3 Ingredient Butter Cookies
3-ingredient cookies are the easiest cookies you can make. They are made with just 3 ingredients, require one bowl, and are a perfect treat when you lack the time or just want something sweet without too many ingredients.
3-ingredient cookies are something you must try. I love to serve these as tea cookies and they somehow remind me of old-fashioned cookies, due to their simplicity.
The Easiest Recipe Ever
I have been making these cookies forever. I just love the fact they are made with minimum ingredients and that they do not require any special equipment. To make a batch of these cookies you only need flour, butter, and sugar.
That is it! There is no need for eggs, milk, or any other ingredients. They do require chilling time, but when compared to some other sweet treats, again they win first place when it comes to ease.
Can You Make Them Vegan Or Gluten-Free?
If you are following a specific diet, you can customize these cookies to meet your dietary needs. If you follow a vegan diet, choose a vegan-friendly sweetener, and instead of butter go with vegan butter, margarine, or vegetable shortening.
If you have gluten intolerance, then instead of plain flour use GF flour. The GF flour is a bit different from the plain flour, so make sure to add it gradually until you have a mixture similar to Play-Doh.
If your GF flour lack xanthan gum, make sure to add ¼ tsp of the xanthan gum to your mixture.
You can also use almond flour, instead of plain flour. Again, make sure you are adding it gradually. Also do not go with almond meal, as it will make your cookie dough coarse and crumbly.
With the almond flour, you will have something similar to macaron cookies, with crispy edges and a chewy center.
The Ingredients
- The flour – When it comes to the flour, for this recipe I always choose plain, all-purpose flour. I also made these with self-rising flour, and there is some difference.
- Cookies with self-rising flour are not that flat and have a lighter texture. Still, it does not mean the cookies with plain flour are bad. With all that butter inside, they are just perfect regardless of which four you use.
- The sugar – The classic among sugars, white sugar is my to-go here. The white sugar gives cookies some extra crunchiness, especially around the edges. If you want softer cookies, choose brown sugar.
- Also, keep in mind that your cookies will look a bit darker than mine if you use brown sugar. The cookies with brown sugar have more moisture and a slightly chewier center.
- The butter – Butter is the ingredient that keeps it all together and gives an amazing flavor. Instead of being called 3-ingredient cookies, we can call them butter cookies, as they have a perfect buttery taste.
Making The Cookies (Overview)
We’ll have a full recipe with ingredients and step-by-step directions, but here’s an overview of the process so you know what you’ll be getting into.
Making these cookies is more than easy. If you are an absolute beginner in the kitchen, then this recipe is perfect to master your skills. It involves measuring, beating, shaping, and baking.Â
As with any recipe, I advise that you weigh and measure your ingredients. Make sure your butter is room-temperature.
Beat the butter with sugar until you have a nice and smooth mixture. This means the sugar has melted somewhat and the butter is well creamed.
Sift in your flour. Sifting flour makes your cookie lump-free. Also, sift your flour before weighing it down, as any lumps may affect your measures.
In addition, the sifted flour is much lighter than the un-sifted version, and it is easier to mix in with the other ingredients.
Once you have your ingredients in a bowl, stir them with a spatula or mix with dough hooks on.
There are two ways to shape the cookies:
- The first one includes shaping the dough into a log, wrapping it in plastic foil, freezing for 30 minutes, then cutting the log into the cookies.
- The second method, the one I used, is shaping the dough into balls, rolling each through more sugar (which is optional), and pressing each with a glass-bottom.
Afterwards, you can freeze them for 15 minutes. After the cookies are frozen (we do this to prevent the cookies from overspilling) it is time to bake.
Bake the cookies for 14 minutes and cool them on a wire rack before serving.
3 Ingredient Butter Cookies
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 14 minutes
Yield: 16 cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar + 2 tbsp more for rolling
- 1 cup plain flour
Instructions
1. In a mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat together butter and sugar.
2. Sift in the flour and fold it using a spatula.
3. Roll the dough into 16 balls, or less if you want larger cookies.
4. To roll the balls through sugar, place around 2 tbsp sugar on a plate.
5. Roll the balls through the sugar and transfer the balls on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
6. Press each cookie with a bottom of a glass and pop the cookies in a freezer for 20 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F.
8. Bake the cookies in a heated oven for 14 minutes.
9. Cool the cookies on a wire rack before serving.
3 Ingredient Butter Cookies
These butter cookies are as easy to make as they are delicious!
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar + 2 tbsp more for rolling
- 1 cup plain flour
Instructions
1. In a mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat together butter and sugar.
2. Sift in the flour and fold it using a spatula.
3. Roll the dough into 16 balls, or less if you want larger cookies.
4. To roll the balls through sugar, place around 2 tbsp sugar on a plate.
5. Roll the balls through the sugar and transfer the balls on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
6. Press each cookie with a bottom of a glass and pop the cookies in a freezer for 20 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F.
8. Bake the cookies in a heated oven for 14 minutes.
9. Cool the cookies on a wire rack before serving.
All this recipe are good
I made these cookies and they were so good. My family loved them so I definitely will be making these again. Thank you for such a great tasting and simple recipe