Butter Cookies

Published November 23, 2018. Updated May 17, 2023

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Butter Cookies are one of those classic Christmas cookies that everyone loves. This homemade version is far better than what you’ll find in the tins at the store during the holidays and this addition of decadent chocolate takes them to a whole new level of delicious! 

Butter Cookies dipped in chocolate and covered in sprinkles. Shown in rows on a white serving plate.

Butter Cookies

I love these cookies because they keep well longer than most cookies, they’re perfect for gifting and they’re such a pretty cookie.

They have a rich buttery flavor and a satisfying crisp tender texture, and anytime a chocolate dip is involved no one can turn them away.

I made these two ways, the traditional flavor with vanilla extract then for a funfetti flavor (the white chocolate version with rainbow sprinkles) I added almond extract.

You can’t go wrong which ever route you go, even if you decide to skip the chocolate you’ll still have a perfectly delicious homemade cookie!

Butter Cookies dipped in white chocolate and covered with rainbow sprinkles. Set in three rows on a turquoise plate.

Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe

  • Unsalted butter
  • Granulated sugar
  • Salt
  • Egg yolks
  • All-purpose flour
  • Milk
  • Vanilla extract (and almond extract for funfetti flavor)

Showing how to make butter cookies in a stand mixer. Starting by mixing butter and sugar.

How to Make Butter Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter, sugar and salt until combined.

Butter Cookies

  • Mix in egg yolks and vanilla.

Adding flour to butter cookie mixture in stand mixer.

  • Add flour and mix until crumbly then add in milk and continue to mix while adding in a little more milk if needed for a pipe-able consistency.

Butter cookies finished cookie dough mixture in mixing bowl.

  • Transfer to a 16-inch piping bag fitted with a large open star tip (I like the Ateco 826 or 827 here).

Butter cookies cookie dough in piping bag.

  • Pipe dough into rounds onto two ungreased baking sheets.
  • Bake one sheet at a time in preheated oven until golden brown on bottom, about 12 – 15 minutes.

Butter cookies before baking on a baking sheet.

  • Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Butter cookies on a baking sheet after baking.

  • If you’d like to dip in chocolate or white chocolate, melt 10 oz chopped chocolate, chocolate melts (I like Ghirardelli), or white chocolate melts in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power in 20 second intervals until melted and smooth.

Butter cookies on a cooling rack.

  • Dip half of cookies into chocolate let excess run off (while also brushing some off bottom across bowl) then transfer to a sheet of parchment paper. Immediately add sprinkles then let set.

Dipping butter cookie in white chocolate melts in a small bowl.

Do I Have to Pipe them Out Into Rounds?

You could also use this same recipe and make slice and bake cookies. If doing so shape dough into two logs (wrap in wax paper) and chill until fairly firm, then slice into fairly thin disks and bake.

Butter cookies on parchment paper.

Can I Freeze These Cookies?

These cookies should freeze well for a month (or even more). If kept at room temperature they should keep for about 1 week.

Butter cookies dipped in chocolate and covered with Christmas sprinkles.

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Butter Cookies
4.69 from 63 votes

Butter Cookies

A classic Christmas cookies that everyone loves! This homemade version is far better than what you'll find in the tins at the store during the holidays and this addition of decadent chocolate takes them to a whole new level of delicious! It's a crisp and tender, rich and buttery cookie and they're perfect for gifting. 
Servings: 24 cookies
Prep15 minutes
Cook30 minutes
Ready in: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter, sugar and salt until combined.
  • Mix in egg yolks and vanilla.
  • Add flour and mix until crumbly then add in 2 tsp milk, if needed add in another 1 - 2 tsp milk for a more pipe-able consistency - add as little as possible for less spreading though.
  • Transfer to a 16-inch piping bag fitted with a very large open star tip (I like the Ateco 826 or 827 here, smaller tips won't work for piping this thick batter don't attempt it).
  • Pipe dough into rounds onto two ungreased baking sheets (if you normally have issues with cookies spreading chill them for 30 minutes on baking sheet before baking).
  • Bake one sheet at a time in preheated oven until golden brown on bottom, about 12 - 16 minutes.
  • Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. 

Notes

  • *Some have mentioned using room temperature egg yolks makes dough easier to pipe.
  • **For a funfetti flavor (which is dipped in white chocolate and covered with sprinkles) add 1/2 tsp almond extract in addition to the vanilla extract.
  • If you'd like to dip in chocolate or white chocolate, melt 10 oz chopped chocolate, chocolate melts (I like Ghirardelli), or white chocolate melts in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power in 20 second intervals until melted and smooth. 
  • Dip half of cookies into chocolate let excess run off (while also brushing some off bottom across bowl) then transfer to a sheet of parchment paper. Immediately add sprinkles if using then let set.
  • Nutrition estimate does not include chocolate coating.
Nutrition Facts
Butter Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 138 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 36mg12%
Sodium 26mg1%
Potassium 16mg0%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 255IU5%
Calcium 6mg1%
Iron 0.6mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

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320 Comments

  • Danielle

    Delicious!
    I didn’t want to pipe these, so I omitted the milk and used my cookie press instead. Baked for 9-10 minutes and they came out perfectly crisp and delicious.

  • Alisa

    These turned out great. I found that the more my hands warmed up the piping bag, the easier they were to pipe out. I didn’t end up needing any milk. I also piped them out and left them on the baking sheet in the fridge for 24 hours to dry out, and that helped them keep their shape when they baked. I will say I’m a professional baker, so I might have an upper hand, but I found this to be an easy recipe, and I made it twice with the same great results.

  • LJS

    Is there no baking powder or baking soda in these butter cookies? I will be trying them out

  • Maggie

    Yummmmmm!!!
    My daughter tried these with some supervision. We upped the vanilla to about 2tsp because of a little spill but they turned out fantastic. She said “Mommy, these are even better than store bought!”

    • Maggie

      As a follow up, we gave some of these to my dad for his birthday. He insisted there was a major problem with them… he doesn’t care for sweets, but somehow they all disappeared so his major issue was that we didn’t bring him a big enough box!!! Huge compliments from someone who rarely eats dessert!
      We made sure not to overmix and our kitchen is a bit warm so room temp butter may be a bit warmer than some but we had no problems piping them and chilled them for about two hours before baking.

  • Kathy

    As a trained cake decorator with all the tools available to me, I added 3 generous teaspoons of milk to this dough and just could not pipe that dough out of the bag. I used a similar tip and even transferred the dough into another piping bag and used a much larger tip, just didn’t work for me. Not giving up but today, I used a cookie scoop and baked cookies. Cookies are very good but I know I can do better. I know I overworked the dough toughening the cookie, just couldn’t get the dough to move in the bag. Will make again next month, I pride my Chistmas plate of cookies to be pretty and taste delicious. Thanks for the recipe.