In need of the perfect Christmas cookie recipe? Look no further! This butter cookie will melt in your mouth and be the highlight of all of your dessert smorgasbords.
If there is one thing that must occur in my house, at Christmas time, it is the baking of Grammy’s butter cookies. No matter how busy life is I will make it happen. Even after her passing, in early December 2020, the whole family made it a point to make these special treats thousands of miles apart because it is tradition.
How To Make The Ultimate Butter Cookie
Let’s dive in and learn how to make these melt-in-your-mouth nuggets of deliciousness!
What You’ll Need
- Cookie Press
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Large Mixing Bowl or Stand Mixer
- Butter
- Sugar
- Flour
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Sprinkles
Prepare the Dough:
In a large bowl, or stand mixer, combine 1 pound of softened, salted, butter with 1 and 1/3 cups of sugar and cream thoroughly. Add 2 eggs and continue mixing until smooth. Add in 5 cups of flour, 1sp of baking powder and 2tsp vanilla extract and combine to get that perfect buttery goodness.
Your dough should not be clumpy but, rather, be easily rolled into a log. You can wrap the log in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30mins or freeze until ready to use.
Press Cookies:
After you have chilled your dough you’ll want to, first, choose your cutout. Roll the cut out in some fresh flour before installing it and then load your cookie press with dough. Next, press cookies onto your ungreased baking sheet spacing them roughly 1 inch apart. Butter cookies do not rise as much as many other types of cookies so no need to be too worried about spacing.
What to Do If It Doesn’t Work
Pressing cookies is a work of art and takes practice. Don’t be discouraged if your cookies don’t come out perfectly on the first, or even second round of pressing. Just keep at it and soon you’ll be a cookie pressing whiz!
PRO TIP: If you’re really struggling, the dough may be too warm. Wrap the dough and place it in the fridge for about 10 mins then try again.
Check out these warm drink recipes to enjoy while baking!
Decorate:
Unlike many Christmas cookies, these babies are decorated before they go in the oven. Break out all of your festive sprinkles and get to work on making those cookies dazzle.
In our family, we try to come up with new designs every year from the traditional cookie press discs. We’ve made wreaths, reindeer, butterflies & whatever else comes to mind. This is the step that you get to let your creativity shine!
Bake:
I generally bake these goodies in the oven one tray at a time. They’ll bake for 5-7 mins at 375 degrees. Of course, the longer they’re in the oven the crunchier they will become so if that is your preference try closer to 8-9mins.
Cooling Tips
Once you take your butter cookies out of the oven, you’ll need to give them a chance to cool before biting into them. They can be quickly moved over to a wire rack, separate baking tray or even a long strip of parchment paper to cool as you switch to the next batch.
Pro Tip: If you’re working with a limited number of baking sheets, cool them faster in between baking by sticking them in the freezer, or out in the snow for us Northerners, for about 5 mins. This will ensure they are ready to go for your next set of presses.
The Ultimate Butter Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Hand or Stand Alone Mixer
- Cookie Press & Cutouts
Ingredients
- 1 pound softened butter
- 1 ⅓ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 5 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine butter, sugar and eggs together thoroughly
- Mix in dry ingredients
- Add vanilla extract
- Press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet spacing approximately 1 inch apart.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 5-8mins
How To Store Butter Cookies:
Store your completely cooled cookies in an air tight container or bag on the counter for a few days, in the fridge up to two weeks and in the freezer for up to one year. Truthfully though, these babies won’t last that long they are that good.
What’s your favorite Christmas cookie? Do you have any recipes that have been passed down along the years? Let’s talk about them in the comments!
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