3-Ingredient Butter Cookies, a super simple and quick recipe that will go down a treat with the whole family. The cookies require minimal effort and only 3 ingredients that everyone has around, they are rich and buttery and simply melt in your mouth. They are perfect not only during the festive season, but also all year round.
This is one of those easy cookie recipes that everyone should have around when the sweet tooth strikes again. They are the simplest cookies you could whip up, and are made only with cupboard (and fridge) essentials.
No need to worry about a certain type of flour, baking agents, lots of fancy and expensive ingredients, this really is simplicity at its best!
And while December is the month when everyone's kitchen is filled with the sweet aroma of baked goods, this recipe works well throughout the year not only at Christmas, since there are no seasonal ingredients to worry about.
These butter cookies are very similar texture wise to my Scottish Shortbread, which are as buttery and crumbly, but the difference is they also use cornflour and are rolled and cut with a cookie cutter.
For the sake of simplicity, the 3-ingredient butter cookies only require the use of a fork to slightly flatten them out and give them a rustic touch, but both cookie recipes are a winner, that's for sure.
Of course, they can be turned into some great Christmas butter cookies or Danish butter cookies but decorating them with sprinkles and icing, but that's entirely optional.
Jump to:
Ingredients used
- icing sugar - or confectioners' / powdered sugar
- butter - I like using salted butter for this recipe, but unsalted also works well
- flour - plain regular flour
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- melt the butter and allow it to cool slightly
- add the sifted powdered sugar and mix to combine
- sift in the flour, and knead everything into a dough
- wrap the dough in kitchen foil and refrigerate for 10 minutes
- preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit)
- use your hands to shape out dough balls the size of a walnut
- transfer the balls onto a baking tray and use a fork to slightly flatten the dough balls out
- bake for 15-17 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden
- remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool for 5 minutes onto the baking tray, before transferring them onto a cooling rack to cool down completely
- sprinkle them with extra icing sugar
Expert tips
The best thing about these cookies is that they do not spread at all in the oven, which means you don't need to worry much about spacing them too far apart on the baking tray.
If they do spread it must be because too much butter has been used - it is crucial to weight the ingredients for this cookie recipe, otherwise you will not get the same results.
I also tried using soften butter instead of melted butter, and I creamed that together with the icing sugar before adding the flour to the mixture. Both methods work very well!
If you want to turn them into Christmas butter cookies, you can roll the dough and use festive cookie cutters, then decorate them once they are out of the oven and cooled down completely. Or you can dip them into melted chocolate like with my Viennese Finger Cookies.
Recipe FAQs
The main reason the butter cookies spread in that too much butter has been used. It is crucial to keep the flour : butter ratio right and weight the ingredients, otherwise the dough consistency will be off.
While you can bake the cookies straight away, I always prefer chilling the dough for 10 minutes, especially if you use melted butter for the recipe. The cookies are less likely to spread in the oven.
Butter cookies last really well at room temperature for at least a week if stored in an airtight container.
If you’ve liked this recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM , YOUTUBE, TIK TOK , FLIPBOARD and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
3-Ingredient Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 200 g plain flour ( 1 ½ cups)
- 150 g butter ( ⅔ cup)
- 60 g icing sugar (confectioners' or powdered sugar) ½ cup
Instructions
- Melt the butter and allow it to cool slighly.
- Transfer the butter into a large mixing bowl, and sift in the icing sugar.
- Use a spatula to combine the 2 ingredients.
- Sift in the flour, and knead everything into a dough.
- Cover the dough in kitchen foil and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).
- Use your hands to shape out dough balls the size of a walnut.
- Transfer them onto a baking tray and use a fork to slightly flatten the cookies.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden.
- Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool down on the tray for 5 minutes, before transferring them onto a cooling rack to cool down completely.
- Sprinkle them with extra icing sugar.
Video
Notes
- The best thing about these cookies is that they do not spread at all in the oven, which means you don't need to worry much about spacing them too far apart on the baking tray.
- If they do spread it must be because too much butter has been used - it is crucial to weight the ingredients for this cookie recipe, otherwise you will not get the same results.
- I also tried using soften butter instead of melted butter, and I creamed that together with the icing sugar before adding the flour to the mixture. Both methods work very well!
- If you want to turn them into Christmas butter cookies, you can roll the dough and use festive cookie cutters, then decorate them once they are out of the oven and cooled down completely. Or you can dip them into melted chocolate like with my Viennese Finger Cookies.
Nutrition
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Laura says
Is this with salted or unsalted butter? Or does it not matter? 🤔
Daniela Apostol says
I used salted butter, I prefer it for cookies, but unsalted can be used too.
Stephanie says
I’ve made these twice before and have a batch chilling in the fridge as I write this because my grandson requested them. I often make different types of cookies but he wants these. We love them! I add some vanilla extract and a bit of almond extract as well. Yummy!
Daniela Apostol says
I am glad you like the recipe, indeed the cookies can be tweaked to one's liking.
Geoff Dawkins says
Just tried this. Excellent!
The only problem is they keep vanishing whenever I turn my back. Now I shall have to make more.
Daniela Apostol says
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback, it has made my day!
Tasha says
Just made these with gf flour using same measurements just added some orange essence...there lush😍
Can you freeze them 🤔
Daniela Apostol says
Yes, you can freeze them! I am glad you liked the recipe!
Mim says
Would be nice if the told us quantity of ingredients to use of each item so would love to make but can’t
Daniela Apostol says
The full recipe is written is the recipe card with amounts and detailed introductions.
Jenny Tessari says
Can you use GF flour and dairy free butter to make these cookies
Daniela Apostol says
I am afraid l do not use gf flour and l am unsure if that changes the texture of the dough in any way. It might be worth trying and see how it goes.
Vicki says
GF flour has a very similar texture to cornflour so if it were me I'd give it a go.