Butter Cookies
These butter cookies are light, buttery, and have a melt-in-your-mouth texture! Super festive, easy to make, endlessly customizable, this eggless butter cookie recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and comes together so quickly!
When you’re working with butter, sugar, and flour, you can’t go wrong. These little butter cookies turned out crisp, tender, gorgeously buttery, and so addictive! A delicious cross between my shortbread cookies and Christmas Spritz cookies, these are a must-make for your Holiday cookie palooza!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
✨ If you’ve tried any of my holiday cookies or Christmas desserts, you already know I love simple, beginner-friendly recipes. This butter cookie recipe is exactly that!
✨ Classic, comforting, with the irresistible combination of buttery vanilla and nutty almonds, these tiny, fun-sized cookies pair so well with hot chocolate made with homemade hot cocoa mix.
✨ Easy to make ahead! The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. You can also freeze scooped-out cookie balls for up to 1 month. Perfect for the busy cookie season!
✨ 20-minute prep, quick bake, and delicious every single time. Butter cookies are perfect for gifting as they stay fresh for days. Mix them with lemon crescent cookies, soft crinkle cookies, and eggless double chocolate chip cookies, and add to your cookie box or platter!
Recipe Ingredients
Butter is the soul of this Danish butter cookie recipe. Make sure it’s softened. That’s the key to the best texture. I used salted butter. If using unsalted butter, please add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the dry ingredients.
Sugar: I used icing sugar / powdered sugar because it makes the cookies tender and blends easily. You can make icing sugar at home by mixing a tablespoon of cornstarch with a cup of granulated sugar. Process until finely powdered.
Flour: I used a mix of all-purpose flour and almond flour. Almond flour makes the cookies taste so deliciously nutty, just like in my cranberry almond shortbread cookies!
Vanilla and almond extract make a dream team in butter cookie recipes.
Milk is optional. But since the recipe is egg-free, you may need 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk to make the dough softer.
Please see the recipe card below for full information about the ingredients and quantities.
Variations
Flavor twists: Add lemon or orange zest for brightness, similar to the vibe of my orange madeleine cookies.
Chocolate: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder.
Spiced cookies: A pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg adds warm holiday flavor, as in my chai spice chocolate cookies.
Vegan butter cookies: Use plant-based butter and a splash of non-dairy milk.
Gluten-free: Swap the flour for buckwheat flour. I use it often in my Linzer cookies, and it gives a wonderful earthy texture.
How To Make Butter Cookies
Step 1: Beat softened butter and sugar until light, fluffy, and smooth.
Step 2: Add vanilla extract and almond extract.
Step 3: Mix in the almond flour and all-purpose flour. Add a tablespoon of milk at a time if the dough feels too stiff to shape.
Step 4: Roll the dough into small balls. Make a design on top, using cookie stamps or tines of a fork as I did for my chocolate peanut butter cookies. You can even use the bottom of a cut-glass tumbler to make designs.
Step 5: Top with sprinkles and bake for 12–14 minutes until lightly golden.
Step 6: Let them cool completely and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- This dough is soft and pliable. If it feels too soft to handle, please refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature. If adding milk, also ensure it's at room temperature.
- If you don't have cookie stamps, you can use a fork to create designs on the cookies. Or just flatten the dough balls slightly, top with sprinkles, and bake. They will still look pretty!
How To Decorate Butter Cookies
You can keep these butter cookies classic or have fun with them.
- Add any kind of sprinkles before baking.
- Dip the baked and cooled butter cookies in melted chocolate
- Ice them with chocolate ganache, buttercream frosting, or even a cream cheese frosting, as in my carrot cake cookies.
Recipe FAQs
How can I make icing sugar at home?
Icing sugar, also known as powdered sugar, is just a mixture of finely powdered sugar and cornflour (or cornstarch). Simply add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch/ cornflour to 1 cup of granulated sugar. Process until finely powdered.
Why are my cookies spreading?
Your butter may be too soft. Chill the dough for 10–15 minutes before baking.
Can I freeze the butter cookie dough?
Definitely. You can make dough balls, flatten them slightly, place them on a tray, and freeze for 1-2 hours. Once frozen, transfer the dough to a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 1 month.
You can also shape the dough into a log, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or baking paper, and freeze. Whenever you’re ready to bake, slice to a quarter-inch thickness and slide it into the oven, very much like my chocolate chip shortbread cookies and eggless rose pistachio cookies.
Recipe
Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter, softened
- 3/4 cup Icing sugar
- 1 tsp Almond extract
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Almond flour
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 3-4 tbsp Milk Optional
- Sprinkles for topping
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F. Line your baking tray with parchment paper or Silpat.
- Whisk together the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.1 cup Butter, softened, 3/4 cup Icing sugar
- Add the almond and vanilla extracts.1 tsp Almond extract, 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Stir in the almond flour and all-purpose flour. You may need to use your hands to bring the dough together.1/4 cup Almond flour, 2 cups All-purpose flour
- If the dough seems too dry, add milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you get a smooth, soft dough.3-4 tbsp Milk
- If the dough seems too soft, refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, until a bit firm.
- Divide the dough into equal-sized pieces. Roll them into balls and flatten them slightly. Place them on the prepared cookie tray.
- Press a cookie stamp onto the cookie dough to create a design. Or use the tines of a fork to make a pattern on the cookies.
- Top the cookies with sprinkles and bake at 180 C/ 350 F for 12-14 minutes, until the cookies are light golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the tray before transferring them on a cooling rack.
- Store these in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!
Notes
- This dough is soft and pliable. If it feels too soft to handle, please refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature. If adding milk, also ensure it's at room temperature.
- If you don't have cookie stamps, you can use a fork to create designs on the cookies. Or just flatten the dough balls slightly, top with sprinkles, and bake. They will still look pretty!
Hi Natasha,
I tried these cookies and they were so delicious. But mine were soft. You have described them as crisp from outside such that they snap, but mine were not that way at all. I followed the recipe, so would you be able to help me why I didn't get that crisp texture? Thanks
Natasha Author
Hi Neha, thank you so much for trying this recipe. Glad they turned out delicious, although soft. They may have a softer consistency due to difference in almond flour quality or a shorter baking time or maybe the butter was too soft. I hope this helps. Really appreciate your support! xx
this was one of the best cookies i've made! really soft and tasty, will be making again!
Natasha Author
You've made my day, Sharon! So happy to hear you liked it. Thanks for stopping by xx
One of the best cookie recipes. Made in a jiffy. Thanks for such lovely recipes.
Natasha Author
So happy to hear that, Vaibhava! Thank you! 🙂
Is baking powder or baking soda not required in this recipe? I didn't found it in the ingredient list
Natasha Author
Hi Albertina, this recipe doesn't have any leavening agent. 🙂