Easy Butter Cookies
These melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies are just as perfect as a make-ahead holiday gift, as they are enjoyed with a cup of hot chocolate, tea, or coffee for a little treat-yourself snack!
Servings: 32 small cookies
Equipment
- Stand or hand mixer
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) good-quality unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar plus more for decorating (optional)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cream together butter and sugar in bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl halfway through.
- Add egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. Stir until well incorporated.
- Add flour and mix until just incorporated.
- Form dough into an 17” log about the thickness of a paper towel roll. Double wrap log in parchment paper, crimping the edges, which will help form a smooth, even log and protect bottom of log from flattening when chilling.
- Chill in fridge for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Unwrap log and smooth out any lumps/imperfections. With a sharp knife, slice into ½” thick cookies.
- Place on a parchment-lined, large baking sheet at least an inch apart (cookies will puff and spread slightly). Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon granulated sugar if desired.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until cookies are just set. Keep in mind cookies will harden more as they cool!
- Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely – or enjoying!
Video
Notes
- Prefer almond flavored cookies? Use 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon almond extract (or even try peppermint or lemon extract!).
- These butter cookies will be crisp on the outside and soft/crumbly on the inside!
- Prefer crunchier shortbread? Bake for a few minutes longer until light golden!
- You can roll the dough out and cut using cutouts if desired, or you can pipe into Danish butter cookies!
- Decoration ideas: sprinkle with sanding sugar, flaky salt, sprinkles or crushed nuts right out of the oven. Or wait until they cool completely and dip in melted chocolate or dust with powdered sugar!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.4mg