Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love.
This recipe for Italian Knot Cookies (Anginetti Cookies) came from my podcast guest, Tina Zaccardi, Winner of Season 4 of the Great American Bakeoff! Make sure you listen to her episode A Conversation With Tina Zaccardi, Great American Bakeoff Winner about her memories baking with her grandmother and her experience in the famous Bakeoff tent while you make these Anginetti Cookies! 
We are so lucky to have this authentic recipe for Anginetti Cookies from Tina Zaccardi, an Italian-American winner of The Great American Bakeoff!
There are over a dozen names for Anginetti Cookies and just below, I dive deep into ALL the names, flavorings, shapes, and finishes you can try with these traditional Italian cookies.
But whatever name you choose, this is a quick, simple, easy, FUN recipe using the most basic pantry ingredients.
As Tina says, these are the perfect way to make memories with a special kid. In fact, all the glazing and sprinkling for this batch were done by my 6-year-old!
Tina's Memories Making "Nana's Sprinkle Cookies"
My love of baking was sparked by a simple cookie. The cookie I’m speaking of is a traditional Italian cookie that can be found on thousands of cookie trays for weddings, birthdays, and holidays.
They are traditionally known as “Biscotti Anginetti “ and are also referred to as lemon drops, but in my house, they are known as Nana’s Sprinkle Cookies.
My grandmother made these for every holiday and occasion. They are a soft butter cookie, flavored with either vanilla or lemon and covered with a simple confectioner’s icing and nonpareils. These were the first cookies I learned to bake. My earliest memory is baking these cookies with my mom when I was home sick from school.
I use the exact same recipe that my mother and grandmother used and whenever I bake them it brings me right back to when I was a child.
Tina's grandmother made these classic Italian cookies the traditional way. First, she created a well of flour and butter. Then, she dropped in the eggs and hand-kneaded the dough. Tina has updated the recipe with an easier process for a more consistent result.
Listen to Tina's Story Now
Top Tip
Tina's recipe makes a HUGE batch of 72 cookies. Feel free to halve it.
However, the dough refrigerates and freezes beautifully as well. So I'd recommend making the whole amount and just bake the cookies when the mood strikes!
How to Make the Knot Shape
First, do not fear! If you do a survey of the Love Knot, Lemon Knot, or Italian Knot Cookies on the internet (including on this very post) you won’t find many that really look like the gorgeous knots you may be envisioning! Most are more like snails, spirals, or even just hooks.
With that said, here’s how to make a true knot shape.
- From Tina’s directions, make a ball out of 20g of dough. Then roll into a log about 4 inches long.
- Cross the ends over each other, leaving a hole in the middle and one end of the rope longer than the other.
- Tuck one end underneath and up the middle. Bring the other end down to meet the middle. It's going to look a little messy.
- Turn upside down to reveal the seamless knot.
The Anginetti Glaze - Achieving The Right Consistency and Best Way to Apply
Look vs. Taste
- A thicker glaze is prettier, in my opinion.
- However, a thicker glaze (especially one with a zesty flavoring) can possibly overpower the flavor of the cookie itself.
- Most of the images on this post used a super thin glaze - probably too thin.
To apply the glaze, you have two options:
- Dip the cookies upside down in the glaze. I think this is the neatest and easiest way.
- Pour/spoon the glaze over the cookies. This is definitely the quickest approach!
Either way, before you apply the glaze, set a wire rack over parchment paper so the glaze drips onto parchment paper rather than your counter.
Names & Variations: Most Common
Italian Wedding Cookies
- The most common alternate name for Anginetti Cookies is Italian Wedding Cookies. This is, of course, because these simple soft cookies were a staple on the famous cookie displays at Italian weddings.
- Italian wedding cookies can include ANY of the flavor variations listed below.
- Anginetti/Italian Wedding Cookies can be made either in a round or knot shape.
- HOWEVER, somewhat confusingly, there is a totally separate type of cookies (looks the same but tastes very different) that goes by the same name. (That’s why I definitely did not use that name for this post.) These alternative Italian Wedding Cookies are like Greek Kourabiedes or Russian Tea Cakes. Here’s a link to this very different Italian Wedding Cookie from Marcelina in Cucina.
Italian Easter Cookies OR Italian Christmas Cookies
- Every Italian recounts memories of their famous cookies tables containing hundreds of cookies of all shapes, sizes, and flavors on holiday cookie trays for special occasions
- It seems undisputed that Anginetti are THE classic Italian holiday cookie and were the one staple present at every occasion.
