Butter Cookies are a classic favorite holiday cookie but they’re also great all year around! Crisp, buttery cookies with melt-in-your-mouth interiors, these are super simple with just 6 ingredients and no chilling required!
These are one of my favorite Christmas cookies, simpler to make than decorated Sugar Cookies and amazing when dipped in dark chocolate (and decorated with sprinkles!).
Crisp on the Outside, Soft on the Inside, Buttery Butter Cookies
These butter cookies are one of the simplest cookies to ever grace the face of my blog and yet they are one of my all-time favorites. Maybe because they’re so easy?
But they’re not just one of my favorites… my mom helps me with my baking and recipe development (and dishes!) almost every day of the week. She and my little sister leave my house with tons and tons of spare desserts, and often dessert fails, too.
So you would think she might want a break from sugar and flour and butter and even cookies when she goes home, but no. The day we finally nailed this butter cookie recipe (and there days and days of fails beforehand), she went home and made herself (and my siblings) another batch of these cookies.
That’s how good these butter cookies are.
And I know that I mentioned they’re easy, but really, 6 basic ingredients (7 if you want to dip them in chocolate, which you do), no chilling, no frills… I think you’re going to love these.
How to Make Butter Cookies
- Cream together butter and sugar.
- Stir in egg, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Gradually stir in flour until completely combined.
- Place half of the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large tip and pipe in a circular design onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I don’t line my baking sheets with parchment paper).
- Bake until edges are just beginning to turn golden brown.
- Allow to cool, then dip in melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles.
What is the Difference Between Sugar and Butter Cookies?
The biggest difference between sugar cookies and butter cookies is that sugar cookies are often rolled thin and cut out using cookie cutters. While butter cookies will hold their shape while baking, the dough is much softer and for best results should be piped onto a baking sheet and then baked. Butter cookies (probably unsurprisingly) also contain a higher percentage of butter while sugar cookies have a higher flour to butter/fat ratio. Here is my favorite recipe for sugar cookies (and it’s a good one, just check out all those 5 star ratings!).
Shortbread cookies are another similar cookie, they are more crumbly and tender than butter cookies and bake at a lower temperature.
How Long Do Butter Cookies Last?
Butter cookies will keep for up to 2-3 weeks. Be sure to store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Tips for Making Butter Cookies
These cookies are simple, but here are a few little tips and tricks to help you on your way!
- Your butter should be softened, but not so soft that it’s melt-y or oily on the outside. I’ll usually set mine outside of the fridge about 45-60 minutes before I begin baking.
- “Regular” butter will work perfectly in this recipe, but I love splurging on European butter for an even better taste! This recipe has so few ingredients that using the best quality really makes a difference!
- Only place about half of your cookie dough in the piping bag at a time. It makes it easier to pipe and less likely that you’ll bust open your piping bag!
- I used the Ateco 827 tip and made these butter cookies into simple swirls. If you make your swirls smaller or larger the cookies will need to bake for less or more time, respectively. Keep an eye on them! Also, if you use a different tip your baking time will vary (and smaller tips will be much harder to squeeze the dough through).
- Dipping your cookies in melted chocolate is optional, but it adds a nice touch. I recommend adding a small bit of shortening to the chocolate to ensure that it’s thin enough so that it dips well and you can still see the details of the cookie. If you use a premium chocolate like Ghirardelli, you can probably get away without adding the shortening, but I’ve found some less expensive chocolate just stays much too thick.
- Placing your butter cookies in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes after dipping in chocolate will expedite the hardening of the chocolate! Don’t leave them in for too long, though, or they will start to dry out.
Enjoy!
More Classic Cookie Recipes:
Let’s bake together! Follow me on my YouTube channel where I’ve already uploaded over 200 recipe videos that you can watch for free! I’ve included a short version of the video in today’s post, but for the full-length Butter Cookie video please see my YouTube channel. 💜
Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265 g) all-purpose flour¹ ("plain flour" in the UK)
For Chocolate (optional)
- 1 cup (170 g) dark chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon vegetable shortening I use Crisco
- Nonpareil sprinkles optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven 375F (190C)
- In a large bowl (or, preferably, in the bowl of a stand mixer), combine butter and sugar and beat together with an electric mixer until creamy and very well-combined.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- Add egg yolk, vanilla extract, and salt and beat well. Pause to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure that all ingredients are well incorporated.1 large egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour until the flour is completely combined. Again you should pause to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265 g) all-purpose flour¹
- Fit a large piping bag with Ateco 827 piping tip and portion half of the cookie dough into the bag².
