The Best Butter Cookie Recipe For Cookie Cutters (2024)

I’m about to do something that I never do lightly: share my family’s butter cookie recipe. This recipe comes from my paternal grandmother and was adopted by my mom inmy childhood. It’s our favorite family cookie and was usually the envy of all my friends. The best part about this butter cookie recipe is we’ve always used it for holidays, because no other cookie can compare when it comes to using cookie cutters. They always retain their shape, don’t expand while baking, are great for frosting and perfect for creating memories with your kids. I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine.

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Ingredients

Butter Cookies

1.5 cups of unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks); I personally use margarine and it works great

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

4.5 cups flour

Frosting

2 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup butter (1/2 a stick)

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 tsp milk

Food Coloring

Tools

Mixer

Rolling Pin

Cutting Board

Wax Paper

Cookie Cutters

Sprinkles

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Instructions

Cream butter and sugar.

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Make sure your mixture is nice and fluffy!The Best Butter Cookie Recipe For Cookie Cutters (4)

Add in egg and vanilla, and mix well.

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Be sure to scrape the sides of your bowl and mix everything in.The Best Butter Cookie Recipe For Cookie Cutters (6)

Add salt and flour. If you don’t have a large bowl, add only half the flour and mix. Then add second half and mix again.

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When your dough is well combined, it should resemble this. My Kitchen Aid does a pretty good job of mixing on it’s own, but I always like to do a few smushes with my hand to make a nice ball of dough.

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The Best Butter Cookie Recipe For Cookie Cutters (9)

Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and allow to refrigerate at least an hour. For this recipe to live up to it’s potential the dough needs to be nice and chilly so it maintains it’s shape. Give beater to kidsto eat and relax while your dough chills 😉

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Once your dough is chilled, preheat oven to 375. Lightly flour a cutting board (I use a nice, large wooden one).

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Put a medium to large ball of dough in the middle of your cutting board. The size of your board will determine how much you can roll out at once.The Best Butter Cookie Recipe For Cookie Cutters (13)

Lay a piece of wax paper on top and then use your rolling pin to thin out the dough into an even layer. This recipe works best if cookies are about a 1/4 inch thick.

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Then start using whatever shaped cookie cutters you want and begin cutting them out! When you’ve used your available dough, form into a ball and repeat the process of rolling it out.

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Lay the cookies out on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye, these cook fast and you don’t want a burnt cookie! You’ll note the hodge podge nature of my current batch of cookies. I call this collection “what happens when your 3-year old picks out the cookie cutters!”

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Once removed from the oven, allow butter cookies to completely cool on sheets of waxed paper before frosting. Now, for the frosting!

Combine butter, vanilla extract and confectioners sugar and beat until creamy. I personally use a hand mixer for this step.

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Add a little less than ONE tablespoon of milk and then beat. You do NOT want a runny frosting, you want a creamy but flexible version that is easy to layer on the butter cookies. You can always add more milk if it’s too thick, so just add small amounts at a time. Once you have your desired consistency, spoon into separate bowls and then add food coloring! I personally did summer colors this time around. I suggest when the holidays roll in, to invest in some Wilton Gel food coloring. You will get rich, vibrant colors that you just can’t get from traditional liquid coloring.The Best Butter Cookie Recipe For Cookie Cutters (20)

Use a cookie sheet to frost and add sprinkles to your cooled butter cookies. This is the best part for kids! The cookie sheet will help contain the mess and not allow quite so many sprinkles to escape on your table and floor.

The Best Butter Cookie Recipe For Cookie Cutters (21) I love how the frosting and sprinkles gives everyone the creative license to make a beautiful cookie in their own way. This traditional style butter cookie is one for the memory books and I hope you and your family enjoy.
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Karly Wood

Editor at Red Tricycle

I'm a born and bred Southern California native and currently the managing editor at Red Tri. I get to share my life with my husband of 13 years and our beautiful, 5-year old daughter. In my free time you'll catch me cheering for the Dodgers, cooking, baking, reading, crafting and probably watching a little HGTV!

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The Best Butter Cookie Recipe For Cookie Cutters (28)

Karly Wood

I'm a born and bred Southern California native and currently the managing editor at Red Tri. I get to share my life with my husband of 13 years and our beautiful, 5-year old daughter. In my free time you'll catch me cheering for the Dodgers, cooking, baking, reading, crafting and probably watching a little HGTV!

