli)

Ingredients

Makes 30 cookies (depending on size)

• 500 g Italian 00 flour or all-purpose flour (3 and 3/4 cups)
• 200 g powdered sugar (1 and ⅓ cup)
• 300 g unsalted butter (softened at room temperature (10.5 oz))
• 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine salt

Decoration options

• Candied cherries
• Whole nuts such as almonds or hazelnuts
• Chopped nuts such as hazelnuts or pistachios
• Melted chocolate (dark, milk or white)
• Sprinkles

Equipment

• Stand mixer with whisk and paddle attachments or electric hand whisk
• Two large baking trays
• Baking parchment
• Piping bag with a large star nozzle

Method

1. Line two large baking trays with baking parchment.

2. Using a stand mixer or electric hand whisk, whisk the butter and powdered sugar on a medium speed for around 5 minutes until thick, light and fluffy.

3. Add the vanilla and orange zest then with the stand mixer on medium-low add one egg at a time letting it fully incorporate into the batter before adding the other

4. Sift in the flour, use a paddle attachment or continue with an electric hand whisk to combine the flour until fully absorbed.

5. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle with the cookie dough (it should be quite soft). Pipe different shaped cookies on the baking trays making sure they are at least 1cm/1/2inch apart. You can pipe circles, U or S shapes, straight cookies, hearts etc (see photos for ideas).

6. If adding candied cherries or whole nuts to the cookies do so now. Place the cookies in the fridge for 30 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Bake the cookies one tray at a time on the middle shelf of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To decorate

1. Melt your chocolate of choice, dark, milk or white in a bain-marie (heatproof bowl above a pot of hot water).

2. Drip the ends of the cookies in the chocolate or drizzle some over them. Top with chopped nuts or sprinkles and let set on some baking parchment.

Kitchen notes

• 1. Weigh your ingredients as with all recipes that use flour, we highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients instead of using cups. Flour is notoriously difficult to measure accurately using cups and can drastically affect the end result. A kitchen scale will give you accurate measurements every time (and solid cookies).
  2. Use a large piping bag We recommend using a large piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle since you'll be working with a large amount of cookie dough.
  3. Star-shaped nozzle this is what we used to create the beautifully shaped Italian butter cookies you can see in the photos but you can experiment with different shapes and sizes.
  4. Storage The cookies will keep well in an airtight container for up to 1 week or more. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.