With just six simple ingredients, these holiday butter cookies are simple but taste absolutely delicious. They are soft, crumbly, and perfect for any occasion!
Using the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and powdered sugar at medium speed for about 3 or 4 minutes. Then add the vanilla and integrate it well.
Use another bowl to combine salt, flour, and cornstarch and combine the ingredients well. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and combine at medium speed until the dough forms. If the dough is too sticky, transfer to a heavily floured workspace and knead until soft.
Now cover it with plastic paper and chill it in the fridge for at least 1 hour. You need to chill for at least an hour, but you can chill overnight or even leave it there until the next day. This will make it easier to shape it!
Now, preheat the oven to 370°F for about 10 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper if necessary.
Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and shape it into a small ball. Then place the balls over the baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. You'll notice that the cookies might feel slightly undone, but don't overcook them!
Remove from the oven and let them cool a bit. When they are still a little warm, roll the cookies in powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
Room temperature ingredients. Room-temperature butter will mix more easily with sugar, resulting in a lighter, fluffier cookie!
Use real butter. Margarine just won't cut it, so make sure to use real, unsalted butter for optimal flavor.
Don't overmix the dough. When you overmix, the gluten in the flour gets activated and makes the cookies tough. So rather than mixing until the dough is completely smooth, stop as soon as the ingredients are just combined. Your dough should look a little crumbly at this point and that's perfectly normal!
Do not use cookie cutters on this dough. Though you might be tempted to use cookie cutters, using them on this dough typically ends up with a sticky mess. If you want cute shapes, check out these Christmas sugar cookies instead!
Dip or frost after cooling: If you would like to decorate these cookies, do so after the cookies have completely cooled.