There’s something magical about this old fashioned Christmas butter cookies recipe. The rich, buttery aroma is a staple of my holiday season, as are the pretty shaped cookies cooling on cookie sheets, ready to share with loved ones.
These classic Christmas cookies are a must-have for any holiday gathering, so today I’m sharing a classic recipe that I’ve been making for years. Full of real butter and just the right amount of sweetness, they are perfect holiday cookies, and the best butter cookies I know of.
This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases (don’t worry, it doesn’t cost you anything!). Find out more about affiliate links.
What’s to love about my Christmas butter cookies recipe
These old fashioned Christmas cookies make a simple, slightly crispy butter cookie. They’re similar to my shortbread cookies but less hefty and easier to cut out shapes from.
Christmas butter cookies are perfect for filling up cookie boxes or gifting in festive tins, and make an excellent gift box companion to my favorite gingerbread cookies. They’re also incredibly versatile. Leave them plain, sprinkle with sugar, or even decorate them with icing if you’re feeling fancy!
I also use this butter cookie recipe as a base for other recipes, like my sugar cookie fudge and stained glass Christmas cookies. Basically, it’s the perfect cookie dough to have in your repertoire during the holiday season.
Another bonus? You can make and refrigerate the cookie dough ahead of time so it’s ready whenever you feel like baking.
Ingredients for making old fashioned Christmas butter cookies
One of the best things about this recipe is that it uses simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen:
- Unsalted butter, at room temperature for a rich, buttery flavor. I prefer unsalted because it allows me to control the amount of salt I put in the cookies.
- Superfine sugar (or caster sugar), which gives the cookies a delicate texture. You can use granulated sugar if that’s what you’ve got; the cookies will have a slightly sandier texture.
- All-purpose flour.
- A pinch of fine salt to balance the sweetness.
- Optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on top.
These delicious Christmas butter cookies come together with minimal fuss, making them one of the easiest classic recipe options for the holidays.
Make the ultimate cookie selection with these other festive recipes…
Panforte de Siena with Ginger, Apricots and Macadamias
Hazelnut and Coffee Biscotti Recipe for Holiday Gifting
Making the cookie dough
As always, you’ll find the full printable recipe card at the end of the post. Read on for a visual guide with step-by-step descriptions.
To start, you’ll need a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and a large mixing bowl. Cream the unsalted butter, superfine sugar, and salt on medium speed until the mixture becomes soft and creamy. The goal is to combine the ingredients well, but don’t overbeat—this can cause the cookies to spread too much in the oven.
While the butter and sugar are creaming, sieve your dry ingredients—the flour and salt—into another large bowl.
Next, add most of the sifted flour to the butter mixture in your stand mixer. Mix on low speed until the dough just starts to come together. You don’t want it to be too crumbly or too wet. If necessary, add more flour gradually, a spoonful at a time until you achieve a dough that’s soft but not sticky. Once combined, transfer the cookie dough to a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth.
Would you like to save this post?
If you don’t want to cut and bake your cookies straightaway, pat the dough into a disc, wrap well and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bring it back to room temperature when you’re ready to roll it out.
Shaping and cutting the cookies
Now comes the fun part! Roll out the cookie dough between two sheets of parchment paper until it’s about 3/8” (1 cm) thick for larger cookies or 1/4” (6 mm) thick for smaller ones. The parchment paper helps to keep the dough from sticking to your rolling pin and makes cleanup easier.
Once rolled, use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out festive shapes. If the dough gets too soft to make clean cuts, pop it into the fridge for about 15 minutes. This will make it easier to cut clean shapes without the dough tearing.
Arrange the cut cookies on a prepared baking sheet or cookie tray, leaving a little space between each one. For a more traditional look, brush the tops of your cookies with a bit of egg wash or water and sprinkle them with coarse sugar. This gives you Danish-style crispy butter cookies that have a slight shimmer and extra sweetness.
Baking the butter cookies
Bake the cookies in a preheated oven until they’re firm to the touch and just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Make sure not to overbake them, as you want them to be buttery and melt-in-your-mouth, not hard.
Once baked, let the cookies cool on the tray for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. You’ll find these yummy cookies hard to resist because they smell and look so good.