- Pipe cookies into swirl shapes on an unlined, ungreased cookie sheet. Transfer to 375F (190C) preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges of cookies are just beginning to turn golden brown.
- Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.
- Do not pipe cookie dough onto a hot or warm cookie sheet.
- Once cookies have cooled completely, dip in chocolate (if desired).
Chocolate
- Combine chocolate chips and shortening in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring well in between, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.1 cup (170 g) dark chocolate chips, ½ teaspoon vegetable shortening
- Dip cookies in chocolate and transfer to a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Decorate with nonpareils or other sprinkles, if desired.Nonpareil sprinkles
- Allow chocolate to harden before enjoying. You can speed up this process by placing the cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
Notes
Help! I don't have the right piping tip OR My dough ended up too stiff to pipe
Don't have an Ateco 827? Don't kill your hand trying to use a smaller tip! You can instead drop the cookie dough by rounded 1 ½ Tablespoon onto the baking sheet and use the tines of a fork to make a criss-cross pattern (like if you were making peanut butter cookies) and bake as directed. As mentioned above, the most likely reason for being unable to pipe the dough is if the flour was over-measured (see notes above), the ingredients weren't combined well enough (especially if the butter and sugar weren't well-creamed), or if you're trying to use a piping tip that is too small. Some people have reported success with adding a splash of milk to the dough (though keep in mind that because you have lowered the ratio of butter to other ingredients the cookies may not be as buttery/flavorful) or you can also try warming the dough in the piping bag between your hands by squeezing it before piping.How to Store
Butter Cookies will keep for up to 2-3 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Cecilia
These cookies are delicious!! Such an easy recipe and they taste wonderful! I used a Wilton 4B tip and it worked great.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for letting me know how they turned out for you, Cecilia! 🙂
Fazz
Fantastic cookies! These cookies are delicious! The best recipe I’ve ever found. This is a super simple recipe to make with just 6 basic ingredients. I loved this recipe so much. I didn’t have the right size tip (Ateco 827), so I used a Wilton 4B tip. My tip was not quite large enough but the dough was so easy to pipe and it worked pretty well! They baked up beautifully and the cookies hold their shape. Thank you so much Sam for sharing this recipe and the tips & tricks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for your review, Fazz! We’re so happy the cookies were such a hit for you 😊
Debbie
I made these the other day and they turned out great! I found it hard to pipe cause the dough is so thick….so I put my piping bag with the dough in it, in the microwave for about 8 – 10 seconds. It softened it enough to make the piping easier!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Debbie! I am happy that the butter cookies turned out delicious. Thanks for sharing your pipping tip, glad microwaving the dough helped! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Jackie
I made these but the dough was so stiff I couldn’t pipe them out so I ended doing them so they looked like peanut butter cookies. They still taste great but not as pretty as piping them out. What could have happened with the dough being so stiff??
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jackie! If you were using a different piping tip that may have been the problem, but if that isn’t the case then most likely the flour may have been over-measured. Here is a post I Have about making sure to measure flour properly that might be helpful: https://getbonusform.info/how-to-measure-flour/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Susan
So hard to pipe!! The dough seemed too dry and could not get it through the tip!
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Susan! Sorry you were having trouble piping the butter cookies! Make sure to use the piping tip indicated in the recipe, I haven’t had success with any other kind. If that isn’t the issue then most likely the flour was over-measured, make sure to follow my tips for measuring flour (https://getbonusform.info/how-to-measure-flour/%3C/a%3E%29 for best results.
