Easter Sprinkle Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

sprinkle macaroons

Easter will be quite different for all of us this year but we can still try and make the best of it. I’m thankful for FaceTime, Zoom and all the other video apps where we can chat and connect with family and friends as often as we want while we all hunker down in our homes and pray for this virus to end.

The fact is Easter is around the corner and there are still ways we can make it special. If you’re looking for a super easy and fun sweet treat to make, one that doesn’t require a bunch of ingredients and one that your kids could help you make and eat, try these colorful, sprinkle, chocolate dipped macaroons!

 

coconut and sprinkles

Cute little sprinkles in pastel colors is a pop of brightness after a long winter and it is very spring like.

egg shaped macaroons

This recipe comes from Molly Yeh but I put my spin on it by shaping them into Easter eggs and using pastel sprinkles, but you can certainly use whatever colored sprinkles you have and just scoop them out into round mounds if you like.

egg shaped coconut cookies

And just a note, if you think you might not care for sprinkles in your macaroons, I urge you to take a bite of these, I was hooked!

rack of cookies

They’re soft and chewy in the middle and crisp and toasty on the outside and finished off with a nice dip into chocolate!

chocolate dipped

Just a few ingredients are required and some you probably already have in your pantry, like a jar of sprinkles, a can of sweetened condensed milk, a bag of  chocolate chips and coconut.

single macaroon

Whatever your own spin is on these cookies I know you’ll love them! Who doesn’t love cookies and especially ones with sprinkles!

plated macaroons

Have a blessed Easter, wishing you all safety and good health with the hope that we’ll all be reunited with our loved ones soon.

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Easter Sprinkle Chocolate Dipped Macaroons
 
This recipe is adapted from Molly Yeh's Sprinkle Macaroon's
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 teaspoons, vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 14 oz. bag sweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ¼ t, salt
  • ¼ cup pastel sprinkles or rainbow of any color, more for topping each cookie
  • 3 oz. of chocolate chips or any kind for melting
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 f. Line a baking sheet with parchment
  2. In a large bowl add the condensed milk, vanilla and almond extract. Mix in the shredded coconut and set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form.
  4. Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture and then gently fold in the ¼ cup of sprinkles.
  5. Scoop out about a 2" ball and shape it into an egg, or if not shaping into egg just leave it as that.
  6. Place onto baking sheet 1" apart and sprinkle the tops with more sprinkles.
  7. Bake until golden brown, check at about 18 minutes, remove from oven, let it cool for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
  8. Melt your chocolate in the microwave at 30 second increments, stirring til smooth.
  9. Dip the bottoms of the macaroons into the melted chocolate and place back on parchment.
  10. Let the chocolate on the cookies cool completely at room temperature or in the fridge.
  11. These can be. stored in the fridge for up to a week and still be fresh and delicious!

 

 

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Triple Zested Ricotta Cookies

triple zested ricotta cookies

Zesty and soft with a cake like texture these triple zested ricotta cookies will be your new favorite. What I love about ricotta cookies is that you can adapt them to any holiday or special occasion by changing up the frosting and sprinkles, but in general most ricotta cookies are lemon flavored.

This version has a little twist to it, they’re infused with the brightness of lemon, lime and orange zest inside and out, so they’re perfect to serve for your spring and summer parties as well as the Easter holiday which is right around the corner.

citrus zest

There’s nothing like the smell of freshly zested citrus, it screams springtime to me which is very welcoming after a long cold winter.

ricotta cookies

Ricotta cookies are surprisingly easy to make, not a lot of ingredients either which is a good thing, and everyone seems to gobble them up when they’re sitting out on a platter, they’re just irresistible!

triple zested ricotta cookies

With each bite you’ll taste a rich burst of citrus flavor because the zest is in the dough as well as the frosting which gets brushed on top.

 

triple zested ricotta cookiestriple zested ricotta cookies

Think wedding and baby showers, Mother’s Day, graduations, picnics, family gatherings and holidays, these ricotta cookies will fit right in for those special occasions.

triple zested ricotta cookiestriple zested ricotta cookies

I would say that these triple zested ricotta cookies are destined to become your new favorite cookie once you try them!

