Italian Easter Cookies / Uncinetti
These traditional cookies are made with a quick and easy dough. A simple lemon glaze tops these Italian Easter Cookies. Perfect with a coffee or tea.
We are now heading into the beginning of March which means that it’s time for the Easter treats to hit the grocery stores and Bakeries. Even though I am still seeing and loving Castagnole and Frappe.
These Southern simple Italian cookies are popular during the Easter Season, a not too sweet cookie, that is covered in a simple powdered sugar glaze. Another famous Southern cookie from Sardinia are these Piricchittus.
Recipe Ingredients
- All purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Lemon – zest of a lemon
- Egg
- Butter – salted or unsalted, if you use unsalted then add a bit more salt
- Milk – 2% or whole milk
How to make Traditional Italian Cookies
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Make a well in the middle and add the egg, butter and the milk. With a fork combine until mixture is almost combined, move it to a flat surface and gently knead to form a smooth dough.
Remove pieces of dough ropes, make sure the ropes are quite thin then form to make a knot, if making smaller ropes you can join them together to form circles if you prefer. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden. Let cool then cover with lemon glaze or dust with powdered sugar if desired.
What does Uncinetti mean?
Uncinetti in Italian means crochet. Which in this sense means crochet knots, it is actually what the cookie is suppose to resemble.
What is the Origin of Unicinetti Easter Cookies?
These cookies are from the Province of Vibo Valentia, in the Region of Calabria, they are usually prepared for Palm Sunday. Of course they are made throughout Italy where every region will make their own.
What do Italian Knot cookies taste like?
These Easter Cookies, are a typical Italian cookie, meaning they are not very sweet, nor are they a soft moist cookie. Some say they are very similar to a Sweet Taralli.
The perfect Breakfast cookie, to eat with a cup of coffee or tea. Personally they are one of my favourites. I think the lemon glaze gives them the perfect amount of extra sweetness.
The Icing and Decorations
One of the most recognizable features of Italian Easter cookies is their sweet, icing, food coloring is rarely used, instead a lemon or even almond extracts can be added. A simple glaze made from powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract is drizzled over the cooled cookies. To make them even more festive, they are often topped with pastel sprinkles, symbolizing the joy and vibrancy of the Easter season.
How to make the cookie dough
The dough can actually be made by hand, as shown in this recipe or you can use a food processor or mixer if you prefer.
How to Store Uncinetti
Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, they should keep for up to one week. The dough can also be frozen in an airtight plastic bag or container, for up to three months.
More Italian Easter Recipes
- Colomba- Easter Dove Bread – A Sweet Yeast Cake that is originally from Lombardia
- Chocolate Eggs – In Christianity it represents the resurrection of Jesus. Although the tradition of the Chocolate Easter Egg is quite recent.
- Pastiera Napoletana – A traditional Neapolitan Easter Dessert. Filled with a Ricotta and candied fruit filling.
- Sweet Veneto Focaccia – Similar to a Colomba but with a round shape and without candied fruit.
If you do make these unique Italian Easter Cookies be sure to let me know how you like them. Enjoy!
Italian Easter Cookies / Uncinetti
Ingredients
ITALIAN EASTER COOKIES
- 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (200 grams total, if you double or triple he recipe double or triple this amount)
- 3¼ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt*
- zest of one lemon
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup butter (melted and cooled)
- 4 tablespoons milk (I use 2%)
*If you use unsalted butter then add 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
LEMON GLAZE
- 1½ -2 cups powdered / icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (approximately)
- 1 tablespoon milk (approximately)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 300F (150C). Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
ITALIAN EASTER COOKIE
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Make a well in the middle and add the egg, butter and the milk. With a fork combine until mixture is almost combined, move it to a flat surface and gently knead to form a smooth dough.
- Remove pieces of dough to form 5-6 inches (13-16 cm) ropes, make sure the ropes are quite thin then form to make a knot, if making smaller ropes you can join them together to form circles if you prefer. (see photo). Place on prepared cookie sheet and bake for approximately 15-18 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool then cover with lemon glaze or dust with powdered sugar if desired. Enjoy.
LEMON GLAZE
- In a small bowl add the sifted powdered sugar, lemon juice and milk, combine to your desired thickness. (less or more milk as needed).
