These butterball cookies will look absolutely stunning alongside all your other holiday treats, and they'll taste fantastic too! They're one of my all-time favorite Christmas cookies, and once you see how easy they are to make, they'll be one of your favorites too!
These butterball cookies are strikingly similar to Russian Tea Cakes, but this recipe doesn't call for any nuts.
They're a great option if you're baking with nut allergies in mind, but even if you don't have a nut allergy, they're still pretty darn delicious. Plus, they're so simple that even your little ones can lend a helping hand in the kitchen!
🥘 Ingredients
For Cookie Dough
- Butter (soft)
- Powdered Sugar
- Pulp from one Vanilla Pod
- Cake Flour
For Rolling
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Sugar (homemade or store-bought)
See the recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
The first thing you'll do is mix together your unsalted butter, sugar, and vanilla pulp for about 5 minutes until they're well combined and creamy. If you have an electric mixer, be sure to use a whisk attachment. Believe me, your arms will thank you!
Next, add in your all-purpose flour and your corn starch, and then knead the ingredients into a dough using the dough hook.
Once your cookie dough is the right consistency, you'll wrap it in plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
After your cookie dough has had enough time to chill, you can preheat your oven to 355 °F (180 °C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
With the help of a teaspoon, cut out the cookie dough, shape it into small 1-inch balls, and cover the baking sheet with them.
Bake on the middle shelf for about 10-12 minutes until light brown.
Mix the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar and roll the hot cookies in it.
After cooling, store in an airtight cookie tin.
🥜 Variations
If you and your guests don't have a nut allergy, ground nuts can be incorporated into the dough. The nuts incorporate a whole new dimension of flavor and make the cookies more crunchy.
🍽 Equipment
- Hand or Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment and Dough Hook
- Mixing Bowl
- Cling Film / Plastic Wrap
- Teaspoon - for cutting out little cookie dough balls
- Baking Tray
- Parchment Paper
🌡 Storage
This recipe will make about 40–60 cookies, so unless you're hosting a huge, extravagant Christmas party, you'll likely be left with some leftovers. These butterball cookies will keep for about two weeks as long as they're kept in an airtight container, like a cookie tin!
🙋🏻 FAQ
If your cookie dough balls are falling flatting the oven, the most likely culprit is you're not using the right ratio of flour, sugar, and butter.
You should always, always, always pay close attention to how recipes ask you to incorporate butter. In baking, using melted butter adds moister to your dough and allows your cookies to take on a chewy consistency. If you use softened butter, your cookies will be more airer and cakier.
What temperate you use for your butter really all depends on how you want your cookies to come out. If you use melted butter, you'll get a chewier cookie, but if you like something more airy with a cake-like consistency, you should use softened butter.
One of the really nice things about this recipe is you can prep it in 10 minutes or less! If you're hosting a big party, you can even roll out the balls once the cookie dough has had enough time to chill and pop them in the freezer until your guests have arrived. Adding the powdered sugar on top, fresh out of the oven, makes these cookies taste absolutely divine. This recipe is granted to be a huge hit and will likely become everyone's favorite cookies!
Other Cookie Recipes for You to Try
- Baking Basics for Christmas Cookies
- Walnut Meringue Cookies
- Divine Leftover Egg Yolk Cookies
- How to make delicious Linzer Cookies with Egg Liqueur
- Austrian Coconut "Busserl" Cookies - Like Granny's
If you make this recipe, let me know how you liked it by ★★★★★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. This would be awesome! You can also sign up for our Newsletter or follow me on Pinterest or Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @combinegoodflavors and hashtag #combinegoodflavors, so I don't miss it.
📖 Recipe
Yummy Butterball Cookies
Equipment
- Hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment and dough hook
- Cling film
- Teaspoon for cutting out little cookie dough balls
- Baking tray
- Baking Paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter soft
- ¼ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 Pulp from one Vanilla pod
- 1 ½ cups Cake flour
- ½ cup Cornstarch
For rolling
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- 1 ¼ tablespoon Vanilla sugar homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- Mix 1 cup Butter, ¼ cup Powdered sugar, and 1 Pulp from one Vanilla pod for about 5 minutes until creamy (whisk attachment).1 cup Butter, ¼ cup Powdered sugar, 1 Pulp from one Vanilla pod
- Mix in 1 ½ cups Cake flour and ½ cup Cornstarch and then knead into a dough using the dough hook.1 ½ cups Cake flour, ½ cup Cornstarch
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 355 °F (180 °C) and line baking sheets with baking paper.
- With the help of a teaspoon, cut out the dough, shape it into small balls, and cover the baking sheet with them.
- Bake on the middle shelf for about 12 minutes until light brown.
- Mix 1 cup Powdered sugar and 1 ¼ tablespoon Vanilla sugar and roll the hot cookies in it.1 cup Powdered sugar, 1 ¼ tablespoon Vanilla sugar
- After cooling, store in a cookie tin.
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
⛑️ Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For further information, check Safe Food Handling - FDA.
Alexandra says
What a lovely cookie - they really are melt in your mouth, and they're very simple to prepare with a small ingredient list. These cookies will be so popular in our festive Christmas cookie box!
Nora says
Thank you Alexandra! I am happy you liked them!
Andréa says
Always in need for a great cookie recipe and this certainly is one. It melts on your tongue and has a great flavor. Thanks for sharing!
Nora says
Thank you so much, Andréa! I am glad you liked it!
Padma says
Ah! These cookies sound perfect for dunking in hot chai. Cannot wait to try them!
Nora says
That sounds like a great combo! Let me know how it tasted!
Jean says
Two things are certain: these are delicious and they do melt in your mouth. Yummy!
Nora says
Thank you, Jean! 🙂