Butter Cookies
Published
Published
Remember those tins of cookies at your Grandma’s house around the holidays, filled with crispy, crumbly Butter Cookies with a dusting of sugar on top? Ahh, memories! Let’s recreate them and give them to Grandma this holiday season as a fun, nostalgic DIY gift! My time-tested recipe uses a handful of pantry staples to create the lightest, most buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies every time.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItThis post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we genuinely love.
I love a good sugar cookie or thumbprint cookie around the holidays, but no cookie takes me back to my childhood like these homemade butter cookies. They’re simple yet delicious, made with flour, butter, egg yolks, sugar, and milk. Originally hailing from Denmark, these little treats will always be a Christmas classic for me! I use a piping bag to create the signature swirl shape and finish them off with a sprinkling of sanding sugar. They’re also ready in just 45 minutes (including chill time!) and store beautifully!
What’s in this Butter Cookies Recipe?
Here’s a run-down of the simple ingredients needed to make these butter cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Granulated Sugar: Besides adding sweetness, sugar also helps create the perfect texture.
- Unsalted Butter: I prefer using unsalted butter over salted in this recipe. Different brands add varying amounts of salt to their butter, so I add my salt separately for better control. Make sure your butter is room temperature before using.
- Salt: A little salt enhances the other flavors and balances out the sweetness.
- Egg Yolks: Creates a rich flavor and a tender crumb.
- Vanilla Extract: Use a good quality vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe as it provides enough structure without creating tough cookies.
- Whole Milk: This ingredient is important for two reasons: it adds moisture and thins out the dough for easy piping. Whole milk is higher in fat content and adds more flavor than lower-fat options.
- Sanding Sugar (optional): I sprinkle some sanding sugar over my freshly baked Danish butter cookies to recreate the classic look. You can also use granulated sugar or leave them plain.
Variations to Try
I’ve tested this simple recipe more times than I can count to create the perfect flavor, but I have some fun variations to share, too! Try dipping your baked and cooled butter cookies in melted chocolate and top with sprinkles for a festive twist. I also tried rolling out the dough and using cookie cutters, which works well, but I recommend reducing the amount of milk added and altering the cooking time to 10 minutes.
Butter Cookies vs Shortbread
Both have an undeniably buttery flavor, but butter cookies have crisp edges with a softer center, hold their shape well, and contain eggs. Shortbread is typically denser and crumblier in texture as it has a higher ratio of butter to flour and doesn’t contain eggs. It’s also usually baked for longer at a lower temperature. Both are delicious options for your holiday cookie tray!
What’s the Best Piping Tip to Use?
It’s really important to use the right piping tip when making these easy cookies. I use the Ateco #849 piping tip, which is large and star-shaped. Any tip which is at least ½” wide and star-shaped will work.
I don’t recommend trying this recipe without the correct size tip because it’ll be almost impossible to pipe the dough (ask me how I know!).
Tips for Success
- Use a sturdy piping bag. Along with using the correct piping tip, I can’t stress enough the importance of using a sturdy piping bag! This is a pretty thick dough, and a flimsy piping bag (or a makeshift one like a ziploc with the corner cut off) will make piping difficult and messy.
- Add a little dough to your piping bag, test it out, and adjust the consistency as needed. If the dough is too stiff, add a teaspoon more milk. Different elevations, flour types, and even weather can affect the consistency of your dough. Use my written directions and process photos as a guide, but don’t be afraid to make adjustments.
- Use only the egg yolk. I only add egg yolks, not the whites, to the dough. The yolk adds tenderness and color to the baked cookies (from the beta-carotene in egg yolks). Use your leftover egg whites to make meringue cookies!
- Be careful not to overmix the dough. This can cause the gluten in the flour to develop too much, creating tough and chewy cookies. I stop mixing once the desired consistency is reached!
- Don’t overbake. Your cookies are baked when the edges start to turn a light golden color. The centers will still be pale in comparison. Overbaking = overly crispy, potentially dry cookies.
- Always use room-temperature butter. I know my butter is at room temperature when I can slightly indent my finger into the stick, but it’s not too soft that my finger slides right through.
Proper Storage
- At room temperature. Baked butter cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. If gifting, I’d tell the recipient to store them in a cool, dry place.
- Freeze for longer storage. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
- Freezing the dough. You can also try freezing your cookie dough after piping it into shapes. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and directly pipe the dough onto the sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. I’d bake them directly from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time. They probably won’t spread as much, but they’ll still be delicious!
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 & 1/4 cups unsalted butter, , room temperature (10 ounces)
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 & 1/2 cups flour, , divided
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/4 cup sanding sugar or additional granulated sugar, , optional topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 & 1/4 cups (10 ounces) of room temperature butter in a mixing bowl and cream together with a hand mixer on medium-low speed.
- In a separate bowl, beat 3 egg yolks and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract together.
- Add vanilla egg mixture to creamed sugar and butter and mix until combined.
- Add 2 & 1/2 cups flour (a 1/4 cup at a time) to the wet mixture until a sticky, thick dough forms.
- Then, add 1/4 cup of milk and mix on medium-low speed until combined.
- Add a teaspoon at a time of additional milk until your dough mixture is the consistency of Play-Doh. (I used 2 tablespoons of additional milk total.)
- Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper and test your cookie dough. Test your cookie dough consistency by adding only 1/4 cup of dough to your piping bag at first. If it’s still too thick to pipe, put the dough back in the bowl and add another teaspoon of milk, mix, and try again.
- Chill the piped/shaped cookies for 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator before baking to ensure they hold their shape.
- Bake the chilled cookies for 15 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. This is a dense cookie, so I don’t recommend underbaking or going for the soft center you’d want with a chewy cookie.
- While your cookies are fresh out of the oven, sprinkle 1/4 cup sanding sugar or additional granulated sugar on top to give it a sparkly, festive look and added texture.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
Made this recipe twice – the first time I added too much liquid and they spread like crazy even though I chilled them. The second time I paid really close attention to adding the milk and the consistency of Play-Doh as mentioned. The dough did not need any extra milk. I chilled per instructions and they came out perfectly without losing their shape. SO, as always, it’s important to pay attention to the notes (and tips in the article.) Thanks Amy, I love your recipes!
These were lovely and perfect. Reminds me of my grandma at Christmas time.
Can these cookies be made in advance and be frozen thank you
Yep. All of that information is included in the article. Enjoy!