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Chef Ava

Homemade Butter Cookies

These classic Homemade Butter Cookies are crisp around the edges, delicately sweet, and perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. Pipe the soft dough into rosettes, circles, and spirals for a pretty cookie tin treat.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 30 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 140
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened, 2 sticks
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons milk if needed
  • 1 pinch salt

Equipment

  • baking sheet Lined with parchment paper.
  • electric mixer For creaming the butter and sugar.
  • piping bag with large star tip For piping rosettes, spirals, and other shapes.
  • wire rack For cooling the cookies completely.

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar for 3–4 minutes until creamy and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
  4. Sift the flour and salt together. Gradually add them to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too firm to pipe, add milk a little at a time. Avoid overmixing.
  5. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe rosettes, circles, spirals, flowers, or other favorite shapes onto the prepared baking sheet. You can also shape the dough with cookie cutters if the consistency allows.
  6. Refrigerate the shaped cookies for 20–30 minutes to help them keep their shape while baking.
  7. Bake for 10–15 minutes, depending on the size, until the edges are just lightly golden.
  8. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will become crisper as they cool.
  9. Store the completely cooled cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh and crisp.

Notes

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy, and avoid overmixing once the flour is added. If the dough is too firm to pipe, add milk a little at a time. Chill the shaped cookies for 20–30 minutes before baking so they keep their shape. The cookies become crisper as they cool. Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container.