The Best Butter Cookie Recipe For Cookie Cutters (2024)

FAQs

What type of cookie dough is best for cookie cutters? ›

(In general, you're looking for a smooth dough that can be rolled thin, cuts cleanly and contains little or no baking powder.) If the dough gets too warm, refrigerate or freeze it until it becomes firm again. Your leaf shapes should do just fine.

How do you make cookies keep their cookie cutter shape? ›

Sandwich your dough between two sheets of parchment, roll, then freeze; it makes cut-out cookies a breeze! If you plan to store it for only a few hours or days, there's no need to overwrap the baking sheet; for longer storage, wrap the entire baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap before freezing.

Why are my butter cookies not crispy? ›

Adjust baking time to achieve the cookie texture desired. A little less time produces chewier cookies, a little more time makes them crispy. If you prefer softer cookies, remove them from the oven while they are still slightly under baked. Always check for doneness at the minimum baking time.

What is the difference between a butter cookie and shortbread cookie? ›

As the name suggests a butter cookie has a high proportion of butter. However, unlike a shortbread the amount of flour and sugar used is increased meaning they hold their shape more effectively.

Do you chill cookie dough before cookie cutters? ›

Once it has been rolled to the thickness you're going for, chill the dough for the requisite time. Once the dough has chilled, peel off the top layer of parchment and cut the cookies out of the rolled sheet. But instead of removing the cut-out cookies, simply remove the scraps from around the cut-outs.

Do you refrigerate cookie dough before using cookie cutters? ›

Just remember to chill your dough for at least 30 minutes and flour your cookie cutter between each cookie. And of course, make them your own and have fun!

Why do my butter cookies spread? ›

If your butter is under mixed, it won't have the air pockets to hold it's shape. If it's over-mixed, the air pockets decrease in size and are unable to hold their shape in the oven—causing your cookies to spread. It's best to cream butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

What makes a cookie cutter good? ›

“The best cookie cutters have a small rolled lip of metal or plastic around the top to protect my hands and give me an edge to grab onto to pull the cutter back up,” Bushman says. “I also look for a nice seam where the metal of the cookie cutter joins together so I don't have a weird shape on one edge of my cookie.”

Why is my cookie dough sticking to the cookie cutter? ›

Dip your cookie cutter into flour, which should prevent sticking and avoid changing the texture of the dough. Also, be sure to cut cold cookie dough. Warm dough will be much too soft to cut and remove to a cookie sheet.

How do you keep butter cookies crisp? ›

How do you store cookies to stay crisp? To keep crispy cookies crisp, you need to keep them away from moisture. Always store different types of cookies separately—soft cookies can cause crispy cookies to soften due to their extra moisture. Place crispy cookies in an airtight container, but don't completely seal it.

How do you make cookies soft instead of crunchy? ›

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

What does brown sugar do in cookies? ›

Brown sugar

Brown sugar is also hygroscopic (more so than granulated sugar) and will therefore also attract and absorb the liquid in the dough. The difference is in the molasses that makes brown sugar brown: It adds moisture and slight acidity, resulting in a moist and chewy texture.

Why are butter cookies so good? ›

Butter cookies are classic cookies known for their rich, buttery flavor, and crisp texture. The flavor is lightly sweetened with warm notes of butter and vanilla. Similar to shortbread cookies, they are very popular around the holidays and are often given as Christmas cookie gifts.

Why are my butter cookies hard? ›

the more you mix cookie dough. the more the gluten develops and they become hard and dry and an unfavorable texture. reason no 3 you're over baking them. make sure you take them out when they're just slightly golden brown.

What is another name for a butter cookie? ›

Butter cookies, also known as Danish butter cookies, are cookies originating in Denmark consisting of butter, flour, and sugar. They are similar to shortbread cookies.

Can I use cookie cutters on any cookie dough? ›

Although you can use cookie cutters with any type of cookie dough, you'll get the best results by choosing the right type of dough for your project. For more intricate, decorative cutout cookies, our Test Kitchen recommends using a sturdy dough like the one in our recipe for Santa's Elf Cookies.

Can I use store-bought cookie dough with cookie cutters? ›

Simple metal cookie cutters can transform store-bought slice-and-bake dough into the most festive holiday dessert. For these Christmas cut-outs, all you need is a 16.5-ounce roll of Pillsbury sugar-cookie dough, some flour, and an oven (elbow grease not included).

What is the best material for a cookie cutter? ›

The stainless steel cutters are oven-safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which should cover even the crispiest cookies. Lopez recommends these because “they're metal and the different sizes nest and stack easily, taking up less space in your kitchen cupboard.”

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