Notes
Nutrition
It’s All About Pasta
Amazing pasta recipes to make your mouth water!
Authentic Italian Desserts
75 Traditional Desserts Made Easy
I made these today (Good Friday) for the first time, they were just beautiful, not too sweet. Can’t wait to share them with my parents when we are out of quarantine!
Hi Antonella, thanks so much. Happy Easter and hopefully it won’t be too long a wait. Take Care.
Love them
All your recipes sound so delicious. I can’t wait to make some of them.
Hi Debra, thanks so much, I hope you enjoy them. Take care.
I was looking for an old family favorite that we always had for Easter. My mom had to bake twice the amount so there would be some left for guests on Easter Sunday! They are just like I remember them. I searched a bunch of recipes and yours came closest to what I remembered being made in our kitchen. So glad to have the recipe now, they turned out wonderfully. And today just happens to be Palm Sunday – the traditional day they used to be served in Italy! Grazie!!!!
Hi Lysa, thanks so much, so glad you liked them and that they brought back memories. Take care. Happy Easter.
Just love All these wonderful ideas…
Sure wish I knew what I did wrong – twice. I made them yesterday and again today because the first time they ended up with the consistency of a roll ( very bread-y, if you will). My Dad, who’s been making bread from scratch, for decades now, thought I must have kneeded the dough too much. So I tried again tonight. Hardly kneeded the dough, at all. Yet again, the cookie is very doughy. I’m so disappointed that I ended up with very pretty, but very poor tasting cookies. Is it possible my two failed attempts, to make these cookies, was caused by doubling the recipe?
Hi Corinne, sorry to hear that you are having problems, that has never happened to me, although I haven’t doubled the recipe, maybe that’s it.
Hi Rosemary! I just made these cookies. They were fairly easy to make and you can certainly add your creativity for the different shapes you desire to make. Wondering about the consistency of the cooking once it’s baked. Is it expected to be soft and chewy or hard and crumbly.
Hi Rita, thanks, I would say they are on the harder side and crunchy. A really good dunking cookie. I hope you enjoy them. Happy Easter.
Can I substitute melted butter in place of the oil?
Hi Dznielle yes you can although you should add 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of melted butter. Let me know how you like them.
Looking to make these cookies for a big group of people. Is it ok to double even triple the recipe?
Thanks
Hi Donna, sure that should be no problem. I hope enjoy them.
Rosemary
Love the recipe for breakfast with coffee. Just wondering how thick and how long is each cookie rolled before you swirl it up. I made 15 but some seemed thicker than others.
Thanks
Joyce
Hi Joyce I recommended the ropes to be about 4 inches long, you can make them longer or shorter if you want. Hope that helps. Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I am so excited to try these cookies. They look exactly like my mother in law’s anisette cookies- always made at Christmas. Her parents were from Calabria too, the city of Nicastro. You describe the texture perfectly- not sweet, a bit dry and just wonderful with coffee or even a bit of wine. Thank you.
Hi Anne, thanks and yes I love a couple with my tea. Have a great weekend.
Hi Rosemary,
I made these today, they were good, but not what I was expecting. I guess here in the US we’re so used to everything being so sweet, these were not. They are good, a little dense to me, but I’m certainly glad I tried them.
Cant want to make the next treat you post
Thanks,
Debbie
Hi Debbie, yes Italian sweets aren’t very sweet, but once you get used to it it’s hard going back. I used to love Peanut Butter cups but now I can’t even think about eating one. 🙂 Italian love these cookies dipped in their coffee or cappuccino.
1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp oil are correct? I have not made these yet, but other recipes call for considerably more sugar and butter or oil. Just want to be sure. Thanks
Hi Carleen, yes the ingredients are correct, they aren’t an overly sweet cookie (most Italian sweet recipes aren’t). Let me know how it goes.
I am making these for a diabetic son. What does { -2g sugar } mean? Am I to assume that these are almost sugar free? Thank you. These sound like my grandmother’s cookies.
Hi Angela, sorry I think that was a mistake in the recipe nutrition card (it’s calculated when I add in the recipe) but since there is only 1 tablespoon of sugar, they aren’t very sweet at all. You could probably substitute with a sugar replacement. I hope you like them. Let me know.
My husband said that he remembered those cookies