This easy to make butter cookie recipe that melt in your mouth and have amazing butter flavor! With crisp edges and a tender center, they are not only a holiday classic but delicious year round.
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Buttery Melt in Your Mouth Cookies
These butter cookies have that delicious butter taste and are super soft in texture. They’re not as sweet as your traditional sugar cookies, are thicker like Swig cookies and are a little more firm than a shortbread cookie.
They take less than 30 minutes to make and turn out amazing every time. Only easier might be these gooey butter cookies with cake mix!
I love to make butter cookies during the holidays. They are the perfect Christmas cookies for holiday parties, cookie exchanges or Christmas dessert boards.
It’s so fun to use a cookie press to press them into cute Christmas shapes and decorate them with festive sprinkles. You can even turn them into a thumbprint cookie recipe with a little jam! Absolutely delicious!
Why This Recipe Works
- Seven ingredients. That’s it and you probably already have most on hand already!
- Flavorful. Butter adds so much rich decadent taste!
- Versatile. Make drop cookies, use a cookie press, or even slice and bake.
- Make ahead. Make ahead the dough in store in the refrigerator or freezer for an on demand treat!
Ingredients
This butter cookies recipe is simple and doesn’t require anything that you’d only use once and then never use again.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is best so that you can control the amount of salt in the cookies. If using salted butter, I would omit the extra salt included in this recipe.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar gives them the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Egg: This helps the cookies hold their shape (especially when using a cookie press).
- Vanilla: Add in vanilla extract for an extra boost of flavor. Almond extract would also taste delicious.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works best.
- Baking powder: A leavening agent that helps the cookies rise.
- Salt: Since we’re using unsalted butter, I add in a little salt for another layer of flavor .
Variations
- Pipe the dough. Instead of rolling the dough into balls, you can also use a piping bag and large tip to pipe the cookies into circles, this will resemble a Danish butter cookie.
- Spritz version. Spritz cookies are a variation of butter cookies and are pressed with a cookie press into different Christmas shapes and decorated with different types of holiday sprinkles or colors.
- Slice and bake. Roll dough into two logs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours up to a day. Then slice and follow baking instructions.
- Feed a crowd. No time for cookies and need to feed a crowd? The same buttery taste is also in this gooey butter cake!
How to Make Butter Cookies
These are so easy to make with the best buttery flavor and ready in less than 30 minutes!
- Make dough. Start by creaming the room temperature butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth.
- Chill dough. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then slowly add the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Chill the dough for about 10 minutes.
- Shape into cookies. Scoop and roll into balls and place on a lined baking tray. Then use a fork or use 3 fingers to press the tops down. You can also use a cookie press to make different shapes or pipe cookies into a fun swirl shape like I did above.
- Bake. Bake at 375°F for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the edges are barely golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ways to Decorate
- Roll in sugar. You can roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar for an extra sweet touch. Or simply sprinkle some extra sugar on the tops after pressing down the dough with a fork.
- Dip in chocolate. After they cool, feel free to dip half of the cookies in melted chocolate (we also add sprinkles on top of the wet chocolate).
- Frost. These cookies taste delicious with a drizzle of powdered sugar icing or try buttercream frosting from my sugar cookie bar recipe.
5 star review
“Very subtle flavor. Wonderful with a cup of tea. As stated, not as sweet as a sugar cookie, not as dry as shortbread! Thanks for the recipe!”
– Tina
Expert Tips
- Measure flour correctly. A scale is best for accurate measurements as too much flour will affect the texture of these cookies.
- Extract. Pure vanilla extract is best for taste as the rich vanilla flavor will shine through! Add a pinch of butter extract, too, if you want an additional pop of butter flavor.
- Use a cookie scoop. If you are not piping the cookies into the swirls, use a cookie scoop as this ensure each cookie is the same size and will bake evenly.
- Don’t overbake. Remove from the oven when the edges of your butter cookies are just barely golden brown, even if the center doesn’t look done. The cookies will solidify as they cool.
- Cookie tin crunch. If you love the butter tin cookies that are slightly crunchy you can dehydrate your cookies slightly by leaving them in the oven after baking. Turn the oven off and leave the door slightly open until your cookies have cooled.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can either make the dough of ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic wrap up to 3 days. You can also freeze the cookie dough after piping it. Freeze the unbaked piped cookie dough on a baking sheet, transfer to the freezer and when ready to bake just add a few minutes to the baking time. No need to thaw first.
While both use mostly butter to get their taste, they are not the same. Butter cookies contain egg whereas shortbread does not. The texture is less crumbly than shortbread as well.
