First things first, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. This will ensure our cookies have the perfect texture and rise.

To make the butter and sugar light and fluffy, put them in a different bowl and use an electric mixer to mix them together. This step is crucial for getting that delightful melt-in-your-mouth texture.

One egg at a time, beat in the mixture, making sure each one is fully mixed in. Stir in

the vanilla extract, adding a personal touch of flavor to our Italian leaf cookies recipe. If you’re feeling adventurous, this is the time to add a few drops of green food coloring to give our cookies that vibrant, leafy hue.

While mixing, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until everything is just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as we want our cookies to be tender, not tough.

Refrigerate the dough for a minimum of one hour after encasing it in plastic wrap. This step is not to be skipped! Freezing the dough makes it easier to work with, and it also helps the cookies stay in shape while they’re baking.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. With a little flour on the surface, roll out the dough until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Use your leaf-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, re-rolling scraps as necessary.

Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between them for expansion. After 12 to 15 minutes, when the edges are just beginning to exhibit a golden hue. Remember, the key to a perfect Italian leaf cookies recipe is watching your cookies like a hawk to prevent over-baking.

After a few minutes of cooling on the baking sheets, move the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. This is the hardest part—waiting to enjoy your freshly baked Italian leaf cookies!