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Butter Cookies are simple, flavorful cookies loved for holidays and parties. Soft, delicious homemade cookies that are easily made and are always a classic favorite.
The Best Butter Cookies are a classic cookie recipe that never goes out of style and works perfectly for any menu, celebration or just because! I have made them for years for everything from showers to birthdays to Christmas parties. Butter Cookies are perfectly delicious and appropriate for so many types of entertaining!
Butter Cookies
If you have the image in your mind of those hard little round cookies from the grocery store, then you are in for a pleasant treat when you make these butter cookies. These are rich, buttery, delicious and somewhat addictive in the way that it’s hard to stop at just one!
While they are also delicious without the buttercream, they are just a bit more festive with a dollop of buttercream in colors and flavors to suit the occasion or the season. My fluffy white buttercream is beautiful at Christmas or for a wedding shower. The strawberry buttercream, looks beautiful for baby showers, Mother’s Day, birthdays or Easter. And then there’s chocolate! Personally I think my chocolate buttercream is suited to any kind of party or celebration – or just because. It’s amazing!
These cookies are so easy to make too! Yet despite how simple they are to make, the little bit of frosting on top makes them so elegant.
My butter cookies recipe makes four dozen small cookies or two dozen larger sized cookies. This is so helpful so that you decide just what size you need for your event. And it’s also a perfect amount for having them to include on Christmas Cookie Trays or cookie gift boxes to share with friends.
Now, I am far from a professional cake or cookie decorator and I have to remind myself not to be overly critical of my frosting swirls on top of these cookies. But as I walk in to any party with them in hand, no one else seems to care that the swirl isn’t exactly perfect on top. I love people like that! 🙂
Here’s my butter cookie recipe. It seriously will become a favorite! Hope you love it!
Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Add flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg until well-combined. Slowly spoon in flour mixture mixing on medium speed until well-combined, then add vanilla and mix just until combined.
- Scoop cookie dough by the tablespoon onto a large baking sheet, leaving about 2-inches between each cookie. Press down on cookie dough ball lightly with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass until about 1/2-inch thick. Bake 10-13 minutes until lightly browned.
- Cool completely.
Notes
Nutritional Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
It’s just going to be ruined once it gets in my mouth, which is where I really want it to be. Anything covered in chocolate is pretty impressive. That being said, I think your swirls look lovely. Can’t wait to try these cookies.
Thank you for being sweet about my swirls! These cookies are ah-mazing. Can’t wait for you to try them!
Butter cookies! I have actually never made them and I have no idea why! I mean these look delicious and I love the chocolate buttercream on top!
Thanks so much, Tieghan!
Oh my gosh! I’ll take a dozen. I bet they just melt in your mouth!
They do! And are so, so easy to make. Hope you have a great 4th week!
Oh my word, I remember most of my childhood by the times I devoured way too many of those butter cookies with the holes in the middle. 🙂 I can’t even imagine how much more amazing these must taste — especially with that pretty little dollop of frosting on top!
I used to wear those cookies as rings as I nibbled the edges. Love those things! If you loved those butter cookies as much as I did, you are definitely going to love these! And the frosting on top doesn’t hurt the situation any either! 🙂
Oh, with buttercream? That’s a new idea, I like it! Yum!
Can’t wait to try them with your delish chocolate or strawberry buttercream. Salted or unsalted butter for the cookie?
Thank you
You can use unsalted butter if you prefer, Carol. I’m a salted butter when baking sorta gal! 🙂
Your photos are so great, I can just imagine how soft those cookies are!
Robyn, I am enjoying your blog so much. I regret that I only learned about it recently!
I made your Vidalia Onion DIp Saturday night- I used to make it all the time and I have no idea why I ever stopped… but it is just as yummy as I remembered!
These butter cookies take me back to very happy childhood days spent shopping with my mother and grandmother. Stopping by the Rich’s bakery was always my favorite treat, and although I think their cookies had nuts, they looked just like yours! Maybe I will make them this for the Fourth!
Love,
Claire
Hi love the cookie recipe but would you have the recipe for the chocolate frosting you used please? thanks.