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5.0 from 3 reviews
Triple Zested Ricotta Cookies
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • orange, lime and lemon zest about 2 tablespoons each
  • 1 cup, ricotta (dry and drained of moisture. Instead of deli style look for a good brand that's packed in a container that you can buy in the refrigerated section because they're usually dryer in texture)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • FROSTING
  • lemon juice
  • 1 cup, powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Mix the zest together.
  2. Heat oven to 350F. and line a baking sheet with parchment.
  3. In a large bowl add the ricotta, softened butter, sugar, vanilla, salt and egg, mix them together on low speed until incorporated.
  4. In a smaller bowl add the flour and baking soda, use a whisk and incorporate by hand.
  5. Now on low speed add the flour mixture to the ricotta mixture making sure all is incorporated.
  6. Add in 1 tablespoon of the zest to the mixture and blend til it's throughout the dough.
  7. Take a teaspoon size piece of dough and roll it into a ball like a meatball and place onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
  8. Bake for ten minutes on lower rack then pull them out of the oven and take the back side of a flat spatula and gently press down on the tops, this is not necessary but my preference because it gives a nice surface for the frosting.
  9. Then place them back into the oven on the upper rack for 3 more minutes, make sure bottoms are nicely golden.
  10. Take them out and let them cool completely on a rack before frosting.
  11. FROSTING
  12. Mix the powdered sugar with lemon juice until you have the right consistency then take a pastry brush and brush each cookie one by one with the frosting, then sprinkle a pinch of the tripled zests that you mixed together on the tops of each cookie. Repeat until they're all frosted, one by one.
  13. Let them set for a couple of hours so frosting can dry, store in an airtight container between waxed paper. You can also freeze them, this recipe makes around 30 cookies.
  14. Feel free to double or triple the recipe!

 

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Italian Anise Cookies for Easter and Beyond

anise cookies

Spring is officially here finally, and Easter is quickly approaching, and I can’t think of a better cookie to grace your dessert table than these pretty pastel glazed Italian anise cookies.

 

These cookies are classic, traditional and perfect for any special celebration and just the mere scent of them bring back fond memories of old. Italian anise cookies have played center stage at many weddings, showers, communions, graduations and of course all the major holidays.

 

What I love about these cookies is that you can change up the frosting and sprinkles to fit whatever the occasion is, so with Easter coming up I thought frosting them with some pretty pastel colors would be fun and just looking at them scream “spring” to me.anise cookies

 

Let’s talk about anise and the flavor of anise, if you haven’t tried it you’re missing out. It’s described as being warm, a little spicy and very aromatic with just a mild hint of licorice. Anise is used widely in making pastries and baked goods and it’s the essential ingredient in these cookies where you taste it inside as well as in the frosting.

 

The dough is very similar to my Anginetti Lemon Knots with a slight variation, some recipes add milk, some do not, some are made with shortening, some butter, but basically they turn out very similar. The end result will yield a soft, crumbly, light cookie that takes on the flavors of the extracts you choose, in this case it’s anise but if you prefer, lemon, almond and orange work wonderfully as well.

 

frosting cookies

 

This is the first time I mixed up different colored frostings and I’m so glad I did because they look so festive and they resemble little colored Easter eggs.anise cookies

 

The dough can be formed into balls like I did here or tied into knots and even formed into rings, either way don’t get nervous if you see some characteristic cracks on top.anise cookies

 

Don’t you think they’re the perfect addition to your Easter table? But think ahead to summer parties, baby and wedding showers, birthdays and BBQ’s, you can’t go wrong with a platter of these pretty cookies on your table.anise cookiesanise cookies

 

I did a search on the internet to find a recipe that was as close to the one made by my beloved mother-in-law who made them often for her family because sadly none of her children have a complete recipe of hers. The recipe I chose was the Anise Cookies on the Cooking with Nonna website which is Rossella Rago’s actual Nonna’s recipe, so I knew it would be a good one, and it did not disappoint.

 

I did however double the recipe and I changed up the way the cookie gets mixed, just the procedure in doing it, so that’s what I’ll be posting, it seemed easier for me with one less step for my lazy self, and they turned out absolutely fine.anise cookies

Keep this recipe tucked away for all your special occasions and make sweet memories of your own.

