Butter Cookies Recipe

Easy Butter Cookie Recipe — Your traditional delicious butter cookies but with a twist! They’re dipped in chocolate and dressed in sprinkles so who couldn’t resist?

photo of the easy butter cookies stacked with chocolate and sprinkles by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

You know those giant blue tins of Danish butter cookies that seem to appear at every holiday gathering? Or at every grandparent’s house? They’re delicious, but definitely not the freshest cookies on the table. 

And they always seem to be the last ones sticking around too. But homemade butter cookies? I, Rebecca guarantee they’ll disappear instantly. 

And with this easy, traditional recipe you can have your very own fresh, delicious butter and sugar cookies to serve or gift. Or to eat yourself, of course.

Most butter cookies are simply sprinkled with a coarse sugar (like turbinado) before baking. But I dressed some of these up a bit by dipping them in melted chocolate and adding some colored sprinkles and sugar for a bit more pizazz. 

You could customize the colors and types of sprinkles for whatever celebration you’re making the butter cookies for.

close up photo of the easy butter cookies by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

To Make This Easy Butter Cookies Recipe, You’ll Need

Butter (very soft to make it easy to pipe)

White sugar

Egg (at room temperature)

Vanilla extract

Salt

All-purpose flour

Turbinado sugar (or any other large-grain sugar) 

Chopped chocolate (optional)

Sprinkles of colored decorating sugar (optional) 

photo of the easy butter cookies displayed and ready to serve for your guests by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

How To Make Easy Butter Cookies

1 — Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2 — Start with very soft butter. Because you pipe these cookies, the dough needs to be soft enough to squeeze through the bag and tip.

The temperature and consistency of your dough will determine how easy (or difficult!) that job is.

3 — In a large bowl, cream the sugar into the butter with a stand or hand mixer until it’s fluffy and soft. You want the sugar to be dissolved into the butter so that you don’t have gritty cookies.

photo of instructions on pipping easy butter cookies by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

4 — Next, add an egg and vanilla extract. The egg will combine with the other ingredients and not harden the butter at all if it’s at room temperature. 

So I recommend pulling the egg out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you start baking to give it time to warm up a little bit.

5 — Add the flour and salt by stirring in. You can do this step by hand. But if you prefer to use the mixer with a paddle attachment, be sure to start it off on the lowest speed until most of the flour is incorporated. If you turn the mixer on too quickly, you’ll have a cloud of flour covering you and your kitchen.

6 — Once the flour is completely stirred in and you have a smooth dough, place it in a piping bag with a large tip. Then, pipe the cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them generously with a coarse sugar like turbinado.

photo of the easy butter cookies being dipped in chocolate by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

7 — Place the prepared baking sheet in the oven and bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges. Since butter cookies are traditionally fairly crisp, you want to make sure that they’re pretty well baked without burning them. 

Most ovens have a hot spot, or one side tends to bake faster than the other. So it’s a good idea to rotate your baking sheets halfway through the bake time.

8 — After the cookies are baked, remove them from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before eating.

9 — Dip in chocolate and add sprinkles (optional).

photo of the easy butter cookies being piped by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

How to Pipe Cookies

These butter cookies are piped. What does that exactly mean? 

You’ll put the dough into a pastry bag with a large tip, put the dough in the bag, and squeeze the dough out into the shape you want. 

While this makes for some beautiful cookies, it can also be a bit tricky to get the hang of. Here are a few tips and tricks to make it easier for you!

photo of the easy butter cookies piped in different shapes by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

Tips To Make Piping Cookies Easier

Make sure your butter is very soft before mixing the dough. It will determine if you can actually squeeze the dough out of the bag or not. The colder and firmer the butter is, the stiffer the dough will be.

Also, roll the dough because the warmth from your hands will make the dough softer as you pipe. Soft dough can lead to cookies that spread too much during baking.

To combat this issue, place the piped cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, or until the dough feels firm to the touch. Just be sure to sprinkle the sugar on before chilling so that it’ll stick to the dough!

photo of the different ways to decorate the easy butter cookies by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

How To Prepare A Pipping Bag

To prepare the piping bag, get a large bag, coupler and tip. Cut off enough of the narrow tip of the bag so that you can place the coupler inside without the bag obstructing the dough from being squeezed out.

Unscrew the two parts of the coupler and place the larger side in the bag. Set the tip on the end of the bag and coupler, and use the ring to screw it into place. Your bag is ready to go now!

My preferred tools: I used a Wilton 8B star tip and coupler for these. 

close up photo of a bite of the easy butter cookie dipped in chocolate with sugar sprinkles by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

How To Fill A Pipping Bag

To fill the piping bag, fold the wide end of the bag over and use a large spoon or spatula to spoon the dough into the bag. Twist the end of the bag several times on top of the dough to prevent it from coming back out the top.

Then, place it between your thumb and first finger. Wrap the rest of your hand around the bag and squeeze until the dough is coming out of the tip. 

You may want to only put some of the dough in the bag to make piping the dough easier.

photo of the different ways to garnish easy butter cookies by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

How To Store Butter Cookies

Store the butter cookies in an airtight container or bag for up to a week. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for two weeks or in the freezer for two months.

Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

But will you honestly have any leftovers with this buttery flavor goodness?!? And if you’re looking for other easy cookie recipes, here are our favorite — 

Easy Butter Cookies Recipe

photo of the recipe card for the easy butter cookies by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

photo of the different ways to garnish easy butter cookies by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

Easy Butter Cookies Recipe

Print Recipe
5 from 9 votes
Your traditional delicious buttery cookies but with a twist! They’re dipped in chocolate and dressed in sprinkles so who couldn’t resist?
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time14 minutes
Total Time29 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine Cookies

Equipment

  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Mixing bowl
  • Mixer
  • Pipping bag

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter 2 sticks, very soft
  • 2/3 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • Turbinado sugar or any other large-grain sugar
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chopped and melted (optional)
  • Sprinkles of colored decorating sugar (optional)

Nutrition

Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 246IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 24
Calories: 149kcal

Notes

  • Yield: 18-24 piped cookies (depending on how big you want the cookies)
  • Bake Time: 1 12-14 minutes baking per sheet

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
  • Place the very soft butter and white sugar into a mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add in the egg and vanilla and mix well.
  • Mix in the flour and salt on low speed until they are completely combined.
  • Place the dough in a large piping bag fitted with a wide coupler and tip.
  • Pipe cookies that are 1-2” across on the baking sheets.
  • Sprinkle the cookies generously with turbinado sugar.
  • Place the cookies in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to allow the dough to become firm.
  • Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden around the edges.
  • Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or bag for up to a week.

To dip the cookies in chocolate:

  • Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 10-15 second intervals, stirring in between.
  • Once the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, dip one half of each cookie in it.
  • Allow the excess chocolate to run off, then place the cookie back on the parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Sprinkle with any decorations you wish before the chocolate hardens. You can place it in the refrigerator to harden faster if you wish.
KEYWORD: butter cookies
Don’t forget to share your butter cookies with us on Instagram using the hashtag #sugarandclothloves. We always love seeing all of your creations! Looking for more quick and delicious recipes? You can find them all right here with a few cocktails to go along with them!

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9 thoughts on “Butter Cookies Recipe”

  1. These are the best! They melt in your mouth and having them dipped in chocolate makes them that much better! Delicious!5 stars

    Reply
  2. I love this version of homemade butter cookies, I’ve never tried doing it with coatings before so I really enjoyed making this one. Thanks for your recipe, my kids now have a new favorite!5 stars

    Reply

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