The Best Butter Cookie Recipe For Cookie Cutters (2024)

FAQs

What is the best butter for butter cookies in the world? ›

Of all the different kinds of butter available, European-style is the definitive way to go. European butter has at least 82% (and up to 90%) fat, while butter made in the United States typically only contains 80% fat. Sung and Gordon like Kerrygold butter, which is imported the United States from Ireland.

(In general, you're looking for a smooth dough that can be rolled thin, cuts cleanly and contains little or no baking powder.) If the dough gets too warm, refrigerate or freeze it until it becomes firm again. Your leaf shapes should do just fine.

Sandwich your dough between two sheets of parchment, roll, then freeze; it makes cut-out cookies a breeze! If you plan to store it for only a few hours or days, there's no need to overwrap the baking sheet; for longer storage, wrap the entire baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap before freezing.

Butter cookies, also known as Danish butter cookies, are cookies originating in Denmark consisting of butter, flour, and sugar. They are similar to shortbread cookies. The butter cookie is often categorized as a "crisp cookie" due to its texture, caused in part by the quantity of butter and sugar.

Just remember to chill your dough for at least 30 minutes and flour your cookie cutter between each cookie. And of course, make them your own and have fun!

After preparing your cookie dough, refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. This will make the dough easier to cut with cookie cutters (especially intricate ones) and may help prevent your cookies from spreading in the oven.

If the dough is chilled before baking then the cookies will be slightly more rounded, so if you want slightly flatter cookies then bake them as soon as you have mixed up the dough. But we would not recommend flattening the cookies completely as this will affect the texture.

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

What ingredient makes a cookie chewy? ›

Cornstarch gives the cookies that ultra soft consistency we all love. Plus, it helps keep the cookies beautifully thick. We use the same trick when making shortbread cookies. Egg yolk: Another way to promise a super chewy chocolate chip cookie is to use an extra egg yolk.

“The best cookie cutters have a small rolled lip of metal or plastic around the top to protect my hands and give me an edge to grab onto to pull the cutter back up,” Bushman says. “I also look for a nice seam where the metal of the cookie cutter joins together so I don't have a weird shape on one edge of my cookie.”

If you describe something as having a cookie-cutter approach or style, you mean that the same approach or style is always used and not enough attention is paid to individual differences.

If you are mixing cookies by hand, it's difficult to achieve a uniform structure in the dough. The denser bits of butter and sugar will heat more quickly than a dough that is filled with tiny pockets of air. This quicker heating will cause more spreading.

Best for Baking: Land O'Lakes Unsalted

“Generally, European-style butters are easier to work with due to the higher butterfat content.” Land O'Lakes also makes an “extra creamy” European-style unsalted butter that might be even better for baking, though we didn't test it out.

Cabot Extra Creamy barely edged out the salted butter by Isigny Sainte-Mère, a storied brand out of Normandy, France. That butter scored 99.6 from the judges. Nevertheless, please note: A half-pound of Cabot Extra Creamy Sea Salted butter rings up at about $4.

The higher butterfat content of European-style butter doesn't always lend itself well to recipes developed and written in North America. The higher fat content can weigh down cakes and cookies, making them too rich. It is, however, an obvious choice in French pastries like gâteau breton, pâte sucrée, and kouign-amann.

European Style Butter, such as Land O Lakes® Extra Creamy Butter, is perfect for spreading on bread and for all your baking and cooking needs. Extra Creamy Butter has a higher fat content and rich and creamy texture, making everything taste better.