You Can Make Classic Butter Cookies With 3 Simple Ingredients

Butter cookies are straightforward to make and delicious every time. With just a handful of ingredients, these classic treats are perfect for last-minute get-togethers. Sure, many recipes call for eggs or yolks, but you really only need sugar, cake flour, and butter. These three ingredients form the basis of almost any cookie, namely shortbread and sugar cookies. The key difference, however, is the ratios. Butter cookies have, as you might have guessed, a higher proportion of butter to the other ingredients. Importantly, the butter in this recipe should be softened as opposed to melted. The latter case makes for crispy and chewy baked goods, which are better suited to thin cookies, like your classic chocolate chip. The former results in a softer dough, a perfect sturdy base that won't crumble. 

For every part sugar, add two parts butter, and then use four parts flour. So, if you have half a cup of sugar, use one cup butter, and two cups flour. Just be cautious of the type of flour and sugar you use. Cake flour will make the cookies just a little softer because it has less gluten than standard. Then, powdered sugar specifically keeps the dough particularly light and gives the baked goods their soft, smooth interior. If you only have granulated sugar on hand, this can be used as a substitute, but just keep in mind that the final result will be a denser and chewier bite. Don't worry, though, it will still be just as tasty.

Even with just three ingredients, these cookies can be altered to suit dietary needs and customized for flavor. You can add peanut butter and replace some (but not all!) of the butter itself. For the first try, it's best to follow a peanut butter cookie recipe to avoid throwing off the ratios and ending up with a sticky dough. A splash of vanilla will add a subtle enhancement, or you could keep the recipe intact, but dip half of the finished cookies into a chocolate ganache, making them picture-perfect for serving to guests. For plant-based diets, vegan butter is a one-to-one replacement and mimics the flavor and texture almost unnoticeably.

Ratios will need to stay consistent even with alterations. If you skimp on the flour, you'll end up with shortbread. Not a bad thing in and of itself, but not what you're going for. Once your dough is prepped, you can either pipe it onto baking paper for a rougher texture — or you can roll it out and use cookie cutters for uniform shapes. The taste will be the same, but the piped option presents more surface area to crisp up.