Butter Cookies

Soft and crunchy butter cookies are everyone’s favorite! They are a delicious classic must-make for any holiday party and are delicious plain or frosted.

Butter Crunch Cookies

These butter cookies have the perfect crunch in them. That first bite is soft with a little bit of a crunch making them irresistible and one our new favorite cookies (

I love making these easy sugar cookies for just about any occasion. Cut any shape out of the cookie dough for whatever you are celebrating. Pumpkins for Halloween, hearts for Valentine’s Day, Christmas trees for the holidays, turkeys for Thanksgiving, or bunnies for Easter. Possibilities are endless.

Can we talk about how simple these are to make? You just need a few ingredients and in less than 30 minutes you can have tasty, crunchy, buttery sugary cookies all ready to go. These cookies will never go out of style. They are a classic recipe that you will want to make again and again.

Shortbread Cookies vs. Butter Cookies

You’re probably asking yourself – what’s the difference between shortbread cookies and butter cookies? Is there a difference?

There is! It really comes down to texture and flavor with these two different cookies. Shortbread cookies had more butter than flour in the ingredients. And butter cookies have more flour in them than butter. They still have a lot of butter in them- hence the name “butter cookies”.

Since butter cookies have more flour in them, they are GREAT for decorating. They are sturdy and hold frosting really well. You’re going to love the frosting in this recipe. The yummy frosting perfectly compliments the cookies.

How to Make Easy Butter Cookies

One of the best things about this recipe is how fast and easy it is. There is no chilling of dough required!

Start by creaming the butter and sugar together in a kitchen aid or with a hand mixer. Cream them until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. In another separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the creamed mixture into the dry ingredients and beat together.

Start with a clean surface and flour it heavily. Roll out your butter cookie dough to about 1/3 inch thick. Use cookie cutters of your choice to cut out shapes. Place your cut out cookies onto a lined baking sheet. Preheat oven and bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes. The cookies should be set, but not brown! Try your best not to over bake these. Keep an eye on them in the oven. When the cookies are done let them cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Can butter cookies be frozen? These cookies can be frozen really easily! Just put them into a freezer safe bag or container and make sure it’s airtight. They can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to store butter cookies? Make sure you keep your butter cookies in an airtight container so they stay as fresh as possible. Or you can store them in your tummy…that always works too. 

Butter Cookie Frosting

Guess what? This frosting also has butter in it! What would a butter cookie be without butter frosting? This frosting is the perfect consistency for these cookies. It’s great for decorating and putting sprinkles on top. It’s not too sweet either. Just the right amount of sweetness. You can even add food coloring if you want to match whatever theme you’re going for with your cookies.

Here are the ingredients needed for butter cookie frosting:

• butter
• powdered sugar
• milk
• Vanilla
• food coloring (optional)

To make it, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together. Add in the milk until the frosting reaches a good consistency for spreading on the cookies. Add in food coloring if you want to.

And, of course, top with any sprinkles right after frosting your cookies.

We hope you love these butter cookies! If you try and make them, let us know how much you love them in the comments below! We love to hear your cooking experiences.

For more of our favorite, crunchy cookies, check out:

• Almond Crunch Cookies
• Snowball Cookies
• Cinnamon Roll Cookies
• Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies

Butter Cookies Recipe

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5 from 4 votes

Soft and crunchy butter cookies are everyone's favorite! They are a delicious classic must-make for any holiday party and are delicious plain or frosted.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

Servings 24

Calories 255 kcal

Author Kristyn Merkley

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 TB milk
• food coloring optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. With a kitchen aid or hand mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk your flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add to your creamed mixture and beat until well combined.

4. Roll out onto a floured surface til dough is about ⅓” in thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place on lined cookie sheet.

5. Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes, until set but not brown. Let cookies cool on wire racks or parchment paper.

Frosting

1. Beat butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to reach a spreading consistency. Spread over cookies as desired.

Nutrition Facts

Butter Cookies Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 255 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 11g 17%

Saturated Fat 7g 35%

Cholesterol 37mg 12%

Sodium 129mg 5%

Potassium 42mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 36g 12%

Sugars 25g

Protein 1g 2%

Vitamin A 7.3%

Calcium 1.8%

Iron 3.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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