Old-fashioned cookies are some of our favorites.
Made with butter (of course), sugar, and vanilla, these lovely little cookies melt in your mouth. They’re buttery, smooth, and delicious! And the cherry on top is bright, sweet, and festive.
This Butter Cookie Recipe is a delicious combination of a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie and a classic sugar cookie!
Homemade Melt-in-your-Mouth Cookies
- This cookie recipe uses simple ingredients to create a deliciously easy cookie.
- This prep is simple, no need to chill the dough. Just mix, roll into balls, top with a cherry, and bake.
- They can be made ahead of time and freeze well.
- And the cherry on top is the icing on the cake! It gives these cookies a little pop of color, making them perfect for Christmas cookie platters.
Ingredients & Variations
Cookie Dough – Some flour, unsalted butter, sugar, egg, and a dash of vanilla and almond extracts are the basics for this dough. For the best buttery flavor, don’t use any substitutes for the butter.
Cherries – The cherries used in this recipe are candied cherries (aka glace cherries or glazed cherries). These are different from maraschino cherries as they’re more sticky and not in liquid.
Variations – Switch out the cherries and drizzle the cookies with a chocolate glaze or dip them in melted chocolate. Sprinkle with a little colored sugar if you’d like.
How to Make Butter Cookies
Just a couple of simple steps to delicious cookies!
- Beat butter, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl or with a paddle attachment in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in vanilla and egg, then flour.
- Roll into balls & flatten. Add cherries.
- Bake as per the recipe below. Cool on a wire rack.
Tips for the Best Butter Cookies
- Ensure eggs and butter are at room temperature.
- Need soft butter now? Cut butter into pieces and microwave it at about 30% power for 20 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave just until softened. Be sure to keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t melt.
- Beat the butter and powdered sugar for at least 3 full minutes, this gives the cookie a lighter texture.
- Bake just until the very edges are a tiny bit golden brown.
- Storage: Butter Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days or so. They will keep longer but they won’t be as soft. In the freezer, they will last for a few months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Did you make these Butter Cookies? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Butter Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour + ¼ cup if necessary
- 18 candied cherries cut in half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat butter, powdered sugar, and salt until very light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
- Mix in vanilla, almond extract, and egg. Add flour a little bit at a time until well mixed.
- Roll 1" balls, leaving at least 2" between cookies on the baking tray, and flatten slightly. Top with half of a cherry.
- Bake until lightly browned on the edges, about 12 minutes.
- Cool completely.
Notes
- Ensure eggs and butter are at room temperature. Need soft butter now? Cut butter into pieces and microwave it at about 30% power for 20 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave just until softened. Be sure to keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t melt.
- Beat the butter and powdered sugar for at least 3 full minutes, this gives the cookie a lighter texture.
- Bake just until the very edges are a tiny bit golden brown.
- Storage: Butter Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days or so. They will keep longer but they won’t be as soft. In the freezer, they will last for a few months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Cookies, Dessert
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will make for a cookie party
This would be a great recipe for that.
Hi !!!!
Just wandering if I can use a hand mixer to beat together ingredients?!
I have arthritis in my hands and just can’t mix anytghing together very well.
Thank you!!!
Hi Susi, yes you can use a hand mixer for sure. We would love to hear how they turn out for you! :)
These worked perfect in my spritz cookie press!
Thanks for leaving a comment, Jessica! Glad you enjoyed them.
SOS I don’t own a stand mixer, only a hand mixer. Would they still turn out ok?
Absolutely! I would still beat for 3-4 minutes Anne. Enjoy!
Of all the great and traditional cookies I made for Christmas, this one, that I had never made, was the first to be gone! Thanks for the recipe.
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Susan!
Cookies look delicious! Have someone with a nut allergy- what to substitute for almond extract? Could I replace the 1/4 with more vanilla extract ?
Yes, you could swap for more vanilla extract and while it’ll slightly change the flavor these cookies will still be delicious! Enjoy Deb!
2” balls is much too big and this dough needs to be chilled before baking. Following the instructions to a tee, I only got 26 cookies and the first tray spread out flat. They look awful. The second tray, which I kept in the fridge while the first tray cooked, came out much better (though still enormous). Chill the dough, roll smaller balls and reduce cook time accordingly and they’ll be passable.
Hi Colleen, for this recipe, we roll 1″ balls and place them approximately 2″ apart. This should help you make the full 36 cookies and avoid them spreading into each other. Hope that helps!
I made this for a Christmas Cookie exchange and it was enjoyed. Not too sweet, and texture was soft, melt in mouth.
So glad you loved them!
Can you use regular Maraschino cherries with this recipe making adjustments or no?
You’ll want to ensure you dab them dry with paper towels but they will work just fine in this recipe.
My family doesn’t care for candied cherries. Would apple jelly colored with food coloring work?
I haven’t tried these with apple jelly so I can’t say for sure.
I take mine out of the oven make a dent in the cookie with my thumb and put a small dollop of jam or jelly in the hole