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Butter Cookies Recipe
Buttery, crisp-edged, and melt-in-your-mouth tender, this Butter Cookies Recipe gives you that classic bakery-style cookie with very simple ingredients and an easy, reliable method you can come back to all year long.
Full Recipe Introduction
If you grew up with a blue tin of Danish butter cookies on the coffee table during the holidays, this recipe is going to feel like a warm hug. These classic butter cookies are rich with real butter, kissed with vanilla, and baked until they’re just golden at the edges—crisp on the outside, soft and tender in the center. They’re the kind of homemade butter cookies that make the whole house smell like a bakery.
I’m a 50-year-old mom and grandma, and I’ve baked my way through a lot of cookie recipes. This simple butter cookies recipe is the one my kids still ask for when they’re home for Christmas, and the one I keep in a tin for tea time cookies when a friend pops by. They work beautifully as Christmas butter cookies, but they’re honestly too good to save for just one season.
From a health perspective, these are still treats, of course—but because we’re using real butter, simple pantry ingredients, and no weird additives, you control exactly what goes in. You can make them small for portion control, or go big and share a plate with your neighbors. And unlike some traditional butter cookies that need a long chill, this is an easy butter cookies method: the dough comes together quickly, pipes or scoops easily, and bakes in about 10 minutes.
You know what I also love? This recipe is very forgiving. You can tweak the sweetness, swap flavors, even make eggless butter cookies with one small change. Think of it as your base buttery cookies recipe—your go-to formula for vanilla butter cookies, tea-time treats, giftable cookie boxes, and those “I just need something with coffee” afternoons.
Why You’ll Love This Butter Cookies Recipe
- Rich, buttery flavor that tastes like a fancy bakery, without the fancy price tag.
- Simple butter cookies recipe made with basic pantry ingredients—no special trips to the store.
- Ready in about 30 minutes, so you can satisfy a cookie craving fast.
- Versatile dough: pipe into swirls, roll into logs, or scoop for Danish butter cookies–style rounds.
- Perfect for Christmas butter cookies, cookie exchanges, and homemade gift tins.
- Crisp edges with a tender, melt-in-mouth cookies texture in the center.
- Easy to customize with chocolate, citrus zest, spices, or sprinkles.
- Scales nicely—make a half batch for two or a double batch for a crowd.
- Kid-friendly and beginner-friendly; no fancy techniques, just good mixing and baking.
- Can be made as soft butter cookies or extra crispy butter cookies with simple timing tweaks.
Ingredients
Let’s walk through what you’ll need for this classic butter cookies recipe and how to get the best results.
For the Butter Cookies
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- Use real butter, not margarine. Room temp means it gives slightly when pressed but isn’t greasy or melty. Salted butter works in a pinch; just reduce added salt.
- 2/3 cup (135 g) granulated sugar
- Classic sugar butter cookies flavor. For slightly softer cookies, you can swap 2–3 tablespoons with light brown sugar.
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- Helps the cookies hold their shape and adds tenderness. For eggless butter cookies, see the variation below.
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- This is what turns them into fragrant vanilla butter cookies. I like Nielsen-Massey or Simply Organic, but use your favorite real vanilla.
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- Too much flour makes dense cookies. If you can, weigh it; otherwise, spoon into the cup and level with a knife.
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Balances the sweetness and really highlights that buttery flavor. If using salted butter, reduce to a tiny pinch.
- 2–3 teaspoons milk or heavy cream, as needed
- Only if piping the dough; it helps soften the texture so it passes through a piping bag. Start small.
Optional Toppings & Finishes
These turn basic butter cookies into bakery style butter cookies:
- 2–3 tablespoons coarse sugar or sanding sugar – for a sparkly crunch on top.
- Colored sprinkles or nonpareils – perfect for Christmas butter cookies or kids’ parties.
- 1/2 cup (85 g) melted dark or milk chocolate – for dipping half the cookie once baked and cooled.
- Finely chopped nuts (almonds, pistachios, pecans) – press lightly into the tops before baking.
Ingredient Tips
- Butter temperature: If your butter is too cold, it won’t cream properly; too warm and your cookies may spread too much. About 30–40 minutes on the counter is usually right.
- Flour type: Stick with all-purpose for reliable results. Whole wheat flour will make shorter, drier shortbread butter cookies; if you experiment, start with replacing only 1/4 of the flour.
- Flavor add-ins: Lemon zest, almond extract, or even a pinch of cardamom can give a new twist while keeping that traditional butter cookies feel.
Directions
Follow these steps, and you’ll have homemade butter cookies that taste like they came from a little European bakery.
