Italian Leaf Cookies Recipe

Intro

It is like a recipe of the warmest feelings, making cookies that are as pretty as they are good to eat. When your kitchen smells like heaven, and your hands are sprinkled with flour just to the correct extent. And that is my very opinion whenever I prepare my Italian Leaf Cookies. 

The cookies are made in the form of little leaves, which are made of butter, delicate and slightly crisp cookies that are tinged in gold, and are so delicate that they are bound to melt in your mouth. They are that sort of good that makes you put down your bite halfway and smile that they are so good.

When I first discovered this Italian Leaf Cookies recipe, I didn’t imagine it would create such a gourmet ingredient in my kitchen. However, when you bite into one the first time, and experience that touch of almond, that touch of vanilla, and the delicate crumb touching your tongue as though it is slowly melting away, you will realize why I am nearly obsessed with it. 

They are more than cookies; they are consumable art. And the best part? They are so simple to prepare that it sounds.

Now we will speak a little about these beauties, what they are, why so pretty, and how you may make them at home.

What are the Italian Leaf Cookies?

The Italian Leaf Cookies, also known as Foglio d’Italia, are delicate, crispy, buttery cookies that are usually prepared on holidays or during festive events in Italy. 

Conventionally, they are squeezed or forced into stunning leaf forms (they are sometimes pressed with a cookie press), baked until they are brown, and dusted lightly with powdered sugar.

Their taste is quite unfussy but luxurious (buttery shortbread with almond or lemon zest). The texture is a fine balance between delicate and crunchy that leaves you satisfied with a crunchy texture but not dry. Italian butter cookies remind me of some of them, though they are more flamboyant and crafted, and served in a much better way.

They are that type of cookie that would fit perfectly on an old-fashioned plate of ceramic, with the espresso, or in a nice tin as a present. Each bite is a mini Italian getaway, it is creamy, delicious, and exquisite without straining to impress.

The Story of My Discovery of This

Italian Leaf Cookies have indeed come to my attention at a very inappropriate time. It was a Sunday afternoon in that house of lazy Sundays when I was browsing online deep in a baking rabbit-hole, one of those places where I will swear to myself that I will only spend about five minutes, but then three hours later, I cannot stop watching a cookie-piping lady who went on her hand-piping lady molding cookies into roses.

I stumbled upon this picture, of a cookie resembling the shape of leaves sprinkled with sugar, the kind of cookies that one would have found in a European patisserie window. I was smitten instantly. They gave me this old-world verve, as though my Nonna would have prepared it (suppose I had had an Italian Nonna).

Therefore, on the same day, I attempted to create them using a piping bag, a bit of butter, and a deranged curiosity. My first batch of leaves, by the way, were rather like flattened caterpillars than leaves. But oh, they tasted divine. Butter, light, the fact that there was a hint of almond extract that made my entire kitchen smell of heaven.

Countless adjustments (and plenty of experimenting in the form of leaves) saw me change a balance between texture, flavor, and form before I discovered what I consider an ideal balance. 

However, this Italian Leaf Cookies Recipe has now become a part of my regular cookie repertoire – particularly at Christmastime when I am simply not able to resist the decorative allure of these cookies.

Equipment List

To prepare this Italian Leaf Cookies recipe, you do not even require anything very fancy, just a couple of tools and a little patience. Here’s what I use every time:

• Mixing bowls (one large, one medium)
• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer (you’ll want this for creaming butter)
• Spatula (For folding and scraping down the bowl)
• Large leaf or star tip piping bag (Wilton 352 or 1M)
• Baking sheets
• Parement paper or silicone baking papers.
• Cooling rack
• Fine mesh sieve (used with the fine powdered sugar dusting)

Optional but fun:

• Leaf-shaped cookie cutters (unless you wish to roll the dough, you can opt to pipe the dough)
• Food-safe paintbrush to brush on edible gold dust (if you are feeling fancy)

Ingredients For Italian Leaf Cookies Recipe

This is where the magic all comes in. The list of ingredients for the Italian Leaf Cookies Recipe is not complicated, yet quality counts; this is one of the recipes where good butter and pure extract make the difference.

