These tender melt in your mouth Christmas Butter Cookies are my #1 requested cookie recipe.  I’ve made these cookies 100’s of times!!  They are the perfect cookie to make for the holidays and they get more buttery each day after they’re made.

Oh my heavens….I’ve made these melt in your mouth Butter Cookies a zillion…zillion times over the past 30 years.  This is one of my two most requested cookie recipes from all of my friends.  These cookies are loaded with butter and then frosted with a rich buttercream frosting.  They are even better the day after they are made, and they keep well for several days in an airtight container.  I make these wonderful cut out cookies for all Holidays!  You will see various cutouts of these cookies posted for different holidays…  

I don’t know about you guys, but I LOVE real butter!  Butter, butter, butter!  Butter makes everything better…well except for my cholesterol.  However, I shall not give up butter!  If I can’t use the real thing, I won’t waste my time baking my favorite recipes.  Nothing compares to the rich pure flavor of butter.  Once you try it in a batch of cookies, you will never go back!  I think I should probably buy stock in Land O Lakes butter…Trust me when I say that real butter and pure vanilla are the two ingredients that make all baked goods AWESOME!

What I really love about this cookie dough is the fact that you don’t have to refrigerate it before rolling out.  However, it can be refrigerated for a few days prior to using.

You can roll this cookie dough as thick or thin as you like.  Sometimes I roll it out really thick, other times thinner.  It just depends on the mood I’m in at the time.

Tips:

– Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface.

– Use a thin metal spatula to lift cookies.

– Do not over bake the cookies.  The cookies should still be very light colored on tops and a very light brown on bottoms.

– Cool completely before removing from cookie sheets.  These cookies break easily when warm.

Click here to see my second most popular  cookie recipe.

Now go make some Christmas memories in the kitchen!

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Christmas Butter Cookies

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Cindy Gibbs at My Country Table
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 13 to 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25
  • Yield: 24 1x
  • Category: cookies
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

These tender melt in your mouth Butter Cookies are my #1 requested cookie recipe.  I’ve made these cookies 100’s of times!!  They are the perfect cookie to make for the holidays and they get more buttery each day after they’re made.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Cookies

  • 2 cups real unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 cups all purpose flour, more for dusting
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Icing

  • 1 pound powdered sugar, maybe more
  • 5 1/3 tablespoons (1/3 cup real unsalted butter), softened
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons milk, (enough milk for easy spreading consistency)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For the Cookies

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder.
  2. In a large bowl, mix butter and powdered sugar on low speed with a mixer until the sugar is incorporated, then on medium speed until the mixture is light and creamy. Stir in dry ingredients that have been sifted together or mixed well with a fork.
  3. Working with about 1/3 of the dough at a time, roll dough out to about 1/4″ in thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  4. Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes or until the bottoms and edges are lightly browned and the tops are still very light, (not browned at all). Cool on a wire rack and decorate with buttercream frosting.

For the Icing

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan or use a microwave.  Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk and mix it in. Slowly add in the powdered sugar. Add the second tablespoon of milk as needed for perfect spreading consistency. Beat the icing with a spoon until it’s satiny smooth. If the frosting seems too thick, add a tiny bit more milk, only 1 teaspoon at a time. If it’s too thin, add a little more sugar.
  2. Frost and decorate the cookies. Let the cookies sit, until the frosting has completely set.
  3. Store the cookies between layers of wax paper in an airtight container.

Notes

  • These cookies keep well for up to two weeks in an airtight container. They also taste more buttery the day after they are baked.
  • Unfrosted cookies can be frozen for up to three months.

Keywords: cookies, butter cookies, Christmas cookies, shortbread cookies, cut out cookies,