Charlaine
Could I use a cookie press instead?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Charlaine! Yes, that should be fine. Let me know how your butter cookies turn out. I hope that you enjoy them! 🙂
Debbie
These look wonderful! Definitely making some for Christmas! Do you know how well they freeze with/without chocolate?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Debbie! They should be fine in the freezer. I recommend storing them in an airtight container. Enjoy! 🙂
Terry
My Aunt just sent me your link. I am going to try these tomorrow… I have everything but I am going to try the better butter. I assume they will be a bit more rich.. Thank You in advance!
Sugar Spun Run
I hope that you enjoy the Butter Cookie Recipe, Terry! Yes, the European butter gives the cookies more flavor. Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
David
Is there a direct conversion from the ateco 827 tip to one of the Wilton tips?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, David! I am sure that there is one similar, but unfortunately, I am not certain of the exact tip. Sorry that I can’t be of more help.
If you try a few, let me know which worked best. 🙂
David
I ended up using a Wilton 2D. It worked pretty well, but I could not get the dough to pipe through the bag/tip at all. I’m a pretty big guy and it just wouldn’t budge. My wife suggested adding a little milk to make it a bit more fluid. So….. we added 2 or 3 Tb of milk and mixed the dough a bit more. This made it pipe-able (not sure that a real word, extreme amateur baker here). The milk did not seem to make a difference in the cooking or texture of the cookies. I also was not able, on my first try to make swirls for the cookies so I made a swirly circle with a dot to fill the center. This made my cookies turn out with a flowery looking design. All in all the cookies were well received by my kids, at the very least. They claimed to like them better than the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, which they really loved. So I can consider these butter cookies a complete success!! Thanks Sam and Kimberly
Kimberly Boyle
I used the Wilton 1M. I got it to work great!
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks, Kimberly for the feedback! That is so helpful.
Kimberly Boyle
The taste of these cookies are awesome! However , even using the same tip and bag , I could NOT squeeze this dough through it! I tried and tried. I even had my husband try. It would not come out!! What can I do?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Kimberly! I am glad you enjoyed the taste of the butter cookies. You may just need to cut the hole larger so it’s easy for the dough to squeeze out of the bag (if you’re using 2 bags that could be the case, anyway). Or, if that isn’t the case I would try a bit less cookie dough in the bag, I found that helped make it a lot easier for me to squeeze it out. I hope that helps! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Anita
Great recipe! I was unable to pipe the batter so I measured out 1 T portions and rolled them into balls. I followed the same baking guidelines and they turned out great. (Yielded 28 cookies)
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for your comment, Anita! I am so glad that the Butter Cookies worked out well for you and you enjoyed them! 🙂
Kate
Are these the same type of cookies you’d see as sandwich cookies with jelly in the middle? They look so yum!
Sam
Hmm, I’m honestly not sure, I don’t think I’m familiar with those. Sounds like that would be pretty tasty, though!
Melodie
What type of baking sheet do you use? These cookies look amazing! Anxious to try!
Sam
For these I used my Oxo half-sheet! I love the gold color 🙂
Joanna
These are so pretty! Apart from the dipped chocolate part, how do you think the cookies would do for shipping? Are they fragile or a little sturdy? Looking forward to making them! It seems like you said you were due in November, but can’t remember for sure. I hope everything is going great for you and your family! 🙂
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Joanna! Thank you! I have never shipped butter cookies, but if they are packaged right, I think they would do fine. Yes, I am due at the end of this month, very soon. I’m feeling great and getting excited to meet our baby boy. Thanks for checking in. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Happy Baking. 🙂
Chandra Persaud
Can the Wilton 1M tip be used? Thanks!!
Sam
Yes, but it is a smaller tip and harder to pipe with. Maybe double up on your pastry bag to keep it from bursting and you’ll get more of a hand workout! You may also need to reduce the baking time a little bit since the cookies will be smaller.
Flo
Haven’t tried them yet but they sound yummy. Am goin to make them for my great- grand baby’s shower it’s going to be a boy also( Luke)
Sam
I hope you love them, Flo! Also, I absolutely love that name 😉
Kathy Van Gundy
Anxious to try this one for sure! Thoughts on cup-4-cup gluten free flour?
Sam
I’m not familiar with using gluten free flour, unfortunately, so it’s hard for me to say! If you try it I would love to know how it works for you, though!