Basic butter cookies
Have you ever been in a situation where you urgently needed some cookies? Perhaps solely for yourself because you simply crave something sweet and comforting. Or maybe to casually impress someone without having to spend too much time and energy. Or possibly because you are nearly off to a social gathering and require a small but personal host gift. I have just the thing. These butter cookies take less than 30 minutes to make, which in most cases is quicker than going to a store and buying ready-made ones. There is also no need to chill them prior to baking. These butter cookies are impossibly simple yet still rich and indulgent without being overly sweet. They are soft and crumbly at the same time; they make you want to have more yet they are quite filling.
I usually make them with either whole wheat or oat flour, or a combination of both. Speaking of oat flour, the only thing separating you from having it in your kitchen is the time it takes to throw some oats into a blender and process them into fine powder. However, these cookies are great even with white flour so use whatever you like or have available. I prefer to use raw sugar for its caramel flavour, and its coarseness translates into crystallization which adds an interesting texture. But once again, you can use whichever sugar you want or experiment with various types. And lastly but importantly, since nobody probably has butter lying around at room temperature but most baking situations require it, an easy way to get there is to warm it up in a microwave at half power for about 30-45 seconds. You want it soft, not melted.
Butter cookies ingredients:
- 225g butter
- 1/2c raw sugar
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3tsp salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 2c flour (in this case 1c whole wheat and 1c oat)
Directions:
- Turn your oven up to 160C (320F). Meanwhile, place 225g of butter, 1/2c of sugar, 1tsp vanilla extract and 1/3tsp salt into a bowl and cream together on high until light.
- Add the egg yolk and beat again until well combined.
- Slowly stir in 2c of flour and increase the speed to medium-high to blend well.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl to form a ball of dough. This is not necessary but it makes it easier to work with the dough and form your cookies.
- Shape your cookies however you want. I like using an ice cream scoop but I have also previously made them by dropping heaped spoonfuls of dough onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. They will spread a little while baking.
- Once baked place them onto a wire rack and let cool for a few minutes. This step is somewhat essential if you are intending to package them.
Otherwise, put them on a platter and dig in! They tend to finish almost as quickly as they are put together.