For the Cookie Dough:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• ¼ tsp salt

Optional for Decoration:

• Powdered sugar (for dusting)
• Melted chocolate (for dipping)
• Crushed pistachios or edible gold flakes (for garnish)

Instructions For Italian Leaf Cookies Recipe

1. Preheat and Prepare:

Preheat your oven to 350 o C (175 o C). Prepare line two baking papers or silicone mats with parchment.

2. Cream the Butter and Sugar:

Place the butter and powdered sugar in a big mixing bowl and beat till light, fluffy, and pale. This will require approximately 2-3 minutes using an electric mixer on medium speed.

3. Add the Egg and Extracts:

Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract. These Italian Leaf Cookies are made special with the almond that gives them a nice nutty smell.

4. Combine the Dry Ingredients:

Whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt in another bowl. This should be added gradually to your butter mixture but to combine it only. Shake, not mix too much — you do not want a wet dough.

5. Pipe the Leaves:

Pour the dough into a piping bag with a leaf or star shaped tip. Roll little circles of leaves on your ready baking sheets and make sure there is spacing of about one inch between cookies.

Tip: Make the dough wonderfully easy to ease the bag perfectly soft in the first minute of holding it in your hands.

6. Bake to Perfection:

Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges are barely changing to golden. The centers must continue to be pale.

7. Cool and Decorate:

Allow to cool down on a wire rack. After cooling, it is best to sprinkle with powdered sugar or dunk half of each cookie into melted chocolate and cover with crushed pistachios.

And there you are, the best little bunch of Italian Leaf Cookies you ever made.

Perfect Italian Leaf Cookies Tips.

Butter: Soft butter is better to use and gives it a creamy, fluffy texture.

Do not omit the corn starch: That is what makes the cookies so light and melt in your mouth.

Do not beat the dough hard: The cookies may become tough because of overmixing.

Get used to your piping: Test the few on parchment paper prior to your main batch.

Look at the color: It is not brown, but pale gold. These cookies must appear sun tanned and not grilled.

How to Serve Italian Leaf Cookies

When these cookies are served properly, they are the most elegant. My favorite thing to do is to serve them on a tiered serving tray with espresso or cappuccino, because it seems that I have been taken to a small cafe in Florence.

You can also have them packed as gifts. Prepare a piece of parchment, lay it neatly in a tin, and put a small sachet of desiccant in with it to keep it nice and crisp. A ribbon can make it a heartfelt, homemade gift that is luxurious and easy to approach.

In case you have a brunch or afternoon tea, serve them with lemon curd, mascarpone cream, or even a drizzle of honey. They go with so many flavors of cookies, such a little black dress of cookies.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

Keep your Italian Leaf Cookies in an airtight jar and store at room temperature for a period of 7 days. When you live in a wet place, you should use a piece of parchment between layers so that they do not stick.

To store longer, freeze in plastic wrap and foil in the shape of a log. When you are set to bake, you need to soften it to a level that allows you to pipe or cut and bake as instructed.

Even cookies baked can be frozen, though they should be thoroughly cooled, and a sheet of parchment put between layers prior to freezing.

Final Thoughts

You see, no one has ever made Italian Leaf Cookies Recipe, so do yourself the favor. They are all you desire in a cookie; they are easy, beautiful, classy, and just so good.

They are evidence of the fact that you do not have to make baking too difficult to come out with something that appears (and tastes) incredible. All you need is a few ingredients, some amount of love, and a splash of creativity.

And then, when you feel a need to have something sweet, put on your apron, turn on your oven, and prepare this Italian Leaf Cookies Recipe. You could simply have a new favorite cookie – and perhaps a new piece too.

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