Chilling your dough intensifies the flavor as well as solidifies the butter. It prevents spread and makes for more flavorful cookies. Make sure to chill the dough for at least 10 minutes to make the cookies thick and hold their shape.
A high quality dairy butter (cows milk) is best to use in this butter cookie recipe. Unsalted butter is best when baking as different brands vary the amount of salt they use.
How To Store Butter Cookies
These cookies will stay fresh for up to 1 week in an airtight container. You can also prepare the dough a few days in advance and let it chill (covered) in the fridge until ready to bake.
Freeze your baked cookies in an airtight container or freeze safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy!
More easy holiday cookie recipes we love include this almond cookie recipe, snickerdoodle cookies, cake mix cookies, and chocolate chip cookies with sprinkles.
More Cookie Recipes
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Butter Cookie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt , 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Optional: Powdered sugar icing, Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Mix in sugar 2 minutes, or until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. (*see notes if piping cookies instead of pressing)
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- With the mixer on, gradually add the flour mixture into the sugar mixture until combined. Cover and chill dough 10 minutes.
- Roll dough into small balls and place on the baking sheet. Using 3 fingers, a fork, or a cookie press, press dough balls flat.
- Bake 6 to 8 minutes, or until the edges are just barely turning golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy plain or topped with powdered sugar icing and sprinkles.
Notes
- Add 2 Tablespoons milk when you add the eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture. If the dough is too thick to pipe, add 1 more Tablespoon milk to soften it up.
- In a piping bag fitted with an #826 open star pastry tip, add the dough. Pipe cookies in circles onto the baking sheet and follow instructions from there.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Adapted from All Recipes.
Categorized as: American, Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Holiday Cookies, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
These look like smaller cookies. Do you use a tablespoon or teaspoon of batter for each cookie?
About 1 Tablespoon :)
If there was a rating for 100 I would be using it! Absolutely divine! Thank you so much for this recipe. Me and my family enjoyed the softness of the cookie, and the taste! I made these for Saint Patricks Day…I love all your recipes, especially this one!
I’m so happy to hear you loved the recipe so much, Alexis! Thanks for your nice comment and review :)
I made these cookies last night for my husbands and my job . They are so so so good. Thank you for sharing. Happy Holidays
Donna🎄🎄
Yay, so happy to hear you both loved them! Happy Holidays, Donna :)
They turned out perfect !! Easy instructions, not a lot of ingredients, billowy soft sugar cookies.
I’m so happy to hear that, Pamela! Thank you for your comment and review :)
I made these today and they’re fantastic! I was trying to find a dupe recipe for the butter cookies from a local bakery that closed down a few years ago, and these looked the closest. I added an extra 1/4 cup flour and used vanilla paste and a tiny bit of almond extract. And they worked beautifully in the cookie press!
Yay, I’m so happy to hear they were a hit! Thanks for your comment Courtney :)
Can I add cinnamon to the dough and how much ?
I haven’t tried before, but that sounds delicious. I would probably add 1 tsp. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try.
I love butter cookies! These are so awesome, can’t wait to try them out. :)
The best cookies! Such a simple ingredient list too!
Yummy! We love these cookies! They are so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to make this again soon!
Great recipe and super easy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Very subtle flavor. Wonderful with a cup of tea. As stated, not as sweet as a sugar cookie, not as dry as shortbread!thanks for the recipe!
These look so yummy!
I have two questions. Can these be made into a gluten free version?
Also, I have a christmas cookie stamp that I am dying to use. Do you think they would keep the pattern instead of the fork markings?
Many thanks!
I’m not too familiar with cooking with gluten free flour, so I’m not sure! If you have had success in other recipes, I would definitely give it a try! I think a cookie stamp would hold on these cookies. I also have a shortbread recipe I love to use with my cookie stamps. Here’s the recipe for that: https://www.iheartnaptime.net/stamped-shortbread-cookies/.
You can just tell that these cookies are going to melt in your house! YUM!
Love butter cookies! Hope you enjoy! :)
Anything with “butter” in the title sounds good to me! Can’t wait to try these.
Oh my gosh, these are the cutest ever!! Can’t wait to make them!!
Looks so delightful! Craving for this right now, so excited to try this!
Can they be made before and frozen or freeze dough
Yes, you can definitely freeze them!
‘Tis the season for baking! I just need a free weekend now…
I definitely want to make these!
My hubby LOVES butter cookies but I have yet to find the perfect recipe. Definitely going to try these soon!