Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes Basic Butter Cookie Dough 4.1 (218) Use this versatile recipe to make cut-out, slice-and-bake, or spritz cookies. Prep Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Total Time: 2 hrs Servings: 36 to 48 Jump to recipe This butter cookie recipe can truly do it all. It's a quick, easy, and versatile dough that you can use for everything from cut-outs and spritz cookies to slice-and-bake treats. Not only is this a multipurpose cookie dough, but it's also incredibly simple to make. Mixing in the food processor speeds things up. It uses basic ingredients like all-purpose flour, butter, vanilla extract, and egg yolks—not whole eggs. The only slightly unusual ingredient is the sugar. We use confectioners' sugar for this butter cookie dough which makes a soft, more delicate dough that's sure to become your go-to for holiday baking. 12 Clever Ways to Gift-Wrap Your Christmas Cookies Credit: Jacob Fox Key Equipment for Basic Butter Cookies Food processor: Leaning on a food processor helps this dough come together in no time. Rather than creaming the butter and sugar before adding the remaining ingredients, this recipe calls for pulsing the dry ingredients and butter together, then mixing in the yolks and vanilla just until the dough comes together. Small bowl: Whisking the egg yolks and vanilla before they're added to the food processor ensures they incorporate evenly and reduces the risk of over-mixing. Use a small bowl or liquid measuring cup for this step. Whisk: Use a whisk or a small fork to lightly beat the yolks with the extract. Baking sheet(s): This recipe makes up to four dozen cookies, so you'll need to bake them off in a few batches. You can cook two baking sheets worth of cookies at a time using the lower-middle and upper-middle racks. Parchment paper: Lining your baking sheets with parchment makes for an easy release, promotes even baking, and keeps the bottom of the cookies from becoming overly brown. If you have silicone baking mats, swap them in instead. 3 Ways to Shape These Butter Cookies Slice-and-Bake Cookies Form dough into even logs, then wrap in parchment and refrigerate. Once firm, cut into 3/16-inch slices and arrange on baking sheet. If desired, brush rolls with egg wash and roll in coarse sugar or sprinkles before slicing. Spritz Cookies Fill the cookie press with dough and form cookies directly onto baking sheet. (Do not chill the dough first.) Cutout Cookies On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 3/16-inch thick and punch out shapes. Transfer to baking sheet. For perfectly round sliced cookies, borrow a tip from Martha: Cut two paper-towel rolls from end to end and wrap them around the dough logs, then secure with tape. Wrap the logs in a long piece of plastic to cover the ends—this will help them from drying out—then refrigerate until ready to use. Directions Credit: Jacob Fox Combine flour, sugar, butter, and salt in food processor: Place flour, confectioners' sugar, butter, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; process until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Credit: Jacob Fox Mix egg yolks and vanilla: In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla. Credit: Jacob Fox Add egg yolk mixture to food processor: With motor running, add egg yolk mixture to food processor. Process just until a dough forms. Chill dough for at least 1 hour before forming cookies. Credit: Jacob Fox Tip If making spritz cookies, do not chill dough before shaping. Heat oven; form cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape cookies as desired (see above for more information). Credit: Jacob Fox Brush with egg white and decorate: Brush cookies with beaten egg white before baking. Decorate with sanding sugar and sprinkles as desired. (Alternatively, cookies can be decorated with frosting and sprinkles after baking and cooling.) Credit: Jacob Fox Credit: Jacob Fox Bake: Bake on lower-middle and upper-middle racks for 15 minutes (smaller spritz cookies may bake faster). Transfer to cooling rack. How to Store Butter Cookies Store butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days, or refrigerate them for up to 1 week. Butter cookies can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. The Best Icing for Butter Cookies If you'd like to further embellish your butter cookies, opt for Martha's go-to royal icing. It can be made with egg whites (for a shinier finish) or meringue powder, which will result in an icing that's more matte. To cover cookies completely, use a technique known as flooding: First, pipe a thin border around the edge of the cookie, then pipe frosting into the center to "flood" the surface entirely. Use a toothpick to smooth out any gaps. 5 More Butter Cookie Recipes to Try Brown-Butter Cookies Rosemary Butter Cookies Cookie Press Cookies Kourabiedes (Greek Butter Cookies) Danish Butter Cookies Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.