Butterball Cookie Recipe

a pink tray of white butter cookies stacked on top.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

This easy classic butterball cookie recipe is perfect any time of year!

Prep Time20

Cook Time16

Total Time36

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 98kcal

Author: Paige

Cost: $10-$15.00

Equipment

large baking sheet
parchment paper
Measuring Spoons
Electric Hand Mixer
2 medium-sized bowls
Food Processor - optional
Sifter or whisk for flour
1 ½" cookie scoop or spoon
wire cookie cooling rack

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup Whole Pecans, toasted See Note
2 cups All-Purpose Flour, sifted
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 Sticks (one cup) Butter, unsalted, room temperature
1 cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
½ cup Powdered Sugar for tinting, optional
½ cup Freeze Dried Strawberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toast the pecans by spreading them out on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F degrees. Let them cool, then crush with a rolling pin (set the nuts inside a plastic bag) or use a food processor until finely ground. You don't want any big chunks of pecan.
In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, salt, cinnamon and ground pecans. Whisk together to combine.
In another medium-sized bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium, beat the butter and one cup of powdered sugar until it's light colored and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally with a spatula.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter - in two or three batches - beating it together on low and just until it's incorporated. Don't over mix.
Using a cookie scoop or spoon that's one tablespoon in size, place the dough on the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies 2 " inches apart. Note that these cookies don't spread much.
Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets in the oven half-way through (see note) for a total of 14-16 minutes, until set and just barely golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Sift the remaining ½ (half) cup of powdered sugar and place it in a bowl. When the cookies are cooled, roll them in the powdered sugar and serve.
To make tinted cookies, crush the freeze-dried strawberries to a fine dust with a food processor or rolling pin (put the freeze dried strawberries in a large plastic bag first) and crush with a rolling pin until it's dust.
Add this to the half cup of sifted powdered sugar, and mix to combine. Toss the cookies in this mixture for tinted cookies.

Notes

Toast the pecans on a large baking sheet for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool completely, then crush with a rolling pin (set the nuts inside a plastic bag first) or use a food processor until finely ground.
Use other freeze dried fruits if you'd like, such as blueberries, mango, raspberries and blackberries.
To rotate baking sheets, the halfway point of baking is a good time to do so. If you have one sheet of cookies on the top rack and one sheet on the bottom rack of the oven, switch their positions and turn them 180 degrees. Rotating ensures even baking if you are baking two trays at the same time. You can also bake one sheet of cookies at a time instead.

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