Great tasting buttery cookies with many options for baking.
I baked these cookies last night. I don’t have much patience with cut-out cookies, but I wanted to use mini cookie cutters and make something festive. This dough was so marvelous to work with. It rolled out smoothly and easily and the cookies did not spread out overly much on the cookie sheet. Then the taste test. This is probably the most delicious cookie I’ve ever eaten! They are my new standard of excellence. The cookies are tender, but not fragile and I am going to try shipping them and see how they do. I did use a half tsp of almond extract in addition to the vanilla just because I like that flavor. And I was out of cream of tartar so I checked online for a substitution and used a half teaspoon of baking powder in addition to the soda. Also, as others mentioned, watch them closely toward the end of baking as they can quickly become too browned on top. Thanks so much Sally for sharing this terrific recipe with us!
Read Morethese cookies were not the texture i was looking for. i was going for a soft, rich, buttery cookie, but these were crispier and less cakey than i wanted. they also didn't have the rich flavor... will try another recipe.
Read MoreI baked these cookies last night. I don’t have much patience with cut-out cookies, but I wanted to use mini cookie cutters and make something festive. This dough was so marvelous to work with. It rolled out smoothly and easily and the cookies did not spread out overly much on the cookie sheet. Then the taste test. This is probably the most delicious cookie I’ve ever eaten! They are my new standard of excellence. The cookies are tender, but not fragile and I am going to try shipping them and see how they do. I did use a half tsp of almond extract in addition to the vanilla just because I like that flavor. And I was out of cream of tartar so I checked online for a substitution and used a half teaspoon of baking powder in addition to the soda. Also, as others mentioned, watch them closely toward the end of baking as they can quickly become too browned on top. Thanks so much Sally for sharing this terrific recipe with us!
I didn't have cream of tartar, so I omitted that and the baking soda and added instead 1-1/2 tspns of baking powder. These turned out great in my cookie press. My kids and I made green Christmas trees and wreaths. Next time we plan to decorate these tasty, quick and easy cookies.
I am 11 years old and I made these cookies without a problem. They were very good!
Cream the butter well, then add the eggs and vanilla. Sift the dry ingredients (we added only 1/2 cup extra flour) before mixing. Divide the dough into quarters and chill. Plan accordingly so you can roll them and cut them quickly. Watch while baking!!! With care, this can be THE BEST basic cookie for cutouts!
I've eaten just about all of the goodies in my home and I was desperately searching for something to tame the sweet beast in me and I choose this recipe. I did add an extra 1/4 cup of brown sugar (some reviewers complained about this not being sweet enough). I also added about a cup of crushed walnuts to the mixture. I just dropped mine by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet (didn't really chill the mixute) and baked as directed. Turned out lovely. Thanks Sally!!
i thought these were good, but the dough was very sticky. i added crushed walnuts to the dough and rolled them into balls and after baking rolled them in powdered sugar. they turned out great. my husband doesn't like walnuts, but he ate almost all of the cookies. i will make these again, but i will chill it for about an hour.
These were fantastic!! They taste wonderful and now there is no need to buy bakery butter cookies any more! I make the dough and roll into logs and save for later so all I have to do is slice and bake when I have a craving. I like to put sprinkles or colored sugar on top and bake them. Thank you sooo much for this recipe!
By far, the most delicious and versatile cookie I've made all season. Works best for me as a slice-n-bake, NOT a rolled type of cookie. This one goes in the recipe archives AND has been requested by everyone in my office, even the gents!!
Very nice cookies. I used a little less flour (2 1/4 c.) and shaped in a cookie press. Then decorated and baked 8 minutes. Turned out great!
Crispy and buttery - delicious! Everyone loves it!
This recipe was the greatest of all cookies! If you are doing cut-out cookies, add 2 c. flour to original recipe. My entire family loves them and in about 10 minutes, all 40 are gone! Thank you very much for this great recipe!
these cookies were not the texture i was looking for. i was going for a soft, rich, buttery cookie, but these were crispier and less cakey than i wanted. they also didn't have the rich flavor... will try another recipe.
This recipe worked great in a cookie press. We added orange extract and zest for something a little different and it turned out awesome!!
i am 13 and know how to cook because my dad tough me and when I made these for me sleepover all my friends loved them and I had to make 4 batchs! the liked them that much!
This is the same recipe that my grandma used when she was with us. When ever I make them people ask me from what bakery I bought them from. You do need to add more flour and that will fix the problems with the stickiness without taking from the flavor.
This does not make a good cut-out cookie at all. The dough was too soft even after being refrigerated for over a day, and stuck to the cookie cutters and the counter even with a lot of cooking spray. The flavor was not bad, kind of bland. Do not use for Christmas cookies, your cookies will be ruined.
