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Butter Cookies
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5 from 6 votes

Butter Cookies

Butter Cookies are buttery-rich, sweet but not too sweet, perfectly salted and beautifully scented with vanilla.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time17 minutes
Total Time27 minutes
Course: Christmas, Cookies
Cuisine: French
Servings: 14 Cookies
Calories: 115kcal

Ingredients

  • 9 Tablespoons (4 ½ ounces, 128 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup (2.1 ounces, 60 grams) confectioners' sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg white, room temperature
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons (5.4 ounces, 153 grams) all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
  • Place butter in a bowl; sift confectioners' sugar over it; add the salt. On low speed, beat just until smooth, but not fluffy. You want a homogeneous dough, but you don't want to beat air into it. 
  • Beat in the egg white. This will make the dough separate. Keep mixing for about 1 minute. Don't be concerned if the mixture curdles; the flour will smooth it out. Beat in the vanilla and scrape down the bowl. Gradually add the flour, beating only until it disappears into the soft dough.
  • Fit a pastry bag with a large open-star tip. (See Note 1)
    Transfer the dough to the piping bag.
  • Pipe the dough in circles onto the lined baking sheets leaving about 2-inches of space between them - the dough will puff and spread under the heat. You can make the cookies larger or smaller or in different shapes, but whatever you do, leave enough space between them to spread out.
  • Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 17 to 18 minutes. The cookies should be golden brown around their edges and on their bottoms and paler at the center. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer them to racks to cool at room temperature.
  • Yield: About 14 cookies. (See Note 2)

Notes

  1. I used an Ateco 825 star tip. You could also use a 1M Wilton tip or other large star tip.
  2. Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for at least 1 week; they can be frozen for up to 2 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 46mg | Potassium: 13mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.4mg