Butter cookies make everyone smile instantly. They are crispy, delicious, full of flavor, and insanely addictive with a hot cup of coffee! Maybe, they should be labeled as natural dopamine triggers. Most people enjoy these cookies during the holiday season. However, it is year-round fun for me, except maybe for the super-hot July and August.
You are lucky since I have a quick and easy butter cookies recipe for you today. Making butter cookies is a snap if you follow the below steps carefully. Besides, you do not need fancy mixers. I just mixt it quickly with a spoon or spatula. However, feel free to use a stand mixer if you like. It would speed up the process.
Butter cookies are also known as Danish cookies. It is no surprise that Denmark became the capital of these crunchy cookies over the years since they have been around for so long now (at least since the 1100s). Even hundreds of years ago, most Danish houses were equipped with special stoves so that everyone could make their own cookies. It is interesting that a simple combination of butter, flour, and sugar created such a powerful influence globally than all the other types of cookies. Oh well, it is probably because they taste incredibly delightful!
What tools you will need:
If you want to make tasty and attractive butter cookies, it is necessary to get yourself a quality cookie press! Trust me; it will make your life so much easier, and you will be able to produce more in less time. Using a cookie press helps to create consistent shapes, and your cookies will sure look professional. I love the OXO Good Grips 14-Piece cookie press set since its tube is clear. You can monitor how much dough is left to squeeze out. Plus, the base is nonslip, so you can easily deposit the cookies on the oven tray without worrying if it is ever going to slip. It comes with a convenient case to store the disks (molds). Note that it is easy to disassemble and clean.
Butter Cookies Recipe
This butter cookie recipe is easy to assemble. Notice that the butter amount is a little bit higher than most butter cookies. I do this on purpose to be able to use the dough with the cookie press more efficiently. Otherwise, it might be a bit difficult to squeeze out. However, it is still butter cookies, not shortbread. The main difference between the two is that the latter contains more butter.
You can simply mix this dough in a large bowl with the help of a spatula. If you are making a larger batch, make sure you add the eggs gradually and incorporate them into the dough well before adding the next one. You don’t need to sift the flour.
Butter Cookies Recipe
Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy5
minutes15
minutes20
minutesIngredients
3.5 Oz. (100 g) unsalted butter, softened,
1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour (use cake flour for softer cookies)
8 tablespoons powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
1 tablespoon milk (use any type you like)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt (a pinch)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
- Place the softened butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl.
- Mix well either with a spatula or stand mixer (use paddle attachment) for three minutes.
- Add the egg and incorporate it well.
- Add the 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt, and one teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Continue to blend for another minute.
- Add in the flour gradually and mix well.
- Cover the bowl with stretch film and place it in the fridge for thirty minutes.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit for about five minutes.
- Use your favorite shape and deposit cookies on a cold oven tray (with parchment paper) with a cookie press.
- Bake at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 15 to 18 minutes.
Notes
- If your cookies become flat during baking, it means that you probably added too much butter. You need to increase the flour level to fix this issue. Extremely crispy cookies also indicate too much fat content in the recipe. Do not melt down the butter completely. You only need to bring it to room temperature.
- Make sure you use unsalted butter. Otherwise, it would be too tough to manage the salt content
- in the recipe. Keep in mind that it Is always a good idea to use unsalted butter when baking sweets and desserts.
- Do not use cold butter. If you forgot to soften the butter, you can quickly bring it to room temperature by using the microwave. Set it up at half power for 5-6 seconds, or until it is softened.
- Do not increase the egg amount in the original recipe if you do not want to end up with cake-like cookies. Adding too many eggs would make the cookies chewier.
- Increase the flour amount gradually if you want your cookies to hold their shape better. Please do so in small amounts, or you might make them too dense.
- Do not beat the eggs before adding to cookie dough. Instead, add the eggs one at a time. This will allow the dough mixture to keep the trapped air inside.
Is it necessary to chill cookie dough?
It is essential to chill the cookie dough for at least thirty minutes before shaping it. Chilling the cookie dough makes the fat content solid and much harder, and in return, the cookies spread less and hold their shape better during baking. In addition, chilling the cookie dough increases the flavors notably. You will notice that your cookies will come out much tastier when you chill the dough before shaping and baking them.
What is the difference between shortbread cookies and butter cookies?
Both shortbread and butter cookies consist of similar ingredients. However, the butter to flour ratio in shortbread cookies is much higher. Butter cookie formula also has a high amount of butter content, but not as much as the shortbread cookies. Plus, butter cookies have a higher amount of sugar to butter ratio. That is why they can hold their shape better during baking. Note that you can use cookie cutters with butter cookies. However, you must be careful not to add too much sugar. Otherwise, the cookies might get too hard when they cool down.
What happens if you use cold butter for cookies?
Using cold butter when making cookies is not a good idea. This is simply because it is much harder to cream the cold butter that just came out of the fridge. Therefore, make sure you soften the butter before starting with the recipe. It is best to bring it to room temperature. Besides, your cookies will come out much denser if you use cold butter. Some people tend to use margarine instead, which is a combination of fat and vegetable oil, but it is not a healthy option.