Decorating your Christmas butter cookies
If you want to make these cookies extra special, decorate them with royal icing, fondant or melted chocolate. Use a piping bag for more intricate designs, or simply drizzle the icing over the cookies for a quick yet beautiful finish.
If you aren’t confident with decorating or you just prefer a more natural look, skip the icing and enjoy the classic flavor of your old-fashioned butter cookies as they are.
Storing and gifting your butter cookies
Christmas butter cookies keep wonderfully in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature. They also freeze well if you’d like to make the cookie dough or bake the cookies in advance. Just be sure to freeze them undecorated, as icing can cause them to soften when thawed.
Because they store so well, these cookies are also a great edible gift option for the holidays. Pack them in festive tins or boxes lined with parchment paper, and you’ll have a thoughtful homemade present for friends and family. Whether you’re baking for a Christmas party or just enjoying a cozy afternoon at home, these tasty treats are sure to be a hit.
Tips for best results
- For a perfect crumb, make sure your butter is at room temperature. Cold butter will make the dough too firm, while overly soft butter can cause the cookies to spread.
- If your dough is too soft to handle, refrigerate it for 15-20 minutes before cutting.
- Roll your dough evenly to ensure even baking. Uneven dough can result in some cookies being too crispy and others undercooked. I use a couple of wood offcuts placed at either end of where my rolling pin will go, so the dough can’t be rolled any thinner than the thickness of the offcuts.
- To make the dough ahead, store it well-wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
These old-fashioned cookies are a holiday must, and I can’t wait for you to try them. With their delicate, buttery flavor, these delicious butter cookies are sure to become a tradition in your household too. So, grab your cookie cutters and get ready to make some memories this Christmas time!
Have you made and enjoyed this recipe? I’d love if you’d be kind enough to rate and review it via the stars in the recipe card, and leave a comment below! Ratings and reviews help other readers to find and understand my recipes from a reader’s perspective.
Old Fashioned Christmas Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup superfine sugar caster sugar
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plain flour, sifted
- 3 Tbsp coarse sugar optional, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C, conventional setting (no steam!). Line a couple of cookie sheets or baking trays with parchment and set aside.
- Put the butter, sugar and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until it's soft and creamy (you don't need to beat the butter until it's really fluffy, as this will make your cookies spread and be too delicate). The time this takes can vary depending on how soft your butter is, and how strong your mixer is. It takes 2-3 minutes in my KitchenAid.1 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup superfine sugar, ½ tsp fine salt
- While the butter and sugar are creaming, sieve the all-purpose/plain flour into a bowl.2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- Add 3/4 of the flour to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed to combine. You're looking for a soft but cohesive mass; not too crumbly but not greasy and squishy either. If needed, add the last 1/4 of the flour a spoonful at a time until you get the right consistency.2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- When the flour has been added and the dough just comes together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly just until it’s smooth.
- For cut-out cookies or stamped cookies, roll portions of dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to your desired thickness. I like larger shapes to be about 3/8"/1cm thick and smaller shapes 1/2"/6mm thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment and either cut out or stamp cookies. If you're finding the dough is too soft to cut clean shapes, refrigerate it for 15 minutes before cutting.
- Place cut out shapes on lined trays, leaving ½”/1½ cm between each cookie. If you want traditional Danish-style butter cookies, brush a little egg wash or water on the cookies and sprinkle with coarse sugar crystals.3 Tbsp coarse sugar
- Bake the butter cookies until firm to the touch and just beginning to color at the edges. This can take anywhere from 15-25 minutes, depending on their size.
- Cool the cookies on the baking trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. When completely cool, store in an airtight container. If you haven't sprinkled them with sugar, these cookies can be decorated with royal icing or fondant.
Notes
- The number of cookies this recipe makes will vary depending on the size and shapes of cutters you choose. The quantity here makes about two dozen medium sized cookies for me.
- Butter cookies will keep for about a week, sealed at room temperature, or can be frozen, undecorated, for up to 6 months if well wrapped.
- If you plan to decorate your cookies, do not freeze them after decorating as they can turn soft when thawed.
