Description
Classic buttery cookies with a tender crumb and delicate vanilla flavor, perfect for piping into elegant swirls. These butter cookies are soft yet crisp on the edges, with the option to dip in melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles for a festive touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, softened to room temperature)
- 2 egg yolks (at room temperature)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk (optional, to adjust dough consistency)
Optional Toppings
- Chocolate melting wafers
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and salt until well combined and set aside to use later.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, which takes a few minutes with a mixer.
- Add Egg Yolks: Incorporate the egg yolks into the creamed butter and sugar, mixing thoroughly and scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add Vanilla Extract: Stir in the vanilla extract until fully blended into the mixture.
- Add Flour Mixture: Gradually add the flour and salt mixture to the wet ingredients in thirds, mixing thoroughly after each addition to combine without overworking the dough.
- Mix Until Combined: Continue mixing until the dough is uniform and no flour streaks remain, but avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
- Preheat Oven: Set the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and allow it to fully preheat.
- Prepare Dough for Piping: Transfer a small amount of dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. The dough should be thick but pipeable.
- Adjust Dough Consistency: If the dough is too thick to pipe easily, return it to the bowl and add one tablespoon of milk, mixing gently and retry piping until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Pipe Cookies: Pipe 1½ to 2-inch swirls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to turn a golden brown.
- Cool Cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt Chocolate (Optional): Place chocolate melting wafers in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Dip Cookies: Dip the cooled cookies into the melted chocolate, allowing any excess to drip off before placing them on a wire rack to set.
- Add Sprinkles: While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle a small pinch of sprinkles on top, then let the chocolate harden completely. Use a knife to gently release the dried cookies from the wire rack.
Notes
- Ensure butter and egg yolks are at room temperature to achieve the best creaming and dough consistency.
- Adjust the dough thickness with milk carefully; adding too much can make the dough too soft to hold shapes.
- Using a piping bag with a star tip gives the cookies their classic ridged swirl shape.
- Watch the cookies closely near the end of baking to prevent over-browning.
- Chocolate and sprinkles are optional but add a festive and flavorful touch.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
