Our Best Butter Cookie Recipes

By Charlotte Grainger

Taste of Home's Editorial Process

Updated: Feb. 02, 2021

Tender butter cookies are a special treat for any occasion. Shake up your baking game with our best recipes.

1 / 14

Take a look at our step-by-step guide on how to make butter cookies.

2 / 14

Taste of Home

Lemon Butter Cookies

These tender cutout cookies have a slight lemon flavor that makes them stand out from the rest. They're very easy to roll out compared to other sugar cookies I've worked with. I know you'll enjoy them as much as we do. —Judy McCreight, Springfield, Illinois

Go to Recipe

3 / 14

Lemon-Lime Butter Cookies

I was looking for a light cookie that would freeze and travel well and couldn't find one, so I created these. They are so good you won't be able to eat just one.—Brenda Brooks, Bowie, Maryland

Go to Recipe

4 / 14

Two-Tone Butter Cookies

During the hectic holiday season, you'll appreciate the ease of these irresistible butter cookies from Kathy Kittell of Lenexa, Kansas. It's wonderful to pull the two-tone dough from the freezer and bake a festive batch in no time.

Go to Recipe

5 / 14

Gooey Butter Cookies

As a native of St. Louis, I wanted to make a cookie version of the famous gooey butter cake. And although many gooey butter cake recipes use a cake mix, these cookies are made from scratch. —Julia TenHoeve, Richmond, Virginia

Go to Recipe

6 / 14

Mom's Buttermilk Cookies

I treasure my mother’s recipe for these comforting cookie pillows. The tender treats are topped with thick frosting and a sprinkling of chopped walnuts. —Jane Darling, Simi Valley, California

Go to Recipe

7 / 14

Butter Meltaways

Beech Grove, Indiana field editor Sue Call suggests, "Add variety to this recipe by substituting lemon flavoring for the vanilla plus a teaspoon of lemon peel."

Go to Recipe

8 / 14

Thumbprint Butter Cookies

These buttery little rounds add beautiful color to a platter of treats. Fill the thumbprint in the center with any fruit preserves you like. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Go to Recipe

9 / 14

Frosted Butter Cutout Cookies

I have fond memories of baking and frosting these cutout cookies with my mom. Now I carry on the tradition with my kids. It's a messy but fun day! —Sandy Nace, Greensburg, Kansas

Go to Recipe

10 / 14

Lemon & Rosemary Butter Cookies

Cooling lemon and aromatic rosemary make these butter cookies stand out at the holidays. I use them to punch up the cookie trays for potlucks or as gifts.—Elizabeth Hokanson, Arborg, Manitoba

Go to Recipe

11 / 14

Taste of Home

Berry-Filled Butter Ribbons

Tangy boysenberry is an unusual for a cookie, but it goes well with chocolate. I change the sprinkles and even the type of chocolate to suit the season.—Amy Sauerwalt, Columbia, Maryland

Go to Recipe

12 / 14

13 / 14

Butter Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Butter Cookies

This great butter cookie recipe is a favorite of my nephews, who love the creamy frosting. —Ruth Griggs, South Hill, Virginia

Go to Recipe

14 / 14

Taste of Home

Chocolate-Tipped Butter Cookies

These wonderfully moist morsels are too tempting to resist. They melt right in your mouth. Rather than sprinkling the chocolate tips with nuts, you can roll them in red and green jimmies or leave them plain. —Charolette Westfall, Houston, Texas

Go to Recipe

Originally Published: November 13, 2018

Author

Charlotte Grainger

Charlotte Grainger is a creative feature writer, with a flair for food, health and lifestyle pieces. Her work has been seen in a number of national publications including Beyond Words Magazine, Reader's Digest and Psychologies. When she’s not typing away, you can find her trying out new recipes or binging Netflix shows— sometimes simultaneously...