These crunchy, indulgent 3 Ingredient Butter Cookies only take 3 ingredients to make and are the perfect recipe to whip up a large batch for the holidays. These cookies stay crisp for several days and can be made ahead of time. They make great gifts and are customizable in shape and flavor!
3 Ingredients Only
What I consider to be “three ingredients” in a recipe are three ingredients you must have in order to make the actual dish, and any other ingredients listed as what I consider to be optional “pantry staples”, often items like sugars, oils, salt, pepper etc. These are nice to haves and definitely round out the recipes but are not essential to the success of the main recipe- in this case the cookies!
Butter
For this recipe, salted butter works well to enhance the sweetness of the cookies. Leave the butter on the counter and let it come up to room temperature. You want to make sure the butter is soft enough to beat easily with a whisk, this will ensure that the butter is evenly mixed with the flour and sugar to produce the crunchiest cookies.
Demerara Sugar
What is Demerara sugar? Also known as raw sugar, comes from the first pressing of the sugarcane. The sugar has large coarse grains and has a crystalline quality that is perfect for dusting on the edges of the cookies. When the sugar bakes it gives the cookies a light molasses flavor that compliments the buttery taste.
While this ingredient is one of the “nice to haves” in the recipe, if you can’t find it then use regular brown sugar or cane sugar, or just leave the cookies plain!
Make Ahead
These cookies are a “slice and bake” type of cookie, meaning you shape the dough beforehand and bake them whenever you are ready to serve!
These butter cookies are very convenient during the holiday season when cookies are always in high demand, or guests show up unexpectedly and you need an extra batch! Simply roll the dough in wax or parchment paper and chill in the fridge until ready to bake. If keeping for more than a day, I recommend wrapping the parchment paper in another layer of plastic wrap to keep the dough from drying out. It’s that simple!
Different Flavors
These cookies are great foundation for different flavors. Below are some of my favorites:
- Key Lime : Mix the juice and zest of 1 lime into the dough, and 1 tbsp of juice/zest into the icing.
- Vanilla Bean : Mix 1 tsp of vanilla extract or paste (like this Nielsen – Massey paste).
- Orange Chocolate : Mix 1 tbsp of orange juice and 1 tsp zest into dough, and drizzle cookies with melted dark chocolate instead of icing.
What to serve with butter cookies
While simple, these cookies are impressively decadent on their own and are best served with a hot mug of tea or a glass of milk for dunking. Perfect for afternoon tea or for taking to a holiday party!
3 Ingredient Butter Cookies Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 stick salted butter, softened
- 1½ cups flour
- ⅓ cup soft brown sugar
For Dusting (Optional)
- ½ cup demerara sugar
For Icing (Optional)
- 1 tbsp water (or citrus juice, if making Key Lime or Orange cookies)
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp vanilla or almond extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together with a whisk until pale, light and fluffy.
- Mix in the flour and using your hands, knead the dough until it is smooth and no longer crumbly. Add a few drops of water (or citrus juice) to the dough if dry. The dough should be easy to mold and not sticky.
- On a piece of parchment paper, roll the dough into a log shape. The diameter of the log will be the size of your cookie, so for larger cookies, shape a fatter log, and for smaller cookies, roll it out so it is thinner.
- If using the demerara sugar for dusting, sprinkle the sugar on a piece of parchment paper or a shallow dish. Roll the dough log in the sugar so that all sides have a thick layer of sugar.
- Wrap the dough in parchment paper and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or until ready to bake. Chilling the dough will help the cutting process as it firms up the butter.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and cut the dough into slices. Lay the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 325F for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and crunchy. If the cookies look pale, keep them in for a few minutes longer and check often to make sure they do not burn. You want the cookies to take on a golden brown color to get that rich butter and molasses taste!
Icing the Cookies
- For the icing, mix the powdered sugar, water or juice, and extract if using, until a thin paste forms. Dip a fork into the icing and drizzle onto cooled cookies. Allow for the icing to harden before storing.
3 Ingredient Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick salted butter, softened
- 1½ cups flour
- ⅓ cup soft brown sugar
For Dusting (Optional)
- ½ cup demerara sugar
For Icing (Optional)
- 1 tbsp water (or citrus juice, if making Key Lime or Orange cookies)
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together with a whisk until pale, light and fluffy.
- Mix in the flour and using your hands, knead the dough until it is smooth and no longer crumbly. Add a few drops of water (or citrus juice) to the dough if dry. The dough should be easy to mold and not sticky.
- On a piece of parchment paper, roll the dough into a log shape. The diameter of the log will be the size of your cookie, so for larger cookies, shape a fatter log, and for smaller cookies, roll it out so it is thinner.
- If using the demerara sugar for dusting, sprinkle the sugar on a piece of parchment paper or a shallow dish. Roll the dough log in the sugar so that all sides have a thick layer of sugar.
- Wrap the dough in parchment paper and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or until ready to bake. Chilling the dough will help the cutting process as it firms up the butter.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and cut the dough into slices. Lay the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 325F for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and crunchy. If the cookies look pale, keep them in for a few minutes longer and check often to make sure they do not burn. You want the cookies to take on a golden brown color to get that rich butter and molasses taste!
Icing the Cookies
- For the icing, mix the powdered sugar, water or juice, and extract if using, until a thin paste forms. Dip a fork into the icing and drizzle onto cooled cookies. Allow for the icing to harden before storing.
