Best Butter Cookies December 18
It’s hard to beat a good butter cookie. It’s also hard to find one that is just the right combination of crispness, tenderness and a good buttery flavor. Bakeries - even otherwise good ones - are filled with bland “butter cookies” topped with a variety of colorful sprinkles to lure you into giving them a chance. I stick to making my own butter cookies these days, especially since I found a recipe that makes the best butter cookies I’ve ever had.
The recipe is from Pam Anderson, a food writer who is a former editor of Cook’s Illustrated, whose work is regularly published in USA Weekend, and the author of several cookbooks. Her all purpose butter cookies are simple, delicious and very versatile, so hers has been my go-to recipe since I first clipped it out of the paper years ago. The dough is very easy to put together and makes a great batch of slice-and-bake cookies that you can decorate with sprinkles or nuts. There is no leavening in this dough and the cookies will spread slightly, but hold their shape well, during baking. This means that the dough also works well as dough for spritz cookies, which are made by putting cookie dough through a cookie press (common around Christmas) and pressing it into different designs.
The dough can be made a few days in advance and stored in the refrigerator or freezer. The dough is sticky when it is warm, so you need a well-floured surface to work on. That said, this is a good feature because it means that you can work with the dough quite a bit (if you want to try making cutout cookies, for instance) without the dough toughening up. I usually stick with the slice-n-bake cookies, rolling the edges of the cookie logs in sprinkles or nuts before slicing them into individual cookies on the cookie sheet. The cookies above have been rolled in sprinkles and in shredded coconut.
Pam Anderson’s All Purpose Butter Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
chopped nuts, coconut, sprinkles or sugar, for decorating
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg, egg yolk, vanilla and salt and mix well. Gradually, with the mixer on low speed, blend in the flour until a smooth dough comes together.
Divide dough in half and shape each piece into a log roughly 2-inches across. Wrap in wax paper or parchment paper and freeze for about 2 hours, or until firm. Dough can also be stored for several days in the fridge (several weeks in the freezer, well-wrapped).
Preheat oven to 375F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Take the logs of chilled dough and cut each in half. Dough may need to soften for a few minutes. Roll each smaller log in finely chopped nuts, coconut, sprinkles or coarse sugar. Cut logs into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer cookie rounds to prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies just begin to brown around the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Makes 4-5 dozen cookies
EBPitcher Dec 18
To make spritz cookies, would you skip the chilling and bake right away?
Nicole Dec 18
EBPitcher - No, you would still chill the dough (let it soften slightly if frozen) and then put it in your cookie press.
Archie Dec 18
Is it possible to make any spritz cookies without eggs? And in this recipe, is it rolled over sprinkles and then baked?
Ria Dec 20
Loved your butter cookies!
Jeanette Dec 21
If you take out the egg, it will be more of a shortbread cookie.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a butter cookie. Does the egg make it lighter than shortbread?
Candace Dec 25
I made these and loved them! I really like good butter cookies and this one is the best I’ve tried and so quick and easy to make! Thanks!
Teresa Dec 28
These turned out delicious for me! I haven’t made cookies in years and did not have a lot of time before Christmas this year. But they were quick and easy to make and we had them Christmas Eve. I rolled the dough in chocolate jimmies, pearl sugar, red sugar sprinkles, and multicolored non pareils. Thanks for this recipe!
Matt Jan 15
i made these and replaced the egg with a heaped tablespoon of thickened cream… they turned out great (for anyone who didn’t want the egg but did want the cookies to turn out like these)
very delicious
thankyou for the recipe
Rellek Mar 1
I am using this recipe tomorrow to bake cookies for my daughters birthday. I am anxious to taste them!
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Lovely well presented recipe for Best Butter Cookies. Will certainly try some myself. Many thanks!
Farmville Cheats Mar 16
Really looks mouth watering. I can’t wait to try this at home.