Butter Cookies
Posted Dec 16, 2022, Updated Feb 15, 2024
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These bakery-style butter cookies are melt-in-your mouth delicious. Richly flavored with vanilla and almond extracts, they are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. You can make them by rolling & slicing or using a cookie press.
My favorite bakery in my hometown made the best butter cookies.
It closed recently after over 50 years in business, and I couldn’t bear the thought of never enjoying my favorite treats again. So, I re-created their famous butter cookies and nailed it with this recipe.
These butter cookies literally melt in your mouth. They are flavored with vanilla and almond extracts for the authentic bakery taste.
Butter Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version substitute a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
- Granulated sugar. I recommend using organic cane sugar or white sugar.
- Almond extract. This ingredient is necessary for the best flavor and authentic bakery taste, I don’t recommend substitutions. If you have an almond allergy simply omit the extract. You can use other flavors (lemon, orange, peppermint, etc.) to change the flavor of the cookies entirely.
How to Make Butter Cookies
Let’s walk through how to make butter cookies step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by beating together the butter and sugar for one minute, either In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer.
Then, add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt and beat for an additional minute.
Next, add the flour and beat until the mixture begins to clump together (60-90 seconds).
Roll & Slice Method
Gather the dough and roll it into a log that is 1 ½ to 2” in diameter (about 10 inches long).
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).
After chilling, carefully slice the cookies into ½ inch thick circles and space them evenly on silicone/parchment lined baking sheets.
Cookie Press
Alternately, you can use a cookie press to make these butter cookies into fun shapes.
NOTE: Do not chill the dough (it gets too firm to use in a press when chilled) before using the press!
Put the dough into a cookie press and use it to make shapes. Evenly space them on a lined baking sheet.
Wrap the baking sheets with plastic wrap and chill the shapes for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Add Sprinkles
The cookies from my favorite bakery were decorated with sprinkles, so I always use them when making these butter cookies.
Begin by putting the sprinkles in a small bowl.
Then, lightly brush the top of each cookie with half and half, and dip each cookie into the sprinkles.
Evenly space the cookies on the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake & Cool
Bake the butter cookies the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the cookies look set and the bottom edges just barely start to turn brown.
Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store
Store butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days.
How to Freeze Butter cookies
Freeze baked butter cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw slowly at room temperature before eating.
You can also freeze the dough. I suggest following these instructions:
- Make shapes/slices out of the dough.
- Then, lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash-freeze them until hardened.
- Transfer to an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then bake according to the recipe instructions.
Butter Cookies Recipe FAQS
Yes, this makes a lot of butter cookies, you can halve it to make about 20 cookies.
They are very similar but they’re not exactly the same. Butter cookies have more sugar and are baked at a higher temperature than shortbread cookies.
Nope! Not even close. Try our favorite Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe!
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Best Butter Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 egg yolks room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Topping
- 3 tablespoons half and half
- 1 cup sprinkles jimmies, raw sugar, etc.
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat together butter and sugar for 1 minute.
- Add egg yolks, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt and beat for an additional minute.
- Add the flour and beat until the mixture begins to clump together (60-90 seconds).
- Gather the dough and roll it into a log that is 1 ½ to 2” in diameter (about 10 inches long).
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).
- After chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mats.
- Carefully slice the cookies into ½ inch thick circles.
- Put the sprinkles into a small bowl.
- Lightly brush the top of each cookie with half and half, then dip each cookie into the sprinkles.
- Evenly space the cookies on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the cookies look set and the bottom edges just barely start to turn brown.
- Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Do not chill the dough (it gets too firm to use in a press when chilled) before using the press.
- Put the dough into a cookie press and use it to make shapes. Evenly space them on a lined baking sheet.
- Wrap the baking sheets with plastic wrap and chill the shapes for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Then bake according to the recipe.
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version substitute a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
- Granulated sugar. I recommend using organic cane sugar or white sugar.
- Almond extract. This ingredient is necessary for the best flavor and authentic bakery taste, I don’t recommend substitutions. If you have an almond allergy simply omit the extract. You can use other flavors (lemon, orange, peppermint, etc.) to change the flavor of the cookies entirely.
- Make shapes/slices out of the dough.
- Then, lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash-freeze them until hardened.
- Transfer to an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then bake according to the recipe instructions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can’t wait to try these! They look like the cookies my local grocery store chain (Giant Food) has had ever since I was a kid, although they used to taste significantly better. Will definitely try to make these.
I wish you had been able to try another amazing cookie from my childhood that the same grocery store used to sell. They were amazing rainbow shaped cookies likely loads of butter and artificial color (red yellow and blue) but oh my were they good.
I’ve also been unable to remember a recipe my grandma used to make for the holidays and when she passed in 2010 we couldn’t find the recipe in her box of recipes. Still sad about that one. I have no idea where to begin with that.
How do you go about trying to recreate something you may not have had for a while?
Hello, any substitute for half and half.
Thanks
Heavy cream or whole milk.