-
Prep your pans and oven
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). A properly heated oven is key for even browning and those pretty edges. -
Cream the butter and sugar
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture is pale and fluffy. This step traps tiny air bubbles that give you tender, soft butter cookies instead of dense ones. -
Add the egg and vanilla
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture should look creamy and smooth, not curdled. If it looks split, keep mixing on low—usually it comes back together. -
Combine the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt. This helps distribute the salt and prevents any flour clumps in your final dough. -
Mix the dough gently
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed just until no dry spots remain. The dough will be thick. Avoid overmixing; that’s a common reason simple butter cookies turn tough. -
Adjust consistency for piping (optional)
If you plan to pipe the dough into swirls (like Danish butter cookies), add milk or cream 1 teaspoon at a time, beating on low until the dough is just soft enough to pipe. It should still feel thick and hold its shape. If you’re scooping or rolling the dough instead of piping, you may not need any milk at all. -
Shape the cookies
- For piped swirls: Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip (like Wilton 1M). Pipe 1.5–2 inch circles or rosettes onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- For scooped cookies: Use a small cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion the dough into balls. Place on the baking sheet and flatten very slightly with your fingers or the bottom of a glass.
- For log and slice cookies: Roll the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter, wrap in plastic, chill for 30–45 minutes, then slice into 1/4-inch rounds.
-
Add toppings (if using)
Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar or sprinkles, or press a few chopped nuts into each cookie. That tiny bit of crunch on a buttery base is what takes these from “good” to “oh wow.” -
Bake until just golden
Bake one sheet at a time for 9–12 minutes, depending on your oven and cookie size. They’re ready when the edges are lightly golden and the centers look set but not browned. For extra crispy butter cookies, bake an extra 1–2 minutes, watching closely. -
Cool on the pan, then a rack
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes—they’ll firm up—then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Warm cookies are fragile, so handle them gently. -
Finish with chocolate (optional)
Once completely cool, dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate and set back on parchment until firm. This gives you that bakery style butter cookies look and an extra layer of flavor.
Servings & Timing
- Yield: About 30–36 cookies (depending on size and shape)
- Prep Time: 15–20 minutes
- Shaping Time: 10 minutes (piping or scooping)
- Bake Time: 9–12 minutes per tray
- Total Time: About 35–45 minutes from start to finish
For a big holiday baking session, I’ll often double this butter cookies recipe and keep trays rotating in and out of the oven while I sip coffee and wrap gifts.
Variations: Fun Twists on Classic Butter Cookies
Here’s the thing: once you have this base recipe, you can play. A lot.
- Lemon or Orange Butter Cookies: Add 1–2 teaspoons of fresh lemon or orange zest to the dough for bright, citrusy tea time cookies.
- Chocolate Drizzle Shortbread Butter Cookies: Reduce sugar by 1–2 tablespoons and drizzle cooled cookies with melted dark chocolate for a slightly less sweet, shortbread-style bite.
- Eggless Butter Cookies: Skip the egg and add 2 tablespoons of milk or cream instead; the texture leans closer to traditional shortbread but still holds shape well.
- Spiced Holiday Butter Cookies: Stir in 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg for cozy Christmas butter cookies.
- Almond Bakery Style Butter Cookies: Replace 1 teaspoon of vanilla with almond extract and top with sliced almonds for a flavor that tastes like it came from a small-town bakery.
- 3 Ingredient Butter Cookies Shortcut: Use 1 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 cups flour (no egg, no vanilla) for ultra-simple, lightly sweet cookies—great for quick sugar butter cookies to decorate.
Storage & Reheating
One of the perks of butter cookies is how well they keep. That’s why they show up in holiday tins and cookie jars.
- Room Temperature:
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 7–10 days. Layer with parchment if stacking piped swirls. - Refrigerator:
Not necessary for baked cookies, but you can chill the dough (well wrapped) for up to 3 days. Let it sit at room temp 10–15 minutes if too hard to pipe or scoop. - Freezer – Baked Cookies:
Freeze fully cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature—no reheating needed. - Freezer – Cookie Dough:
Roll into logs or scoop into balls and freeze on a tray, then transfer to bags. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 extra minutes. This makes easy butter cookies on busy days: straight from freezer to oven.
If you’ve dipped them in chocolate, separate layers with parchment so they don’t stick together.
Notes from My Kitchen (What I Learned Testing This)
- Shape matters: Piped rosettes bake a little faster than thicker scooped rounds. Keep an eye on your first tray and adjust the timing for the rest.
- Don’t skip the creaming step: When I rushed and didn’t cream the butter and sugar very well, the cookies turned out flatter and less “melt in mouth.” Those extra 1–2 minutes with the mixer really do make a difference.
