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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:
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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.
Can this be done without a hand mixer or stand mixer?
Pls reply as I’m keen to try this recipe! Thanks!
Yes, I always make these with hands. :)
Getting ready to put these in the oven. Super excited to try them!!!
Awesome! I hope you love these butter cookies. Make sure you cool them first before eating.
Recipe states 10 oz. butter which is 1 1/4 sticks. Recipe states 2 1/2 sticks which is double. So which is it, definitely makes a difference in the stickiness dilemma,
Cyndee, you are wrong. 10 oz. butter = 2 1/2 sticks. 1 stick butter is only 4 oz, so it’s 2 1/2 sticks (4 + 4 + 2). The measurement are all correct.
Can we add nuts in it?
You can but I haven’t tried and don’t know how it affects the recipe.
Thank you for sharing. And thank you for being patient with so many ‘???’ comments. I will try your recipe this week.
How much sugar to add to the recipe? The sugar amount is not included in the recipe. Thank you. I can’t wait to make these!
Yes it is in the recipe, it’s 3 oz + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar.
Btw, do you mix the dough after putting in flour with mixer or by hand? Thanks. ?
By hand.
Hi i have leftover salted butter. Can i use salred butter and omit the salt in the recipe? Will it be too salty?
Yes I think you can.
Will this recipe work in a cookie press? The recipes that came with the cookie press have a weird after-taste. I’m not sure if it’s from the unsalted butter or what.
I don’t recommend cookie press for this recipe. Just use a cookie cutter.
@Zia
You have to let it cool completely after baking then it will harden, before putting in an airtight container. But it is always soft fresh from the oven when still hot. If that is what you mean.