Butter Cookies—a new take on a classic cookie to delight your taste buds.
Butter cookies are traditional Danish cookies made with a few basic ingredients. They are similar to shortbread cookies. They contain a lot of the same ingredients; however, the texture of the finished cookie is very different. Shortbread is soft, whereas a butter cookie should be crispy all the way through. More of a traditional European biscuit than a standard American cookie, butter cookies will hold their shape when baked and have a different texture and style.
Because of the simple ingredients of butter cookies, they do not have a lot of flavor variations. This recipe uses pure vanilla extract as your only flavor addition. Traditionally you will top your butter cookies with sugar for some additional sweetness. I love adding the sugar because it mimics the store-bought variations my grandmother used to bring for the holidays.
What’s the secret to perfect butter cookies?
The key to a perfect butter cookie is—you guessed it—in the butter. Use softened (but NOT melted) unsalted butter. If the butter is already melted, your butter cookies will find it difficult to hold their shape, as the fat content will have been too broken down to hold. The reason for using unsalted butter is to make sure you are controlling the salt level in your cookie; too much salt will have a negative effect on your cookies. Be sure all your wet ingredients are at room temperature before you begin the recipe to ensure everything mixes properly.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup decorator’s sugar (optional)
Instructions
Prep time – 15 minutes
Cooking time – 20 minutes
Yields – 48 cookies
When I think of the holidays from my childhood, there are a lot of baked goods that come to mind. From gingerbread to Santa’s cookies, my mom would turn the kitchen into a veritable family bakery. Adding to the stock would be my grandmother, who would bring a tin of store-bought butter cookies. These butter cookies were something we never made from scratch but would always remind me of the holidays. Because of that, you can only imagine my excitement when I found this great Butter Cookie recipe to help me keep the butter-cookie family tradition alive.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
Step 3: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Step 4: Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla extract until well combined.
Step 5: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until just combined.
Step 6: Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in decorator’s sugar if desired.
Step 7: Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and press down slightly to flatten.
Step 8: Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden.
Step 9: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
FAQs & Tips
While you can gather your ingredients in advance, you don’t want to wait too long before beginning the baking process. The butter needs to be properly softened but not too much. Once your dough is mixed you can store covered in the refrigerator for no more than an hour. Any longer and it will overset and not bake properly.
Butter Cookies hold their shape well. That’s why they’re so crispy. Unfortunately, this means you can’t really cut them with a cookie cutter to get different shapes. If you want to get creative, you can give them a swirl design, which is achieved by putting your cookie dough into a piping bag and piping it out onto your baking sheet in a swirl design.
To ensure that your cookies hold their shape while baking I recommend chilling your dough in the refrigerator for approximately a half hour before baking.
Serving Suggestions
Butter cookies are a perfect cookie to have as an after-dinner or mid-afternoon treat. These are a crisp European cookie so take the opportunity to have teatime and pair your Butter cookies with a nice cup of hot Earl Grey tea. You can also pair them nicely with a cup of coffee or an espresso. The flavor of Butter cookies is light and inviting with a delightful snap when you bite into them as they melt in your mouth.
Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup decorator's sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in decorator's sugar if desired.
- Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and press down slightly to flatten.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
