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Freshly baked Christmas butter cookies.
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4.49 from 260 votes

Butter Cookies

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!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: Baking Recipes
Keyword: Butter Cookies
Servings: 100 Cookies
Author: Bee Yinn Low

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.  
For the best results, please use the metric measurement.
I have converted the recipe to US measuring cups. 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup cornstarch.
 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 100cookies | Calories: 40kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 7mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g