Butter Cookies

24 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Butter Cookies are are a classic holiday cookie that are so soft, sweet, and buttery they melt in your mouth, ready in under 20 minutes!

You know that cookies are one of the most important holiday traditions around, so this Christmas try baking these Award Winning Gingerbread CookiesChocolate Chip Cookies and Peanut Butter Blossoms.

Butter Cookies in gift box and stacked on table

BUTTER COOKIES

Butter Cookies are soft and buttery, and are a MUST when the holidays come around. These are really kid-friendly because they are the PERFECT cookies to cut into fun holiday shapes with a cookie cutter or cookie press. Plus you can make them weeks ahead of time and freeze, so you’ll have one less thing to do when the holidays come around. This is also a great recipe to make and place in decorative tins to give away as gifts for the holidays!

You might also know these as Danish Butter Cookies, and they taste really similar to shortbread cookies. The difference here is that Butter Cookies are slightly less crumbly, and a bit sweeter. You may even prefer to make Butter Cookies for dessert over shortbread because of the flavor and texture.

HOW TO MAKE BUTTER COOKIES

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and in a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  • Add in the egg, then the vanilla until well incorporated before adding in the flour and salt until just combined.
  • Put into a cookie press or form balls pressed slightly flat with the bottom of a glass before baking for 8-10 minutes.
Butter Cookies Collage of baking steps

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are Shortbread Cookies and Butter Cookies the same?

These two cookies are really close, but have a few key differences. Shortbread cookies typically have more butter, while a Butter Cookie recipe uses more all-purpose flour and sugar. The result is Butter Cookies are more sturdy and hold up better to things like cookie cutters or a cookie press, while shortbread tends to be more crumbly. However, the typical Christmas cookie is usually a sugar cookie.

Can I use salted butter for cookies?

It’s recommended to use unsalted butter because it lets you adjust the flavor of the dough to how you like it. You can use salted butter in this Butter Cookie recipe, but keep in mind that the flavor may end up more salty than desired. Also, the level of saltiness can vary by brand of butter. If you do use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe, or it will be too much.

How does the temperature of butter affect cookies?

You want your butter to be softened for this cookie recipe, which basically means room temperature. If your butter is too cold or too warm or melted, the cookies will spread and flatten too much and become crispy. You want to hit that sweet spot right in the middle.

How do you make eggless Butter Cookies?

There are a few ingredients you can use to substitute eggs in a cookie recipe. You can try adding half a mashed banana per egg, ¼ of a cup of applesauce per egg, or one tablespoon of corn starch plus two tablespoons of water per egg. Use more or less vanilla extract to adjust the flavor of your cookie.

Butter Cookies close up held by hand

TIPS FOR MAKING BUTTER COOKIES

  • If your dough gets too sticky, try dusting your hands and your working surface with all purpose flour. If you think the dough is getting too warm, try refrigerating the dough for 20-30 minutes before working with it again.
  • Be careful not to over mix your cookies, or they may end up too dry. Stop when the dough is just combined.
  • Make sure you cream your butter and sugar together before adding anything else, or your dough may not turn out smooth.
  • If your cookies spread too much, place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes before baking to help the butter firm up.
  • Top with powdered sugar, buttercream frosting, royal icing, or sprinkles.
  • Line your cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper to prevent the cookie dough from sticking and to make cleanup easier.

MORE EASY CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Butter Cookies in gift box and stacked on table

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Butter Cookies

Butter Cookies are are a classic holiday cookie that are so soft, sweet, and buttery they melt in your mouth, ready in under 20 minutes!
Yield 24 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 1/8 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and in a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
  • Add in the egg, then the vanilla until well incorporated before adding in the flour and salt until just combined.
  • Put into a cookie press or form balls pressed slightly flat with the bottom of a glass before baking for 8-10 minutes.

Video

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 16mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Butter Cookies Collage

Photos used in a previous version of this post.

Butter Cookies with Sprinkles
Butter Cookies
Easy Butter Cookies
Butter Cookies in a Christmas box

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. I made these today and I absolutely love them. The flavor is so good! I didn’t see where you mentioned how to store them. Thanks again for the recipe.

  2. No rating yet, just a question. I’m not a baker, and when I’ve tried to make the supposedly simple dough for cookie cutters, I’ve ended up with dense, tough, floury cookies. (I will assume too much flour, overhanded – should have let it chill longer). So now I have 2, 5, and year old grandkids and I think I ought to do the “grandmotherly” thing and let the kids use cookie cutters

    Should I chill the dough first, then roll it out – to what thickness? Then? Do the sprinkles and jimmies get pressed in or just sprinkled on? If I make colored icing (and I dread the mess) how?

    Thank you

    1. All good questions. 🙂
      I’d let the dough chill for at least 1 hour before rolling it out. You’ll want it to be about 1/8 inch thick. It really doesn’t matter whether you sprinkle before or after you bake. They may melt if you add them before but I usually recommend adding frosting and sprinkles with the kids. It’s easier to work with cooled cookies. If you dread the mess of frosting, dare I say, you can always buy the pre-made tubes at the store for an easier way for the kids to use it and then just toss at the end. I hope this helps and that you and your grandkids have fun!

    1. I scoop it out with a spoon into a measuring cup and then use a knife to take the excess off of the top. Hope this helps!

    2. I absolutely love these cookies, my family can’t get enough of them. They are very buttery but not overpowering . I was hesitant because I have had bad luck with trying baking recipes on websites. This recipe did not disappoint!

    1. I roll in the sprinkles before baking. I just uses a standard container and enough to spread out on the plate that I rolled the dough on. I don’t pour out too many at a time so I don’t waste them. Hope that helps!

  3. I have to say Sabrina another special recipe to add to my collection, Thank you, and keep them coming! Sincerely Carolyn G