Found this to be one of the better butter cookie recipes....shortened baking time as first batch was too crumbly...I made ropes and twisted them together for candy canes, adding red food colouring to one half batch. A real hit with Grandkids!!!
**** - Very Good!! And worked out great for rolling and cookie cutters if chilled first. Could be just a tad sweeter...
This is a wonderful butter cookie. I use it by rolling it into a log shape, chilling and then rolling the log in colored sugar before slicing. Do not over bake!!
I made these into ball shape and they didn't turn out very good, they got crunch really quick and weren't chewy. The flavor of the cookie was very good thou. I will try these again but with the cookie press and less cooking time.
Wonderful dough--I kneaded in a little extra flour and it rolled out beautifully. The cookies bake very quickly, so watch them carefully. I used the dough with a linzer cutter and made cookie sandwiches with jam or Nutella. They were buttery and sweet, but not cloyingly sweet. Definitely a recipe I will use again!
sorry to say this was not the best butter cookie recipe. it was very hard to use for cut-outs and is not too tasty. i found it to be powdery and dry.
I have tried other cookie recipes like this in the past and this is definately THE BEST ONE I HAVE TRIED IN A LONG TIME! SUPER easy to roll..did not have to add a whole bag of flour when rolling...however, I did have to add a little. The cookies were so soft the next day. I wanted to eat all of them. But in usual fashion, sometimes I skim the recipe and then proceed to make it. This was one of those times. Did not realize it was all confectioners sugar. Thank goodness I had a COSTO bag of sugar on hand!! EXCELLENT RECIPE. Highly recommend!
This is the recipe my mother always used and now I use ,,, definitely a family favorite. Although we've played around with all the options, our "usuals" are cut-outs and snowballs (#8). I can't remember a Christmas where we didn't have them. When I make the snowballs, I use finely ground walnuts (versus chopped). I pulse them with a bit of flour in my coffee grinder or food processor. Coupled with very fresh, good quality powdered sugar, these cookies are melt in your mouth. Thanks for posting this classic recipe!!
Even after chilling it was necessary to add more flour to make cut-out cookies. Great flavor and texture!
Fantastic recipe and superb crispness and flavor. I made these in my cookie press and it was the perfect consistency without chilling the dough which makes this not only a delicious cookie but super quick and easy. I followed the directions exactly (except I accidentally used 1/2 tsp instead of 1/4 tsp salt, which apparently didn't matter). If I could give this recipe 10 stars, I would, it is just THAT good.
sadly the cookies came out so crumbly they fell apart, they ended up in the garbage :( . dodnt know what i did wrong but i followed the recipe.
These cookies turned out really well. I've made them for a gift and can't stop eating them myself! I only stuck the dough in the freezer for about 5 minutes, and although a bit sticky, it rolled out nicely on a lightly-floured surface. Because I didn't have cream of tartar, I substituted 1 tsp. lemon juice after halving the recipe.
This was a great recipe. I was looking for a butter cookie with confectionate sugar. I saw it at 8pm and ate them by 9pm, when the kids were asleep. I only had to add a cup of flour to get a firm batter.
These are good; the dough was really easy to work with in my Pampered Chef cookie press. They are very delicate cookies - I thought they tasted good when baked on a stone for about 6 minutes; when I baked them on a regular cookie sheet for 8 - they were too done, and I did not care for them at all. I think they are best if you pull them out of the oven as soon as you see any brown on them at all.
Excellent cookie, and so versatile. I use the log method, making 2 logs and wrap them in wax paper. I keep these in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks, and slice and bake anytime. Often popping a batch in the oven, first thing in the morning, so everyone has fresh cookies in their lunches. I can customize the cookies for everyone...some plain, some with cinnamon and sugar, chocolate glazed, or use flavored store bought icings. I have to say, since I found this recipe, I always have a log or two on hand. Perfect for a busy Grandma.
Turned out very well, my family and I had a great time rolling out and decorating them. They froze well too!
i made this, and substituted 2 tsp. of lemon juice for the cream of tartar, as suggested by another reviewer. i agree that these cookies were nothing special. lacked taste (not sweet enough). but rolled in confectioners' sugar (out of the oven and again when cooled) was an excellent suggestion - made delicious tea cakes. also, rolled into balls in sugar before baking was a good idea. used less flour and chilled before using - agree with other reviewers that the dough is pretty sticky.
These were good. Very light and not sweet. It is a good idea to dip into sugar or somehow frost after baking if you'd like them to be sweet.
Excellent, easy cookie that is very versatile. Does taste more like a sugar cookie then a "classic" butter cookie. Be sure to cream the butter and sugar until fluffy to get the desirable texture of this cookie. Also be sure to chill the dough. Remove from the oven when barely brown- even if you have some doubts that they are done. Do not over bake as the center will continue to cook on the hot cookie sheet. I used the "log" method. I topped some with cinnamon & sugar, some with the zest of an orange, and dipped some in melted chocolate after they cooled. I tried one "as is" with no toppings and it was great too!
