3-Ingredient Butter Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
These easy butter cookies need just three ingredients to make and practically melt in your mouth. No eggs required!
I grew up enjoying Danish butter cookies, so it’s always been on my agenda to recreate them. They have this rich, buttery texture that reminds me of a more sophisticated shortbread.
Instead of reinventing the wheel, I adapted my shortbread cookies to be lighter, crispier, and hold together a little more. It did take some testing, but I managed to do it without changing the ingredients too much and keeping it at just three.
Table of Contents
Why I love this butter cookie recipe
- 3 ingredients. I tested a version with eggs and milk, but found they weren’t necessary at all.
- No chill time. You can bake the dough as soon as it’s made!
- Perfect for cookie exchanges. These cookies keep really well, and for a really long time!
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these cookies, along with my kitchen notes. The full list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
- Salted butter. I initially tested this with completely melted butter, but found that softened butter worked best and kept its shape. If you don’t use salted butter, add about 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
- Powdered sugar. Please use only powdered sugar, not regular white sugar. This is what differentiates these from classic shortbread cookies.
- Flour. Sifted to ensure there are no clumps.
How to make butter cookies
Step 1- Cream. Cream the butter until fluffy, then add the powdered sugar.
Step 2- Combine. Add the flour and mix until a thick dough remains.
Step 3- Pipe (optional). Transfer the dough to a piping bag, then pipe 2-inch cookies onto a baking sheet.
Tip: You can leave a hole in the center and as the cookie bakes, they will fill up in a gorgeous patter.
Step 4- Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until golden around the edges.
My recipe tips
- Do not overbake. Like most cookies, these continue to bake as they are cooling down (called carryover cooking). Once they start to go golden around the edges, remove them from the oven.
- Don’t overcream. You want the butter and powdered sugar to be comfortably combined, not super fluffy. In testing, I found that overcreaming resulted in fluffy cookies (not crisp and buttery).
- Chill the piped dough. I didn’t have an issue with this, but one of my recipe testers found it a little tricky to pipe the dough immediately. If this happens to you, chill it for about 30 minutes in the piping bag.
- Cool on the sheet, not a wire rack. Cooling on the sheet ensures maximum crispiness and no soft centers!
Storage and make-ahead tips
Storage: Leftover butter cookies keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Make ahead: Butter cookie dough is freezer-friendly, but I recommend freezing them once they’ve been piped. Pipe them on a baking sheet, freeze for an hour, then transfer to a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
Baking from frozen: Add the frozen cookies to a preheated oven and increase the baking time by about two minutes.
More holiday cookie recipes
3-Ingredient Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened, not melted
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the softened butter to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until just combined. You don't want the mixture to be fluffy.
- Add the flour and, using a spoon, mix until combined.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag. Pipe the cookies into 2-inch rounds on a lined baking sheet, about an inch apart to allow for spreading. Alternatively, scoop out 1 1/2-inch balls of dough.
- Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until golden around the edges.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet completely.
Notes
- Easy to pipe dough: Chill the dough in the piping bag for 30 minutes first.
- Leftovers: Keep for up to two weeks, covered.
