Butter cookies are a decadently rich yet wonderfully simple treat. They are lightly crispy and so delicious, and made with only a handful of pantry staples – including whole wheat, cardamom, and butter, of course. Here you’ll find step-by-step instructions with photos to make the best eggless butter cookies recipe.
About These Butter Cookies
Who doesn’t love a warm, crisp, and slightly chewy homemade cookie? We are certainly big fans, and make cookies from scratch on nearly a weekly basis. And because we enjoy cookies often, I tend to use eggless recipes and whole wheat flour for a healthy(ish) treat. But that doesn’t mean they are any less tasty than “traditional” baked goods!
These fantastic butter cookies are lightly spiced, perfectly crisp around the edges, and are super buttery through-and-through. They have just the right hint of sugar and are not as sweet as a sugar cookie. However, the taste is still indulgent and will certainly satisfy your sweet tooth.
Use this easy eggless butter cookies recipe to make a batch (or two!) to enjoy as a tea time snack, after dinner dessert, or even with a hot cup of coffee for breakfast. They are also great to package and gift during the holiday season. If you’re willing to share!
How to Make Butter Cookies
Make the Cookie Dough
1. In a blender or grinder, add ½ cup sugar and seeds of 4 to 5 green cardamoms (or add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder).
NOTE: If you do not have green cardamoms, then omit adding them. Add instead ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract at step 11.
2. Grind to a fine powder. Set aside. You can also use ¾ cup powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar instead of grinding the sugar to a powder.
3. In a mixing bowl, add 2 cups whole wheat flour (240 grams) and ½ teaspoon baking soda or baking powder.
You can add either baking soda or baking powder in this recipe. Baking soda gives a softer texture whereas baking powder gives a crisp texture.
4. With a spoon or spatula mix everything well. You can also choose to sift the dry ingredients instead of mixing them with a spoon or wired whisk.
5. Add 100 grams (about 7 to 8 tbsp) of chilled unsalted butter cut into cubes or shredded on a cheese grater.
6. With your fingertips break the butter and mix with the flour. You can cut the butter in the flour with two knives, too. This can also be achieved with a food processor or a stand mixer or pastry cutter.
If the butter melts while mixing with your hands, place the mixture in the fridge for several minutes until it firms up a bit, and then start again.
7. Mix till you get a bread crumb-like texture in the mixture.
8. Add the prepared powdered sugar and ¼ teaspoon of grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg powder to the butter and flour mixture.
9. Mix well with a spoon or spatula.
10. Now add 3 tablespoons yogurt. Here I am replacing egg yolks with yogurt. Don’t worry as they do not make the cookies taste sour. They also help in giving a lighter and softer texture in these cookies.
11. Lightly mix with a spoon, and then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold milk. At this point you can add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract if you have decided to omit green cardamoms.
12. Mix and gather the entire mixture together to a dough. Don’t knead.
2 Ways to Cut the Cookies: Sliced Circles or Fun Shapes
There are two different ways that you can shape and then bake the butter cookies. Either form the dough into a log and slice disc-shapes, or roll the dough out and use cookie cutters to make fun shapes.
First, I share steps to make classic circular cookies:
1. Make a log or roll of the dough. Cover with a cling film or place the rolled dough log covered in a bowl. Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
You can also divide the dough into parts. Roll each to a log. After refrigerating, slice them neatly to make smaller cookies.
2. After 30 minutes, remove and then slice the dough in 0.75 cm to 1.25 cm (1/3 to 1/2 inch) cookies. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) before you bake these cookies.
3. Place the butter cookies in a baking tray with an inch gap between them. You can also press some dry fruits in the center.
If you prefer line the baking tray with parchment paper and place the cookies on the parchment paper.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 25 minutes or more till the butter cookies are light golden or golden. Temperatures vary from oven to oven, so do keep a check whilst the cookies are baking.
TIP 1: For slightly moist and crumbly texture, don’t brown the cookies. For a crisp texture, brown the cookies lightly.
TIP 2: Depending on the size of the butter cookies, it may take more or less time for the cookies to bake.
TIP 3: Keep the cookie tray in the center rack if using an OTG. Don’t keep it on the tray touching the bottom heating rods. Or else the butter cookies burn from the base.
5. Once baked, remove while still hot and place them on a wired tray or wire rack to cool the butter cookies.
Here are steps to make butter cookies in fun shapes
1. Chill the dough without rolling in a log. After 30 minutes, remove the cookies dough and spread some flour on the work surface as well as on the dough.
You can also halve the dough and then roll each dough halve.
2. With a rolling pin, roll the dough. This rolling takes quite an effort. Roll the dough to a thickness of 0.50 to 0.75 cm (¼ to ⅓ inch).
3. Use your choice of cookie cutter shapes to cut the dough. Gather the remaining dough lightly and again roll. Cut with the cookie cutters and repeat the process.
Bake Eggless Butter Cookies
4. Then place the cookies in a baking tray with an inch gap between them. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 25 minutes or more till the butter cookies are light golden or golden.
TIP 1: These cookies can also be baked in the convection mode of microwave oven with the same temperature.
TIP 2: You can also bake the butter cookies in batches, if you have a small oven. Just place the cookies in the fridge before you bake them in batches.
5. Here is a photo of the baked cookies fresh from the oven.
6. Once baked, immediately remove the cookies with a spatula while still hot and place them on a wired tray or rack to cool.
