Butter Cookies | Easy Eggless Butter Cookies Recipe (2024)

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!

Step-by-Step Guide

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.

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 them with a cup of coffee, ginger tea or milk.

FAQs

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

This butter cookies recipe post from the archives, first published on December 2014 has been republished and updated on 5 November 2021.