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5.0 from 2 reviews
Italian Anise Cookies for Easter and Beyond
 
Adapted from The Cooking with Nonna website, Anise Cookies
Author:
Ingredients
  • COOKIE DOUGH
  • 5 cups all purpose flour, un-bleached
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons anise extract
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • ICING
  • 3 cups, confectioner's sugar
  • 6 tablespoons half and half or cream, adjusting if you need a little more or less. Icing should have a nice flow when stirring it with a little thickness but not runny
  • 1 teaspoon anise extract ( or if you prefer another extract like lemon, almond or orange)
  • 1 drop of any food coloring to make your pastel colors
  • non-pariels and sprinkles to decorate
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place parchment paper onto rimmed baking sheets.
  2. In a separate bowl add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until incorporated.
  3. In a large mixing bowl with your electric hand or stand mixer (preferably a stand mixer with paddle) add the softened butter and confectioners sugar, beat on medium speed until well combined.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time along with the extracts, beating until all is incorporated.
  5. Lower the speed and add in all your dry ingredients a cup at a time, dough ball will form and pull away from side, the dough will be sticky.
  6. Form your balls either from a rounded teaspoon or a small cookie scoop which I used. Remember you can roll your dough and form them into a knot or a ring if you like as well.
  7. Keep them 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 12 minutes total, bottoms will be golden and tops still pale with some cracks.
  8. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. MAKING THE ICING
  10. Stir together in a small bowl the confectioners sugar, extract, half and half and food coloring if you are using it. Depending on how many cookies you're making you could do a large batch of white frosting then divide and separate some into smaller bowls so you can add your food coloring to each.
  11. Dip or brush the tops of the cookies into the icing then immediately add your sprinkles ( over a bowl so they don't fly all over your kitchen).
  12. Let the icing dry completely on a rack before you store them away.
  13. NOTE;
  14. You can bake these ahead of time and freeze if you don't frost them, I would recommend frosting them just a day or two ahead before you'll be serving them, otherwise the frosting won't look as nice and fresh.
  15. I made 68 cookies from this batch.

 

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Anginetti, Italian Lemon Knot Cookies

anginetti, Italian lemon knots

Iced Italian cookies, lemon drops, lemon knots, wedding knots or anginetti, whatever your family calls them you’ll be sure to find these traditional Italian cookies at many special occasions and holiday cookie trays. Like most Italian cookies the cookie itself is not too sweet, it has a nice moist crumb and by frosting it you’ll get a more intense lemon flavor, which is a good thing!

anginetti, Italian lemon knot cookies

They’re like little puffs, they look the same color from the raw to baked state except they’ll get puffier and golden brown on the bottom.

anginetti, Italian lemon knot cookies

Honestly, there are so many variations to this cookie, just do a Google search and you’ll see what I mean, but the general idea remains the same. In the past I’ve made them with Crisco shortening, that’s what they used back in the day, then I tried some Organic non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, which quite honestly turned out a little drier, I think if I upped the amount they would have been better, but this time I used all butter.

You’ll also see other flavorings used such as almond and anise as well as different colored frosting’s and sprinkles, but my family always sticks with lemon.

anginetti, Italian lemon knot cookies

Instead of colored sprinkles which I normally use, this time I wanted  to do a white on white look by using tiny white non-parells and white sparkling sugar and a little lemon zest for garnish, but you can just stir some zest into your frosting instead.

Speaking of frosting, this time I tried a limoncello frosting which was very good but the traditional with extract, lemon juice and zest is just as good!

anginetti, Italian lemon knot cookies

It’s time to get baking!

5.0 from 2 reviews
Anginetti, Italian Lemon Knot Cookies
 
A traditional Italian cookie served at holidays and special occasions.
Author:
Ingredients
  • 5 cups of all purpose, unbleached flour
  • 5 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • one and one half cups of melted butter that has cooled down, not hot. Or you can use a vegetable shortening of your choice
  • 1 cup of milk
  • a pinch of salt
  • zest of 1 lemon for cookie and zest of 1 lemon for icing
  • 1 1oz. bottle of lemon extract
  • sprinkles of your choice
Instructions
  1. If you prefer, dough can be made the day before which makes it nice and chilled to work with, or you can start scooping them right after you make the dough but probably you will have to chill it for a while as you're making the cookies and the dough stays out. I sometimes stick it in the freezer for a few minutes to get it to firm up again.
  2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, add eggs one at a time, then the extract and zest.
  3. In a smaller bowl whisk the flour, salt and baking powder, then slowly add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, you might not have to use all the milk.
  4. When everything is incorporated, let the dough rest for 5 minutes or wrap and chill overnight.
  5. Heat oven to 350 degrees. and place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  6. To form the knots I like to use a cookie scoop so all will be similar in size, then take the scoop of dough and roll it into a log about 5 or 6 inches, it's the length of a bench scraper, that's how I measure mine.
  7. Then take one side of the log and spiral it into a circle, you can tuck the other end down or up, it doesn't matter.
  8. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes according to your oven, mine took exactly 12 minutes, you want the underneath to be golden brown, not dark brown.
  9. Cool on racks.
  10. LIMONCELLO ICING
  11. One and one half cups of powdered sugar
  12. Five tablespoons of limoncello Liqueur
  13. zest of 1 lemon
  14. TRADITIONAL LEMON ICING
  15. One and one half cups of powdered sugar
  16. zest of 1 lemon
  17. One half teaspoon of lemon extract
  18. and lemon juice to get the right consistency.
  19. I always taste my icing to make sure it has the right amount of lemon, you can always add more, and I also like to brush my icing on instead of dipping., personal preference.
  20. After frosting immediately put your sprinkles on and then let the whole cookie dry for about an hour.
  21. You can keep them in tins with wax paper in between, or you can freeze them in an airtight container right after they bake and cool down, then frost them a day or two ahead before you'll be eating them.