Robyn can you roll these out for cut-outs? Is the dough to soft for that…and does it spread much…
These look so much better than any bakery!
Please give me a boiled friut cake reciepe
Since I love to use Danish Butter Cookies as crust for my cheesecakes, do you think this recipe could be used for such a purpose? How do you think it would need to be modified?
I would love to make these, I was wondering if you can use the metal cookie stencils on them?
I don’t have any expresso powder nor can I find any within my local stores but I want to the make the icing today… Would the icing be terrible if I didn’t use the expresso powder this go around? Anything I can substitute the expresso powder for?
You should be fine to omit it, Hope. It just enhances the chocolate flavor similar to how vanilla does so many other recipes.
Hi Robyn , planning to do cut out cookies decorating with fondant, do you think putting your this dough in the fridge help? You have beautiful pictures!
Hi Ms. Robyn!
I made these the other day and they are absolutely wondrous! I accidentally forgot the baking powder (I guess because I had a hard time finding it in my cabinet -), after looking high and low for it and finally finding it. The cookies still turned out perfectly without it.
I have a lot of fresh globe basil in my garden now, and I got a wild idea to add some to the cookie batter before I added the dry ingredients. I suppose I added about 3 teaspoons of the fresh coarsely chopped basil to the recipe. A great little subtle surprise that goes well with the existing flavor of the cookie.
I was going to make your chocolate buttercream, but decided to make thumbprints from your recipe with Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips: about a half bag or so. I melted them down slowly over low heat and added about half a stick of unsalted organic butter, along with some freshly chopped mint from my garden (approx. 7 large leaves). Then after dolloping the half-cooled chocolate mixture onto the centers of the thumbprints, my husband kept eating them…’will make a double recipe next time.
Thanks a bunch! I’ll be making these again real soon, and probably with your buttercream recipe.
Mel
Hello Robyn,
Just made your cookies and they turned out great!! Only change I made was, instead of the chocolate buttercream, I used quince jam and also on some dulce de leche!!! (I’m from Argentina and we love this down there 😉 ) They did not last in the plate! I guess any jam would go with these cookies… Thank you for shearing!!!
Well I really hope that I can make these awesome looking cookies soon!
Robyn, Can I make these cookies with confectioners sugar instead of regular granulated sugar?
Hi Aparna,
I wouldn’t recommend switching the type of sugar in this recipe. However, a similar cookie recipe that does use confectioner’s sugar is this key lime shortbread cookie recipe (https://addapinch.com/cooking/key-lime-shortbread-cookies-recipe/). You can omit the key lime zest from the recipe and add vanilla in place of the key lime juice. I hope that help!
Can this cookies be cut into shapes for decorating?
Thanks,
Christina
Made these with my kids tonight. Was craving a homemade butter cookie and these hit the spot!
Easy to make. I did add just a bit more butter. And no icing for me – perfect without.
Hi… I tried the recipe and it was awesome. I just modified the recipe by replacing the butter with garlic butter with mixed herbs and reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup…they tasted so heavenly…just like garlic bread but cookies
Great recipe
Made this recipe with a mix of coconut oil in the butter and confectioners sugar on top when serving.
DELICIOUS!
Sounds delicious, Lisa! xo
I just made these and they are flat! I followed thr recipe to the letter, I don’t know what happened? Help!
Hi Colleen,
I’m sorry your cookies turned out flat. I’ve not had that problem the many times I’ve made them, so I am not sure what could’ve happened, but a few possible reasons that they may turn out flat could be if the baking powder was not really fresh, the butter was left out too long to soften/got too warm or the mixture was beaten too much. None of these may be the case with your cookies, but I wanted to share in case any of these could have happened.
Thanks so much and I hope you enjoy the cookies if you try them again. xo
Hi, the vanilla mean the vanilla essence or extract?
Hi Eileen,
It is vanilla extract. Thanks so much!
Hi if i need to replace the egg what can i use instead of egg
Your website is fast becoming a problem for me. The problem is that I cannot just pin one recipe. Every yummy, delish looking offerings leads me to more very desirable pins. Seriously though, I’m a huge fan and thank you for all your tasty treats and the photos that precede them. ??
