Butter Cookies
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These classic Butter Cookies are crisp, tender, and so incredibly buttery! With a subtle vanilla flavor and a sparkling sugared edge, they’re the kind of treat that disappears fast. Perfect for the holidays or anytime you want a simple, elegant cookie.
Table of Contents
- Here’s Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- In Photos: How To Make Butter Cookies
- Butter Cookies FAQ
- More Cookie Recipes
These butter cookies make a lovely afternoon pick-me-up, along with a hot drink. Their flavor is so simple and unassuming, you know they can only enhance the taste of your coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
They’re also really nice along with a creamy, spoon-able dessert such as ice cream or any kind of custard.
And I think they’d be fabulous sandwiched around a fruity jam, marmalade, or citrus curd. Or chocolate ganache!
Want to try another delicious buttery cookie that’s perfect on a holiday table? Try these Alfajores!
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tastes amazing: These are so rich and buttery, with just the right amount of sweetness.
- Few ingredients: You’ll only need a handful of basic pantry staples to make it.
- Easy to make: The dough comes together in a matter of minutes.
- Simple: These cookies are simple but so good. They’re a great accompaniment to a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
- Delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture: Thanks to a perfect mix of butter, sugar, and flour.
- Beautiful and festive: That sparkling sugar crust gives them a bakery-style look.
- Freezer-friendly dough: Make it ahead, defrost in the fridge overnight, and then bake.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you’re cooking.
- Unsalted butter: Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature before using. It is important for texture.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and structure.
- Powdered sugar: Creates that ultra-fine, meltaway texture.
- Large egg: You’ll use both the yolk and the white of the eggs.
- Vanilla bean paste or extract: No imitation vanilla allowed.
- All-purpose flour: The backbone of the cookie dough.
- Kosher salt: Do not sub in table salt.
- Sparkling sugar: For coating the edges and adding a crunch and shimmer.
Special Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons: For measuring ingredients accurately. Follow this guide: How to Measure Ingredients for Baking.
- Mixing bowl: In which to prepare the dough.
- Electric mixer: It’s a stiff dough, so you’ll want either a stand mixer or a powerful handheld electric mixer.
- Silicone spatula: Reaches and incorporates any ingredients that might be hiding from the mixer, and helps to get every bit of dough from the bowl!
- Parchment paper sheets: Prevents the cookies from sticking to the pan, and makes cleanup a snap!
- Pastry brush: The logs of dough get brushed with egg white to help the sparkling sugar to adhere.
- Knife: For slicing the logs into rounds.
- Baking sheets: On which to bake the cookies.
In Photos: How To Make Butter Cookies
Step 1: Blend Butter and Sugar
Place the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar together in your mixing bowl.
Fit your mixer with the paddle attachment and stir these ingredients together on medium-low speed just until they’re smoothly combined.
Step 2: Add Eggs and Vanilla
Next, drop in the egg yolk and the vanilla.
Again, you only have to mix these in until everything’s combined.
Step 3: Add Flour and Salt
Flour and salt go into the bowl next.
It’s a good idea to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula at this stage. This way, you know that everything is getting worked in evenly.
Step 4: Chill
Once the flour and salt have been incorporated, divide the dough in half and roughly shape it into logs on sheets of parchment.
Roll the parchment around the logs, smoothing the shape a bit as you go.
And chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour so it firms up.
Step 5: Slice and Bake
Once the dough is nice and firm, peel away the parchment and brush the logs with the egg white you have left over.
Shake a fair amount of sparkling sugar out onto a plate or tray, and roll the logs in the sugar.
You want the whole outside to be coated in the crunchy, coarse sugar.
Then just grab your knife and start slicing! I like to cut coins that are around 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick.
Place the rounds on parchment-lined baking sheets and slide them into a hot oven.
You’ll know they’re done baking when they’re just barely beginning to go golden around the edges.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Don’t whip too much: Unlike a lot of other cookie recipes, we don’t want to incorporate a ton of air into this dough. That will just cause the cookies to spread too much in the oven.
- Scrape: Don’t forget to scrape the bottom and sides of your bowl with a silicone spatula, to loosen any dense butter and sugar that might be hiding, and make sure it gets incorporated.
- Don’t overmix: Once the flour’s gone in, it’s really important that you don’t overwork the dough. This could result in tough cookies. We want tender, not tough!
Butter Cookies FAQ
Yes! Think about swapping almond extract, citrus zest, mint extract, or cinnamon in place of the vanilla. Or, coat the outside edge in crushed nuts or candies instead of sugar.
Absolutely!
The dough can keep in the fridge for several days, or in the freezer for a month or two.
Once baked, the cookies can be slipped into an airtight container and kept at room temperature for a week or so.
This recipe makes around 4 dozen cookies. Each cookie equals one serving.
The nutritional info provided in the recipe card below is for 1/48th of the whole batch.
More Cookie Recipes
Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 (44 g) egg , large (separated)
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
- 1/3 cup (78.67 g) sparkling sugar, approximately
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Mix the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar together on medium-low speed until smooth.
- Stir in the egg yolk and vanilla.
- Add the flour and salt, and mix together until just barely combined.
- Divide the dough into two logs and wrap in parchment.
- Chill in the refrigerator for one hour.
- Unwrap the logs and brush with the remaining egg white.
- Roll the logs in sparkling sugar to coat.
- Slice into 3/8-inch rounds and place on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake until just barely beginning to turn golden around the edges (approx. 10 to 14 minutes).