One of the easiest recipes I've made. Just make sure you keep a close eye on the cookies because they burn easily (make sure you have a trusted cookie sheet also). I like to take them out just before they actually turn brown. When I made these for the first time last year, my husband ate almost all of them before I even had a chance to take them to my family's house for Christmas! They come out perfect every time if you watch them closely, and they taste great!
This recipe was perfect for my cookie press. Dipped them in chocolate after for an easy-to-make and beautiful treat.
As advised by another commenter, I subbed 1.5 tsp baking powder for the soda and tartar, and these turned out to be the best cookie press cookies I have tried yet!
This recipe worked well in my cookie press. I just warmed it with my hands a little when I put it into the press. When cooked, they spread out a little too much. Very yummy, it's a keeper.
This is probably the most perfect butter cookie recipe I have ever found! Thanks to Sally, I won't be searching through a lot of different recipes when the holidays arrive.... Thank-You "lil" Bunch
I used this recipe as suggested in the Halloween feature to make 'fingers' but they didn't keep their shape in the oven, even though I chilled them for nearly 24 hours... I don't think any of the recipes in the Halloween feature had been tested properly - the 'mounds of brains' didn't work using this recipe either, they turned out very flat! Tasted nice, though.
these are the best light cookies. Also, a childhood favorite. I make candy can logs out of these with peppermint flavoring twist together after chilled and slice and bake. AWESOME!!!!
I baked the cookies for my husband and my daughter. Now I am writing these just half an hour after I baked them, and we have no cookies left! Real good butter cookie recipe!
Made these to give out as Christmas gifts and take to work...everyone loved these. I loved them too.
This recipe is perfect! I rolled it out on flour and sprinkled suger on it. My son and I just started cutting away, with cookie cutters. No Sticking! I was surprised. This isn't a sweet cookie, but if you add a little sugar it is perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
FYI- I printed off (3) recipes for cut-out-sugar cookies & This Was The BEST One!!! I had to come back on to get recipe to keep. They other two recipes I used reg.white sugar. I think the confectioners sugar did it. I now have my x-mas cookie recipe. Thank you. Mary
To me, these didn't taste like butter cookies but instead like sugar cookies. Won't make again. Thanks anyway
We followed the recipe as given and thought is was easy to mix. It seemed a bit crumbly but after removing from teh bowl I was able to work it together by hand into a big ball. We decided to refrigerate and rollout as cut cookies. We rolled them thin and bakes as directed. They came out perfect! They are not too sweet and tasted great with a cup of hot tea.
These cookies are very versatile,but a little too wet for rolling out and cutting. Be careful of overcooking them too. If you cook them too much, they come out tasting like popcorn. Very good for plain circles and logs!
This was a great recipe everyone loved these cookies the dough for my was a bit crumble but the were great anyway Vin
its a really nice recipe the cookies turned out nice and crispy. pls beware and dun try to double the recipie by yourself like i did , it turned out kinda hard all in all this is really a classic recipe =)
These have a rich buttery taste and bake very nicely. I baked them plain and then iced them--your classic cookie!
I really like this recipie. All though it's not too sweet it is very good. I did not do anything but drop by the spoonful onto my cookie sheet and baked for about 7 min. thanks;)
Not sure what happened but my dough was too sticky to use cut outs... recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of flour but another reviewer stated she lowered flour to 2 2/3 cups of flour - we ended up dropping spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Flavor good but dry... very disappointing all round & frustrating for my grand daughter, who wanted to cut out cookies for her first time. I will not use this recipe again.
nanibabe was right( she must b cool) they were delish. and i hope 2 meet nanibabe someday
These were a little dry and somewhat heavy... I tried to make them drop cookies though, which is probably why. They'd be really good as cut-out cookies...
These are the best butter cookies ever! I just got done making these. I didn't change a thing. This is a keeper. Thanks for the recipe.
Flavor good, but dough was too sticky, even after overnight in frig. I used a cookie press and the cookies just backed together without the shape.
I was looking for a recipe to use with my cookie press and decided to give this one a try. The cookies taste great and the dough was just the right consistancy for the press, nothing was wasted. Thanks for sharing!
Add this as a staple recipe for your collection! It's great for decorating - I made it with the "Sugar Cookie Frosting" on this site. My five year old could handle the dough easily. Very yummy! Great for holidays festivities!
I made these in shapes of fingers.there are so good. and if you ad red iceing it looks so real so easy and Quick to make. it is a 100 percent do again.
These were fab! A great simple cookie to have with my nightly tea...Thanks! PS I used a cookie press with mine.
