Eight-Trick Butter Cookies
Submitted by bristolian
One butter cookie dough, eight different cookies. Drop cookies, snowballs, butter fingers, cinnamon balls, chocolate mint creams, and more from a single batch.
YIELD
5 to 6 dozenPREP
20 minCOOK
15 minREADY
1 hrsOne dough, eight cookies. That’s the deal with this vintage butter cookie recipe, and it’s why it belongs in every baker’s back pocket. The base is a classic: butter creamed with powdered sugar, one egg, vanilla, and a flour blend leavened with baking soda and cream of tartar for a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb.
From there, you can go in almost any direction. Drop them plain with a candied cherry on top, or chill the dough and shape it into snowballs rolled in powdered sugar, cinnamon-dusted balls, or slim refrigerator slices topped with coconut or walnuts. The chocolate mint cream version adds melted unsweetened chocolate and gets sandwiched with peppermint frosting.
The key to all eight variations is starting with properly creamed butter. Beat it until it’s pale and fluffy before adding the sugar, so the cookies stay light rather than dense.
Chef Tips
- Cream of tartar paired with baking soda acts as the leavener here. Don’t substitute baking powder, the ratio is different
- Chill the dough thoroughly before rolling or shaping. Warm dough spreads too much and loses its shape
- For rolled cookies (butter crispies), flour the surface and cutter generously. This dough is soft and sticks easily
- Powdered sugar cookies like the snowballs need two rolls: once while warm, once after cooling, for a thick white coating
Variations
- The recipe itself includes eight built-in variations: snowballs, butter fingers, jewel clusters, cinnamon balls, butter crispies, butter thinsies, chocolate mint creams, and molasses spice crisps
- Pick two or three versions from a single batch of dough for a diverse holiday cookie box with minimal effort
Ingredients
Directions
BAKE at 400℉ (200℃).
Sift together flour, soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
Cream butter.
Gradually add sugar, creaming well.
Blend in egg and vanilla; beat well.
Add the dry ingredients gradually; mix well.
Drop by half teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
Top with candied cherry half or walnut half.
(Or shape as directed in following variations, using ungreased baking sheets.)
VARIATIONS: For snowballs: Stir in 1½ cups Funsten’s Walnuts, chopped or ground.
Chill dough.
Shape by teaspoonfuls into balls. Roll warm cookies in confectioners’ sugar.
Cool, roll again in sugar.
For Butter Fingers: Stir in 1 cup Funsten’s Nuts, chopped, ½ cup chopped well-drained maraschino or candied cherries.
Chill dough.
Shape by teaspoonfuls into oblong finger cookies.
Bake 8 to 12 minutes.
Roll warm cookies in sugar.
Cool, roll again in sugar.
For Jewel Clusters: Blend in 1 teaspoon grated orange rind, 2 teaspoons orange juice, ½ cup mixed candied fruit and 1 cup Funsten’s Nuts, chopped.
Drop by half teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
For Cinnamon Balls: Chill dough.
Shape by teaspoonfuls into balls, then roll in mixture of ¼ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons French’s Cinnamon.
For Butter Crispies (rolled cookie): Chill dough.
Roll out on well-floured surface to ⅛ inch thickness.
Cut into desired shapes with floured cutters.
Bake 5 to 8 minutes.
For Butter Thinsies (refrigerator cookie): Chill dough.
Shape into rolls, 2 inches in diameter.
Wrap in waxed paper; chill at least 2 hours.
Cut into ⅛ inch slices.
If desired, sprinkle with chopped coconut or Funsten’s Nuts.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes.
For Chocolate Mint Creams: Stir in 2 squares (2 ounces) melted unsweetened chocolate.
Chill dough. Shape into rolls, 2 inches in diameter.
Wrap in waxed paper; chill at least 2 hours.
Cut int ⅛ inch slices. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Cool. Spread half of cookies with Peppermint Frosting. Top with remaining cookies. For Molasses Spice Crisps: Stir in ¼ cup molasses, 2 teaspoons French’s Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon French’s Ginger and ½ teaspoon French’s Nutmeg. Chill dough. Roll out on well-floured surface to ⅛ inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with floured cookie cutters. Bake 6 to 8 minutes.
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