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Butter Cookies - the BEST butter cookies recipe ever! These butter cookies are buttery, crumbly, melt in the mouth. Best cookies for Christmas and holidays.
Butter Cookies Recipe
This is the BEST butter cookies recipe you’ll find online! They are extremely buttery, crumbly and practically melt in the mouth.
They are similar to Danish butter cookies and perfect for any holidays: Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, or any day of the year!
Ingredients For Butter Cookies
This is an easy recipe that calls for simple ingredients:
- Unsalted butter.
- Powdered sugar.
- Egg yolk.
- All-purpose flour.
- Cornstarch.
- Vanilla essence.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How Can I Make My Cookies Better
How to make butter cookies? Here are my baking tips, tricks and secret techniques for the best cookies every time:
- Use a good quality butter. I use Challenge brand butter for all my baking recipes. It’s the BEST butter to use for baking cookies.
- Do not use granulated sugar as they don’t melt in the dough and result in a grainy texture.
- To make the cookies better and more crumbly, add some Pam cooking spray to the dough. The cooking spray makes the cookies even better with melt-in-the-mouth texture. Trust me on this!
- Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes. This will ensure that it’s easier to roll out and cut into shapes.
- Use cookie cutters instead of cookie press for the best results. I find cookie press a hit-or-miss, it all depends on the cookie press you use. Sometimes the dough is stuck on the cookie press and it’s very hard to form the beautiful shapes. With cookie cutters, you can control how the cookies look by cutting out the shape you desire.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe yields about 100 cookies. They last for two (2) weeks or longer if the cookies are stored in an air-tight container.
I don’t advice freezing or keeping the cookies in the refrigerator. It won’t help with the freshness or shelf life of these soft cookies. Plus, they won’t taste good after freezing. You might have to heat them up in a toaster oven before eating. The best way to store cookies is to leave them in an air-tight container at room temperature, in the pantry or inside your kitchen cabinet.
This recipe is only 41 calories per cookie.
What To Serve With This Recipe
For a delightful afternoon tea party, I recommend the following recipes:
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 oz. (280g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon Pam cooking spray, optional
- 3 oz. (90g) powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk, full cream milk
- 11 oz. (311g) all-purpose flour
- 4 oz. (125g) cornstarch
Instructions
- Cream butter with Pam cooking spray (if using), sugar, egg yolk, salt, and vanilla extract until fluffy. Add in the milk and mix well.
- Fold in the all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Use a spatula and your hands to mix the dough. At first, the dough will look crumbly.
- Continue mixing the dough until it becomes soft and no longer sticks to your hands, about 10 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch (5mm) thick and cut into rounds or any desired shapes using cookie cutters. Assemble the scraps and roll them in with the remaining dough.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, or until they turn very light brown in color and the inside is cooked through. Cool the cookies before eating. You may store the cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Bee,
Is there any major different with or without the Pam cooking spray /Margerine in the dough ?
Just wonder what is the purpose of the cooking spray in the recipe not on baking tray.Perhaps is the secret.
I guess the 113g of corn starch already make the cookies crumbly. Anyway I will try by this week.
Oh ya…l love your Butter Cake.
Thanks.
Not much difference, with Pam, it gives the cookies a bit of an artificial fragrance. Yes butter cake recipe is awesome! :)
Hi Bee,
Just wonder can I use Tapioca Starch to replace the Corn Starch ? Thanks. Cheers.
I think you should use corn starch.
Hi Bee,
Just wonder can I use Tapioca Starch to replace the Corn starch ? Thanks.
Hello,
I want to make these cookies as soon as possible but need to find the conversion chart. I’m use to dry measurements. Please help. Where can I download a chart?
Thanks so much..the cookiies look great. I can’t wait to make them.
You need to use a scale for the dry ingredients. Cup measurements are not precise and every country has different cup sizes.
Can you use a cookie press instead of cookie cutters? So excited to make these! :)
Yes.
How long will the biscuits last?
Thank you so much for including the weight of the ingredients – I find American recipes with sticks or tablespoons/cups of butter impossible. Conversion charts don’t agree, my cups are different sizes (and it’s messy getting butter into a cup anyway); so it seems highly inaccurate. I wish all recipes were as easy to follow. PS Nice cookies (biscuits) !!!
Yes American recipes with sticks and tablespoons do not produce the best baking results. It’s the truth! When you want the best baked goods, you ought to use a scale for dry ingredients. And you are right, different conversion charts give you different measurements.
OMG, I tried making these and they came out light and crumbly! Its incredible. Can’t stop eating them. Thank you for a great recipe.
Yes this butter cookies are absolutely amazing.
can I use corn flour instead of corn starch
Yes.
Want to make some, but please can you tell me what can I use instead of egg as I am allergic to eggs.
I am not sure what you can use instead of eggs…you can skip it but I am not sure of the results.
Thanks for the reply, will try and let you know if it worked.