Good recipe for golden buttery cookies. It's a little bit sweeter than they need to be. I would reduce the amount of sugar by half a cup :-)
Lovely cookie. I mixed in finely gound walnuts and rolled and cut them out, baked them for 10 minutes and they are So Good. This recipe is a kepper. Thank you.
absolutely fab!!! It took no time to make and my daughter loved them! The best homemade butter cookies I have ever tasted.
Wow are these great!! Made them for Santa and had to stop the kids from eating them all on Christmas Eve. Would not change a thing. I did the "roll them in a ball and dip in sugar" method. That worked very well. Will keep and make this one again.......however........it does not make 96 cookies, unless, maybe, you make them the size of quarters. ;-)
I made these with my daughter for her Valentines party at school. I also used the baking soda instead of the cream of tarter and they turned out great. The consistancy of the dough was perfect for rolling out and using cookie cutters. They do tend to cook very fast, so keep an eye on them instead of waiting for the timer. Make sure you keep plenty of space between cookies.....Its been a while since I have baked and our heart shaped cutouts pretty much looked like circles when we were done, but they were melt in your mouth good. We iced some and used sprinkles on some others. They were absolutely delicious and I will definately make this recipe again and again !!
these were okay. not your classic christmas press butter cookies. too dry tasting for that. my 6 yr old sd they were edible but he liked others better. maybe try for cut out cookies next time?
So delicious and easy! I lessened the flour to 2 2/3 cups b/c I didn't want to roll it out. I formed balls, smooshed them, and sprinkled them. So yummy! My son loved helping. Thanks!
The cookies were good easy and simple to make. I enjoyed making them. I had to go back to the web site to find the recipie again because I'm baking some now! Since I was here I decided to rate them.
I was making this recipe for a day at the park with my sister and all the kids. I had no complaints with the ingredients but I did have a problem with trying to roll the dough out. I chilled them in the freezer after I saw how sticky the dough was but even that didn't help. They simpley would not roll out. I decided to spoon the mixture on the pan because they wouldn't even roll into balls. They came out looking kind of weird but tasted alright. I sprinkled powdered sugar on the tops of them to sweeten them up a bit. It's a good recipe for taste but they don't roll out so well. Thanks for sharing it though.
Good flavor and I found the dough extremely easy to work with. Used the cookie cutter method and created a nice variety. This will be my new standard cookie recipe!
This recipe was almost perfect. I don't like the taste of cream of tartar, so I used baking powder as a substitute. Very light, crispy cookie!
This recipe is great for cut out cookies. I needed to make some fast cookies for a basketball game party and I have another recipe from this website (sof christmas cookies I think it is) and those are really really good, but it takes like three hours to make them. I tried these and these are really good as well, and it doesn't take as long.
I made one variation bysubing some cocoa for part of the flour to give a chocolate kick, and it was a hit with all of my neighbors. I used them to make gift baskets by baking them in the ball form and them putting them in decoartive containers.
Our favorite go to holiday cookie recipe. Our family loves the taste, texture, and decorating these delicious cookies. We have been using this recipe for a few years now.
I have been looking for this recipe for ever. thanks a lot!
This was some of the easiest dough to roll out! Cookies turn out perfect and taste great!
My family loved these cookies! I didnt change anything intentionally, however I only had 2 cups of flour so I used a half cup of waffle mix and left out the baking powder since it was in the mix. They still came out fantastic!!
Great cookies! I did add 1/4 cup of brown sugar to add sweetness, but they were very simple to make.
This is the recipe my grandma, mom and I have made for years. I make cut out cookies for Christmas and ice them with powdered sugar icing with almond extract added to the icing. My absolute favorite cut out cookie ever.
Good tasting cookie, could not roll them out, extreamly sticky dough, I dropped and pressed, I was going to have to add to much flour, but real nice taste and pretty.
My husband LOVES these cookies. I can use them as leverage to get something I want. He'll do almost anything for them. Very easy to make, my 10 year old daughter has started making them with very little help. This is the most used and most loved recipe I have.
I made this recipe with my 6 year old son. Easy and GREAT tasting. I don't ever need to try another butter cookie recipe again!
I have made this recipe for a couple of years now and everyone loves them. I make them into balls and roll them in colored sugar. The kids love them and rolling them in the sugar is a great job for them to do. My girlfriend even loves them ,and she is a professional baker! I would agree that the recipe isn't very sweet though. That is why we roll them in the sugar and they come out great. Completely awesome still warm!
These cookies are delicious. After reading a bunch of the comments I decided to just roll them for my first try and they came out so perfectly. I can see how they might be sticky for rolling but after working the dough in my hands a bit it seemed like it might be okay. :)
This recipe is not only easy but delicious. I loved that the cookies weren’t very sweet and the hint of salt gives it a unique flavor. I never baked cookies before and I am happy that this were my first ones.