7. Once they cool down at room temperature, enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea or milk.
FAQs
Certainly! I like to use whole wheat for the earthy flavor and because it is a bit healthier with more nutrients. However, you can swap all purpose flour if you prefer.
Swap traditional flour with your favorite gluten-free baking flour alternative to make tasty GF-friendly cookies.
Yes this recipe is easy to tweak for however many servings you need. As-is this recipe will make approximately 52 to 54 cookies, about 4 ½ dozen total. Simply halve or quarter the ingredients to make 1 or 2 dozen butter cookies. You can double the ingredients and work in batches to make over 100 cookies – perfect for the holidays and special celebrations!
Store the cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a week. The cookies can also be wrapped individually in plastic wrap, placed in an airtight bag together, and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost on the counter at room temperature for an hour or so.
More Cookies To Try!
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Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour – 240 grams
- 4 to 5 green cardamoms – seeds kept and husks removed, swap with ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 grams Butter unsalted and cold, about 7 to 8 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon baking powder or ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg powder
- 2 to 3 tablespoon milk cold or at room temperature, add more milk if required
- 3 tablespoons yogurt (curd)
- ½ cup raw sugar or white sugar or ¾ cup powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar – 125 grams
Instructions
Making cookie dough
- In a blender or grinder, add the sugar and seeds of 4 to 5 green cardamoms. Swap green cardamoms with vanilla extract, but add the vanilla when you add milk to the flour mixture at step 8.
- Grind to a fine powder. Keep aside. You can also use ¾ cup of powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar instead of grinding the sugar.
- In a mixing bowl, take whole wheat flour and baking soda or baking powder.
- With a spoon or spatula mix everything well.
- Add the cold or chilled butter. With your fingertips break the butter and mix with the flour. You can cut the butter with two knives too. This can also be achieved with a food processor or a stand mixer or a pastry cutter. If the butter melts while mixing with your hands, keep the mixture in the fridge for some minutes and then start again..
- Mix till you get a bread crumb like texture in the mixture.
- Add powdered sugar and grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg powder. Mix well with a spoon or spatula.
- Add yogurt. Lightly mix and then add 2 to 3 tablespoons milk. If using vanilla extract, add it at this step.
- Mix and gather the entire mixture together to a dough. Don’t knead.
- Keep the cookie dough covered in a bowl, in the fridge for 30 minutes.
making butter cookies
- Before baking and cutting the cookies, preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius/356 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the dough and spread some flour on the work surface as well as on the dough. Divide or cut the dough into two equal parts.
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough. Roll the dough to a thickness of 0.50 to 0.75 cms.
- With cookie cutters, cut the dough. Gather the remaining dough and again roll. Cut with the cookie cutters and repeat the process.
Baking butter cookies
- Then place the cookies in a baking tray with an inch space between them.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius/356 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 25 minutes or more till the cookies are light golden or golden.
- Once baked, remove when still hot and place them on a wired tray or rack. So that the cookies cool down.
- Once they cool down at room temperature, place them immediately in an airtight jar or box.
- Serve butter cookies plain or with milk or tea.
Notes
- The recipe can be halved, doubled or tripled.
- Note that the approximate nutrition info is for 1 small butter cookie.
Nutrition Info (Approximate values)
This butter cookies recipe post from the archives, first published on December 2014 has been republished and updated on 5 November 2021.
In Point no. 12, you advised dough to mix only and not to knead. Please advise the reason. Please also advise what will happen if we knead it.
Cookie dough are usually mixed in such a way that the end result yields crumbly light texture. Kneading will develop gluten strands in the dough which will lead to the dense and hard cookies. They will almost be like making cookies from a sweet aata dough – too hard and dense. Hope this helps.
Excellent clarification to my query and thanks a lot.
Is it the same criteria if we use flour (Maida) instead of atta (whole wheat flour)?
Also, in case of Maida, will there be any change in recipe?
Sorry for asking too many foolish questions.
No question are foolish. You can ask queries. We all learn. Everyday even I learn so much. Yes for maida also the same criteria. For maida, you will need to add less milk. So begin with 1 tbsp and add 1 tbsp more if needed. Maida being a fine flour always needs less liquids than wheat flour. Thanks and welcome.
Hi. Are these similar to sugar cookies? Do these expand when kept in oven or do they retain their shape?
No, these are not similar to sugar cookies. They retain their shape.
Hello Dasanna
I tried this recipe.but my dough was too runny .Please help!!
Hi Priyanka, I hope you used the correct measurements as it is not possible for the dough to be runny with the amount of milk and curd used. For any baking recipe like breads or cookies if this happens in future, then you can always add some more flour and this will help.
Hi.. I tried some of your recipes and they always turn out so well. I have become a big fan of yours. Moreover i am a vegetarian so i just love and trust all your recipes. Thinking to try baking cookies this time but i am a little diet conscious. Can i reduce the amount of butter for this recipe? And to prepare salted cookies, can i follow the same recipe eliminating sugar?
Regards
thanks a lot nisha. yes you can reduce the amount of butter. not only for this cookie recipe but any recipe. you can try with salt and add some cumin or ajwain. also add a bit of sugar to balance the saltiness. you will get a nice sweet-salt taste in the cookies.