Oh thank you so much, Bee! I’m absolutely thrilled that you are finding many recipes to try! I love hearing from you and thank you for your kindness!
Thanks! xo
Do you have to use vanilla extract
Hi Lisa,
I have never made these without vanilla extract and I do think it is important to the flavor of the cookies. Thanks!
Going to be using this recipe for my science fair project and I can’t wait to try it!
Best of luck to you, Emma, with your project! Hope you enjoy the cookies! Thanks!
You are such a nice person! You respond to everyone! Wish I could do that with my website but I have school!
Eh, I’ll be able to someday. 🙁
Class I loving them! I asked who wanted to taste them, I was crouded by kids trying to get a sample! Thanks for the great recipe! 🙂 <3
No cookies left for me! XD
Sorry am just testing out the emojis you can do on here. I know, very imature but I CAN’T RESIST!!!
🙂 🙁 <3 [:( ]:( [:) ]:) 😮 😉
A lot of thoughd did not work. Sry!
Have you ever tried these with nutella buttercream? AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I tried these cookies last weekend and I’m telling you these are the best cookies,I topped them with the chocolate buttercream frosting and then topped some with sugar, my family LOVES them. They are very easy to make.
Wonderful, Dawn! I’m thrilled that you and your family enjoyed them! Thanks!
I added 2 tsp of almond flavoring and topped em off with a whole almond. Yum!!
Sounds like a delicious addition!
Hello:
I am not a ‘baker’. I can cook – no problem. I thought I’d be ‘brave’ and try a simple butter cookie recipe. Brave little me went to the market yesterday and bought all the ingredients needed for this recipe.
Today was the big day. I followed the recipe to the letter and the cookies turned out wonderful. For me this is a big deal. I have some confidence now and won’t be apprehensive next time.
Thanks,
Cathy
You have no idea how happy this makes me to read, Cathy! I’m so excited to hear that you have that “baking confidence” and that you enjoyed the process! Oh – and I’m happy you liked the cookies too!
Thanks so much! xo
How much butter?? It says 1 and 1/2 sticks 3/4 cup. Is it 1 1/2 + 3/4? 1 1/2 does not equal 3/4.
Hi Dawn,
I’m sorry if this wasn’t clear. I’ve given the butter amount in the recipe both in stick version and cup version. Either 1 1/2 sticks of butter, or 3/4 cup, which equals the same amount. I’ve edited the recipe to put parentheses around 3/4 cup. I hope you enjoy the cookies. Thanks so much!
Should I use salted or unsalted butter? I want to make these for a cookie exchange at my work. I am very excited.
I like to use salted butter, Michelle. Thanks!
Hi Robyn,
This looks really good! I’d like to try making these for the holidays. Can I make this with half the amount of ingredients? I’m worried 1 egg might be too much if I do (can’t really cut an egg in half, lol).
Patricia
You can cut the recipe in half, but still use one egg (it won’t be too much). Enjoy them Patty! xo
Amazing! My family and friends ate them up so fast I only got one or two. And that was just the plain ones. Tonight I am going to make some and dip them in chocolate one side and try a few with a dollop of seedless raspberry jam (like a thumbprint cookie). I would give these a 10 out of 10 they are not too sweet, but just perfect with a cup of tea.
Thanks so much Debbie!
approx how many cookies does this recipe for butter cookies make?
Best cookies ever, thanks
So glad you enjoyed them, Durwin! Thanks!
Can you put these through a cookie press?
I haven’t tried using a cookie press with these cookies, Sharon.
OMG, these cookies came out amazing! I made these at home a few times and every time they came out marvelous. Am really looking forward to making more of you fantastic recipes!
I’m so happy you enjoyed these cookies and hope you find many more recipes you like. Thank you.
Simply delicious! It was the perfect dessert for our family cookout. The colors were soft, not too sweet and definitely addictive. Family hit!!
That is great, Tasha. So glad they were a hit with your family. A family cookout sounds like fun.