 

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Limoncello Cookies Made From Homemade Limoncello

limoncello cookiesOh my, I’m so excited to share this cookie recipe with you! If you don’t have a bottle of limoncello in your home right now please go out and get one so you can make these cookies for Easter. Let me see if I can describe them to you, buttery, crunchy, refreshing, bright with an explosion of  lemon flavor! The perfect cookie to welcome in spring.
Making limoncelloFortunate for me I still had a bottle of homemade limoncello that my daughter, her friend and her cousin made back in September. It was quite a project and fun for me to watch since I’ve never ever made it myself. Much planning went into it beforehand, she was on a mission to find the best organic lemons she could find, lemons free of chemicals and wax because the peels would be soaking in alcohol for weeks.
Making limoncelloPeeling the yellow skins off the lemons take time and patience, it’s something you can’t rush because you have to be careful not to get any of the white pith beneath it otherwise your end result will be bitter, and you don’t want bitter limoncello. Their goal was to have it all completed and ready to sip for the holiday season. I’m happy to say they reached their goal.

As you can see even her dog was there for moral support!Homemade limoncelloThe essential oils of the lemon peels infusing with the alcohol is such a dynamic combination, creating the most vibrant liqueur. I don’t want to sound like a bragging mother but this was the best limoncello I’ve ever had! It tasted so fresh with a wonderful smooth finish to it. After giving out some bottles as gifts they now have people begging them to make more. Homemade limoncello I hoarded one last bottle, it was hidden away in my freezer, making limoncello cookies was a good excuse to bring it out!Sipping limoncello Of course I had to sip some while I was baking!glass of limoncello Look at that color, liquid gold, slightly thick and perfectly sweet. It screams blue skies and sunshine!frosted limoncello cookiesThe limoncello is mixed right into the frosting so with every bite you take you’ll have a burst of lemony flavor. I promise you, these will be devoured if you make them for Easter, but you need to double or triple this recipe for sure!
frosted limoncello cookieThe dough is shaped into a log then refrigerated for a while, sliced and baked. I tried to shape my log into an oval so they would look like eggs, or you could just cut them rounds.limoncello cookiesMelt in your mouth goodness! Happy Easter to all!

Limoncello Cookies Made From Homemade Limoncello
 
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cup flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • grated lemon zest of 1 lemon
  • ICING
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar
  • 5 tablespoons limoncello
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • zest of 1 lemon for garnish on frosting
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, combine salt and flour. Set aside.
  2. With a mixer cream together butter and sugar until fluffy and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix until combined, then vanilla and the zest.
  3. With mixer on medium low, slowly add the flour/salt combo. Mix until the flour starts to incorporate. Don't over mix, cookie will be tough.
  4. roll dough into a 2"x 12" log, ( it will be soft at this point) or oval to resemble eggs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. ( refrigeration is key, dough needs to be firm).
  5. When ready to bake remove wrap and slice dough into ⅓ thick cookies, place on parchment and bake at 350 for 13-17 minutes. You want the edges to become golden. Cool before icing on wire racks.
  6. FOR THE ICING:
  7. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, limoncello and lemon juice. Stir until fluid but thick.
  8. Brush or dip cookies into frosting, garnish with zest and allow to dry about 10 minutes.
  9. Makes 24 cookies but I would double or triple this recipe!
  10. Recipe adapted from, In Sock Monkey Slippers
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