Italian Lemon Drop Cookies
- Some families always make their Anginetti with lemon flavoring. If the cookies include lemon flavor and are shaped into round balls before baking, they’re called Lemon Drop Cookies.
- To adjust Tina’s recipe to make Lemon Drop Cookies, simply zest one lemon into the dry ingredients. Then, juice the lemon and set the lemon juice aside as the liquid for the lemon icing.
- Or, if you prefer to include lemon extract in the glaze, begin with 1 teaspoon and add more as you go, until you get the flavor you like.
- Refer to Cooking with Grace for another Lemon Drop Recipe (hers makes about half as many cookies as Tina’s).
Lemon Knots
- I know you figured this one out already. Lemon Knots are Lemon Drop Cookies in a knot shape 😉
- Check out the steps below for how to shape the dough into knots.
Love Knots
- Any Anginetti/Italian Wedding Cookie of any flavor made in a knot shape!
Anisette or Anise Drop Cookie
- Anise seeds have a black licorice/jelly bean flavor. Anise is prolific in Sicily, so it made its way into the Sicilian versions of Anginetti.
- If you choose this route, go easy at first (maybe even just 1 teaspoon) and adjust up (to no more than a tablespoon, which is 3 teaspoons). Anise is a strong flavor. (I happen to love it, but many do not.)
- You can try this Italian Anisette Cookies Recipe from All Recipes.
Names & Variations: Less Common or Questionable
Orange Juice Cookies
- I came across this name/variation quite a few times in my research. And it’s easy to make a Lemon Drop cookie an "Orange Drop" cookie - simply using orange zest, orange juice, and orange extract in place of their lemon counterparts.
- However, in this case, it does seem that there is another cookie named Italian Orange Juice Cookie that is fairly different from an Anginetti or Lemon Drop Cookie.
- So I’m not sure, but I suspect Orange Juice Cookies is less an alternative name and more an actual misnomer.
- To make a true (as far as I can tell) Italian Orange Juice Cookie, try this recipe from Mangia Bedda.
Anginetti Biscotti
- Same cookie AND same name. While Americans take “biscotti” to mean twice baked cookies, in reality, Italians use “biscotti” as a general term for cookies.
- So Anginetti Biscotti = Anginetti Cookies.
Italian Ricotta Cookies
- Italian Ricotta Cookies look the same.
- The ricotta substitutes for (some of) the eggs in this recipe
- If you want to make Italian Ricotta cookies, I would not adjust Tina’s recipe. Instead, I suggest using this recipe from Cooking Classy.
- If you really want to just use this recipe, substitute a 15oz container of ricotta for 4 of the eggs. Do everything else the same.
Unicetti
- Same cookie, same "knot" shape. In fact, Unicetti means “crotchet hook”.
- Truthfully, I think this is a better name for the cookie than any of the knot names 😉 It’s hard to really get the dough knotted. So, more often it’s a spiral, hook, or snail shape.
Ciambelline
- When I looked this version up online, it looked like a different kind of cookie and not simply a variation of Italian Knot Cookies because they looked like they were donut-shaped.
- However, when I found this traditional recipe from A Food Obsession that showed how to make Anginetti (Ciambelline) like how their Italian grandma did, and they explained that this was just a different name for the same cookie, I knew it was another version of this beloved cookie.
Taralli Dolci
- I took this name off and put it back on again a few times. Truthfully, there is another cookie named “Taralli” that differs significantly – it is described more like a breadstick or pretzel and is often savory, made with wine or olive oil. Here’s an example from An Italian in My Kitchen.
- However, several sites did name their Anginetti “Taralli Dolci”, which translates to “small sweet cookie”, so I went with it.
- Whether the recipe was savory or sweet, these cookies always seemed to be made in the shape of a ring.
Flavoring Options for Anginetti Cookies
Almond or Anise Cookies
- Simply replace the 1 tablespoon of vanilla in the dough with any extract you prefer – lemon, anise, and almond are the most common.
- Be judicious in replacing the vanilla in the glaze as lemon extract, almond extract, and anise oil extracts are all a bit stronger than vanilla. Start with ONE teaspoon of your preferred extract and move up to 2 according to your tastes.
