Cookies
3 Ingredient Butter Cookies
Light, crisp butter cookies made with butter, powdered sugar, and flour, piped into small swirls and baked until lightly golden.
By PedroPublished August 8, 2026 · Updated August 8, 2026i
Estimated total time. This covers the full recipe from start to finish, including prep, chilling, baking, and cooling. Some of that time is hands-off.
I like recipes that ask for a few ordinary ingredients and still make you slow down for one useful detail. Here, that detail is the butter. Once it is beaten with the powdered sugar until pale and light, the dough becomes soft enough to pipe into small rounds or swirls.
The photos from this batch show the whole change, from the bowl of ingredients to the cookies on the tray. The dough may look dry when the flour first goes in, but it comes together as you keep mixing. That is the point to stop and fill the piping bag.
The 30-minute chill is part of the recipe, not an extra step. It gives the piped cookies time to hold their shape, then the oven finishes the edges with a light golden color. Let them sit on the tray until cool before picking one up.
Ingredients for 3 Ingredient Butter Cookies
There are only three ingredients here, so I weigh each one before I start. The butter should be soft with a little melt to it, which helps the dough become smooth enough to pipe.
- 220 g buttersoftened and slightly melted
- 110 g powdered sugar
- 250 g all-purpose flour
How to Make 3 Ingredient Butter Cookies
Line two baking sheets before you begin. The cookies need a 30-minute chill after piping, then bake one tray at a time on the middle rack.
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 180°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat butter and sugar
Put the softened, slightly melted butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is very pale, light, and fluffy.
Mix in the flour
Add the flour gradually, mixing on low speed at first. Once most of it is incorporated, increase the speed slightly and mix only until the dough changes from dry and crumbly to soft, smooth, and cohesive. It should hold its shape when piped.
Fill the piping bag
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large plain or open star tip.
Pipe the cookies
Pipe small round cookies or swirls directly onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between them.
Chill the trays
Refrigerate the baking sheets for 30 minutes so the piped cookies keep their shape in the oven.
Bake and cool
Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack for about 15 minutes, until the edges begin to turn lightly golden. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before moving them because they are delicate while warm.
Tips that make a difference
- Beat the butter and powdered sugar for the full 5 minutes because the pale, fluffy mixture is the starting point for a dough that pipes cleanly.
- Stop mixing as soon as the dough is soft and cohesive because it only needs to be firm enough to hold its shape in the piping bag.
- Chill the piped cookies for 30 minutes so they keep their shape during baking.
- Cool the cookies fully on the baking sheet because they are delicate and crumbly while warm.
I like the quiet simplicity of these cookies. A short ingredient list still leaves you with something that looks carefully made once the edges turn lightly golden.
Save this recipe
3 Ingredient Butter Cookies
Light, crisp butter cookies made with butter, powdered sugar, and flour, piped into small swirls and baked until lightly golden.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 180°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- 2Beat butter and sugar
Put the softened, slightly melted butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is very pale, light, and fluffy.
- 3Mix in the flour
Add the flour gradually, mixing on low speed at first. Once most of it is incorporated, increase the speed slightly and mix only until the dough changes from dry and crumbly to soft, smooth, and cohesive. It should hold its shape when piped.
- 4Fill the piping bag
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large plain or open star tip.
- 5Pipe the cookies
Pipe small round cookies or swirls directly onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between them.
- 6Chill the trays
Refrigerate the baking sheets for 30 minutes so the piped cookies keep their shape in the oven.
- 7Bake and cool
Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack for about 15 minutes, until the edges begin to turn lightly golden. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before moving them because they are delicate while warm.
Questions you might have
How many cookies does this recipe make?
The recipe makes about 24 cookies. The exact number depends on the size and shape you pipe.
Why does the butter need to be softened and slightly melted?
The recipe uses softened, slightly melted butter so the dough becomes smooth enough to pipe after it is beaten with the powdered sugar.
How long should I beat the butter and powdered sugar?
Beat them with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is very pale, light, and fluffy.
Do I need to chill the piped cookies?
Yes. Refrigerate the baking sheets for 30 minutes so the cookies keep their shape while baking.
How do I know when the cookies are baked?
Bake them for about 15 minutes, until the edges begin to turn lightly golden.
Why should the cookies cool on the baking sheet?
They are delicate and crumbly while warm, so let them cool completely on the baking sheet before moving them.