- Sweetness level: My husband likes his cookies on the less sweet side, so sometimes I reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup. The texture is slightly more like shortbread butter cookies, but still tender and buttery.
- Browning is flavor—but not too much: The edges turning light golden bring that toasty, nutty butter taste. But if the tops start browning all over, you’ll lose that classic butter cookies softness.
- Piping tip size: A larger open star or French star tip gives deep ridges that hold up better in the oven and look like those iconic Danish butter cookies. A small tip makes the dough hard to push through and the ridges can blur as they bake.
- Baking sheets: Lighter-colored sheets make more even, gentle browning. My old dark sheet pan made the bottoms too brown before the tops were ready.
Honestly, once you’ve made these once or twice, they become muscle memory. You’ll know by smell and color when they’re just right.
FAQs
1. Can I make this Butter Cookies Recipe without a mixer?
Yes. You can cream the butter and sugar by hand with a sturdy wooden spoon; it just takes more elbow grease. Mix until the butter looks lighter in color and fluffy.
2. Why did my butter cookies spread too much?
Usually, the butter was too soft or warm, or there was a bit too little flour. Chilling the shaped cookies for 10–15 minutes before baking helps, especially for piped shapes.
3. Can I make these cookies gluten-free?
You can try a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that’s meant for baking. The texture will be a bit different, but many readers have success with brands like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur.
4. How do I get that “melt in mouth” texture?
Cream the butter and sugar well, don’t overbake, and measure flour accurately. Slightly underbaking (with pale centers and only lightly golden edges) gives softer, melt in mouth cookies.
5. Are these the same as Danish butter cookies from the blue tin?
They’re very similar! Those are a type of traditional butter cookies. The biggest difference is shape and sometimes flavoring; some brands use a bit of coconut or different fats. These homemade butter cookies are richer and fresher tasting.
6. Can I decorate these like sugar cookies?
You can. These sugar butter cookies work with a simple glaze or a light royal icing, especially the flatter, scooped or sliced shapes. Just let them cool fully first.
7. How do I make them more soft instead of crispy?
Bake 1–2 minutes less and don’t let the edges brown too much. You can also add 1 extra tablespoon of sugar and 1 extra teaspoon of milk for a slightly softer, less crumbly cookie.
8. Can I reduce the sugar?
You can reduce the sugar by about 2–3 tablespoons without hurting the structure too much. Go lower than that and the texture starts to lean more like plain shortbread and less like classic butter cookies.
Conclusion
This Butter Cookies Recipe brings together everything I love in a cookie: simple ingredients, big buttery flavor, and a texture that walks the line between crispy and tender. Whether you’re baking Christmas butter cookies for a crowd, filling a tin for a friend, or just treating yourself with a cup of tea, these cookies fit right in.
If you try this recipe, I’d really love to hear how it went—leave a comment, tell me your favorite variation, or share a photo of your homemade butter cookies. And if you’re in a baking mood, you might also enjoy my chocolate chip cookies or my small-batch brownies next. Happy baking, friend.
Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 226 g, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar 135 g
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 240 g, spooned and leveled
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt use just a pinch if using salted butter
- 2 teaspoons milk or heavy cream 2–3 teaspoons as needed, only if piping dough
- 3 tablespoons coarse sugar or sanding sugar optional, for sprinkling on top
- colored sprinkles or nonpareils optional, for decorating
- 1/2 cup melted dark or milk chocolate optional, for dipping cooled cookies
- finely chopped nuts such as almonds, pistachios, or pecans; optional, press onto tops before baking
Instructions
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture is pale and fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter, 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture should be smooth and creamy.1 large egg, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and fine sea salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed just until no dry spots remain. The dough will be thick; avoid overmixing.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- If piping the dough into swirls, add milk or heavy cream 1 teaspoon at a time, beating on low until the dough is just soft enough to pipe but still thick and able to hold its shape. If scooping or rolling, you may not need any liquid.2 teaspoons milk or heavy cream
- For piped swirls: Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip and pipe 1.5–2 inch circles or rosettes onto the prepared sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. For scooped cookies: Use a small cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion dough into balls, place on sheets, and flatten slightly. For log-and-slice cookies: Roll dough into a 2-inch-diameter log, wrap in plastic, chill 30–45 minutes, then slice into 1/4-inch rounds.
- If desired, sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar or sprinkles, or gently press chopped nuts onto each cookie.3 tablespoons coarse sugar or sanding sugar, colored sprinkles or nonpareils, finely chopped nuts
- Bake one sheet at a time for 9–12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers look set but not browned. For extra-crispy cookies, bake 1–2 minutes longer, watching closely.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate, then place on parchment until the chocolate is set.1/2 cup melted dark or milk chocolate
