This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
This simple butter cookies recipe is my go-to for Christmas and the holidays. They’re buttery and crumbly—just the best for adding a festive touch to any celebration. Follow this easy recipe with a step-by-step video and make your own soft buttery cookies at home!
Best Butter Cookies Recipe
This is the best butter cookies recipe you’ll find online! These cookies are just as buttery and crumbly as Danish Butter Cookies. They’re incredibly rich, practically melt in your mouth, and perfect for any holiday—Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, or any special occasion.
With their delightful texture and flavor, they’re sure to be a hit with everyone. I just love making these cookies—they bring back so many memories of festive celebrations with family and friends. I always make sure to have a batch ready to share. Be sure to check out my tips and tricks below to make the most of this soft butter cookies recipe.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Melt-in-your-mouth texture. The full-fat ingredients make these cookies irresistibly rich, buttery, and crumbly—just the way I like them! They practically melt in your mouth.
- Buttery goodness. The unsalted butter gives these cookies a deep, rich flavor that’s perfect for any celebration. It’s that touch of buttery goodness that makes every bite irresistible!
- Quick prep time. I love that I can whip up a batch of these soft, delicious cookies in no time, making them perfect for last-minute treats during the holidays!
- Perfect for newbies. This recipe is a breeze to follow, with simple steps, a recipe video, and tips right below to help you make the best cookies!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This is an easy recipe that calls for simple ingredients:
- Unsalted butter – Use room temperature butter.
- Pam cooking spray – For the best melt-in-your-mouth texture, stick with pam cooking spray—other sprays may not give the same results.
- Powdered sugar
- Egg yolk – Use room temperature egg yolk. Don’t throw away the egg whites—use them for my Vanilla Meringue Cookies!
- Salt
- Vanilla extract – I wouldn’t recommend using vanilla essence—it just doesn’t have the same rich, natural flavor as pure vanilla extract.
- Whole milk – Use whole milk or full-fat milk. If you use reduced-fat, skim, or almond milk, the cookies will not have the same rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full details on each ingredient.
How To Make Butter Cookies
Start by creaming the butter with a little Pam cooking spray (if you’re using it), sugar, egg yolk, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix until it’s light and fluffy. Then, add the milk and stir everything together until smooth.
Next, fold in the all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Use a spatula first, then your hands to gently mix the dough. At first, it might look a little crumbly, but keep working it until everything comes together nicely.
Keep mixing the dough until it’s soft and no longer sticks to your hands—this should take about 10 minutes. Once it’s ready, cover the dough with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. This will help it firm up a bit.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick (5mm) and use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes—rounds are classic, but feel free to get creative! If there are any scraps, just gather them up and roll them back into the remaining dough to keep making cookies.
Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 15 minutes, or until they turn a very light brown color and the insides are cooked through. Once they’re done, let them cool completely before you dive in! If you want to keep any extras, just pop them in an airtight container—these cookies will stay fresh for up to two weeks.
Secrets To Perfect Butter Cookies
Here are my baking tips, tricks and secret techniques for the best butter cookies every time:
- Use a good quality butter. I use Challenge brand butter for all my baking recipes. It’s the BEST butter to use for baking cookies.
- Do not use granulated sugar as they don’t melt in the dough and result in a grainy texture.
- To make the cookies better and more crumbly, add some Pam cooking spray to the dough. The cooking spray makes the cookies even better with melt-in-the-mouth texture. Trust me on this!
- Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes. This will ensure that it’s easier to roll out and cut into shapes.
- Use cookie cutters instead of cookie press for the best results. I find cookie press a hit-or-miss, it all depends on the cookie press you use. Sometimes the dough is stuck on the cookie press and it’s very hard to form the beautiful shapes. With cookie cutters, you can control how the cookies look by cutting out the shape you desire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can make the cookie dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 3 days before baking.
No, you can’t make these cookies without cornstarch. It’s what gives them their soft, crumbly texture. Without it, the cookies may not be as tender or have the same light, delicate quality.
This recipe yields about 100 cookies. They last for two (2) weeks or longer if the cookies are stored in an air-tight container.
I don’t advice freezing or keeping the cookies in the refrigerator. It won’t help with the freshness or shelf life of these soft cookies. Plus, they won’t taste good after freezing. You might have to heat them up in a toaster oven before eating. The best way to store cookies is to leave them in an air-tight container at room temperature, in the pantry or inside your kitchen cabinet.
This recipe is only 41 calories per cookie.
What To Serve With Butter Cookies
Serve the cookies with other festive desserts and cookies. I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 oz. (280g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon Pam cooking spray, optional
- 3 oz. (90g) powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk, full cream milk
- 11 oz. (311g) all-purpose flour
- 4 oz. (125g) cornstarch
Instructions
- Cream butter with Pam cooking spray (if using), sugar, egg yolk, salt, and vanilla extract until fluffy. Add in the milk and mix well.
- Fold in the all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Use a spatula and your hands to mix the dough. At first, the dough will look crumbly.
- Continue mixing the dough until it becomes soft and no longer sticks to your hands, about 10 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch (5mm) thick and cut into rounds or any desired shapes using cookie cutters. Assemble the scraps and roll them in with the remaining dough.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, or until they turn very light brown in color and the inside is cooked through. Cool the cookies before eating. You may store the cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Video
Notes
- Use a good quality butter. I use Challenge brand butter for all my baking recipes. It’s the BEST butter to use for baking cookies.
- Do not use granulated sugar as they don’t melt in the dough and result in a grainy texture.
- To make the cookies better and more crumbly, add some Pam cooking spray to the dough. The cooking spray makes the cookies even better with melt-in-the-mouth texture. Trust me on this!
- Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes. This will ensure that it’s easier to roll out and cut into shapes.
- Use cookie cutters instead of cookie press for the best results. I find cookie press a hit-or-miss, it all depends on the cookie press you use. Sometimes the dough is stuck on the cookie press and it’s very hard to form the beautiful shapes. With cookie cutters, you can control how the cookies look by cutting out the shape you desire.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How do I measure ounces? Is that by weight? Most recipes are in cups, teaspoons and tablespoons.
Yes, it’s by weight.
What sugar do you use, if not granulated?
You can use granulated or powdered sugar.
They are amazing in taste. I’ve been making them for every Christmas since the past four years. A little crumbly, but amazing nevertheless.
Hi Lila, I know this is the best butter cookies recipe ever. I cannot stop eating. Thanks for the 5 stars rating.
What can I substitute for the egg yolk. My grandson is allergic. Thanks
The five best substitutes for eggs yolks are soy lecithin, chia egg, flax egg, gelatin, and silken tofu.
I can frost these with Royal Icing?
Yes you can try!
Can I use cake mixer to mix the dough?
You can!
Lovely recipe. Very easy to follow. I just wanted to ask if it was normal for these to be a “not so sweet” cookie?
Can I use self raising flour? Thank you..
You can try!
Can I freeze this cookie dough ?
Keep in refrigerator, no need to freeze.
hi I was really interested to know the answer to this question:
Hi, can I replace full cream milk with full cream milk powder? If yes, how much powder?
You can try.
I’ve made these cookies several times exactly by your recipe, and they are always gone in seconds! They are fantastic and easy to make. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Thanks.