Citrus (Lemon, Orange, Lime) Cookies
- For a citrus-flavored cookie, add lemon zest or 1 (or 2) citrus fruit zest into the butter/sugar mixture.
- Also, replace one teaspoon of vanilla with a teaspoon of lemon/orange extract.
- Finally, juice the fruit you zested and add that to the powdered sugar (instead of the vanilla extract).
- Add milk to make the desired consistency.
Equipment List
- Stand mixer OR electric hand mixer
- Metal whisk
- Large bowl
- Baking sheet
- Wire rack/cooling rack
- Parchment paper
- Zester (optional)
Storage
- No need to refrigerate your Italian knots! Simply store them at room temperature in an airtight container.
- If you are going to layer the cookies, put wax or parchment paper between the layers to avoid the glaze getting stuck to each other.
More Mediterranean Recipes
More Cookie Recipes
Listen To Tina Zaccardi's Episode
Tina Zaccardi is an Italian American who won The Great American Bakeoff Season 4. She now teaches baking through her blog and community appearances.
Great American Bakeoff Winner Tina Zaccardi
Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player
Recipe
Anginetti: Italian Knot Cookies with Lemon or Sprinkles
Ingredients
Cookies
- 228 grams Unsalted Butter (1 cup or 2 sticks) room temperature
- 250 grams Confectioners Sugar (1½ cups + 3 tbsp)
- 6 Whole Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 600-720 grams All Purpose Flour (5 or 6 cups) of
- 6 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1-2 Lemons zested (Optional; Use for Lemon Drop Cookies)
Simple Glaze for Italian Sprinkle Cookies
- 625 grams Confectioner’s Sugar (5 cups)
- 1/3-1/2 cup of Milk
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- Sprinkles
Lemon Glaze for Italian Lemon Drop Cookies
- 1 Lemon can juice the lemon you zested for the dough recipe
- 625 grams Confectioner’s Sugar (5 cups)
- 1/3-1/2 cup Milk
Instructions
Cue Up The Episode!
- Make sure to listen to Tina on The Storied Recipe Podcast, Great American Bakeoff Winner Tina Zaccardi while you make her Anginetti Cookies recipe!
Make The Recipe
- Heat oven to 350°F/176.6°C.
Cookies
- Cream butter and confectioner’s sugar until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- If making Lemon Drop Cookies, add the zest of 1-2 lemons now. (See Note 1)
- Add eggs one at a time mixing until incorporated. Mix in vanilla extract.
- Next add 1 cup of flour, the salt, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder at a time and beat with the mixer on low until just incorporated. Continue adding 1 cup of flour and one teaspoon of baking powder until you have added 5 cups of the flour mixture.
- Whisk together the remaining cup of flour and teaspoon of baking powder.
- On a lightly floured surface (sprinkle half of the remaining flour onto your surface), and remove the dough from the bowl, and place it on top of the flour. It is a sticky dough. Flour your hands and gently incorporate, by kneading, as much flour as you need so that the dough is smooth but is still the slightest bit sticky.
- Shape the dough into cookies by taking a 20 gram ball of dough and rolling it into a rope 4” long and creating a knot.
- Bake cookies in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until light golden brown.
Glaze
- Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract and enough milk to make a thin glaze that can be poured.
- Arrange the cookies on a wire rack over a baking sheet and pour the glaze over the cookies to cover. Apply your favorite sprinkles or, if desired, additional lemon zest.
- Makes 6-7 dozen.
- Enjoy with a cup of tea or as sweet treats during family gatherings!
Notes
- Note 1: For Citrus (Lemon, Orange, Lime) Flavored Cookies: FIRST: zest 1 (or 2) fruits into the butter/sugar mixture. SECOND: replace one teaspoon of vanilla with a teaspoon of lemon/orange extract. THIRD, juice the fruit you zested and add that to the powdered sugar (instead of the vanilla extract). Add milk to achieve the desired consistency.
- For Almond or Anise Flavored Cookies: Simply replace the 1 tablespoon of vanilla in the dough with any extract you prefer – lemon, anise, and almond are most common. Second, replace the two teaspoons of vanilla in the glaze as well.
- Make sure to listen to Tina on The Storied Recipe Podcast, Great American Bakeoff Winner Tina Zaccardi while you make her Anginetti Cookies recipe!
Anonymous says
Where do u Add the salt in
admin says
Hi! Good catch. Add it with the first cup of flour and tsp of baking powder. Updated the recipe to reflect this.