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!
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.
First, I share steps to make classic circular cookies:
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
Certainly! I like to use whole wheat for the earthy flavor and because it is a bit healthier with more nutrients. However, you can swap all purpose flour if you prefer.
Swap traditional flour with your favorite gluten-free baking flour alternative to make tasty GF-friendly cookies.
Yes this recipe is easy to tweak for however many servings you need. As-is this recipe will make approximately 52 to 54 cookies, about 4 ½ dozen total. Simply halve or quarter the ingredients to make 1 or 2 dozen butter cookies. You can double the ingredients and work in batches to make over 100 cookies – perfect for the holidays and special celebrations!
Store the cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a week. The cookies can also be wrapped individually in plastic wrap, placed in an airtight bag together, and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost on the counter at room temperature for an hour or so.
More Cookies To Try!
World Recipes
Eggless Cookies & Biscuits
Eggless Cookies & Biscuits
Eggless Cookies & Biscuits
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.
Butter Cookies (Homemade & Whole Wheat)
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour – 240 grams
- 4 to 5 green cardamoms – seeds kept and husks removed, swap with ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 grams Butter unsalted and cold, about 7 to 8 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon baking powder or ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg powder
- 2 to 3 tablespoon milk cold or at room temperature, add more milk if required
- 3 tablespoons yogurt (curd)
- ½ cup raw sugar or white sugar or ¾ cup powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar – 125 grams
Instructions
Making cookie dough
- In a blender or grinder, add the sugar and seeds of 4 to 5 green cardamoms. Swap green cardamoms with vanilla extract, but add the vanilla when you add milk to the flour mixture at step 8.
- Grind to a fine powder. Keep aside. You can also use ¾ cup of powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar instead of grinding the sugar.
- In a mixing bowl, take whole wheat flour and baking soda or baking powder.
- With a spoon or spatula mix everything well.
- Add the cold or chilled butter. With your fingertips break the butter and mix with the flour. You can cut the butter with two knives too. This can also be achieved with a food processor or a stand mixer or a pastry cutter. If the butter melts while mixing with your hands, keep the mixture in the fridge for some minutes and then start again..
- Mix till you get a bread crumb like texture in the mixture.
- Add powdered sugar and grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg powder. Mix well with a spoon or spatula.
- Add yogurt. Lightly mix and then add 2 to 3 tablespoons milk. If using vanilla extract, add it at this step.
- Mix and gather the entire mixture together to a dough. Don’t knead.
- Keep the cookie dough covered in a bowl, in the fridge for 30 minutes.
making butter cookies
- Before baking and cutting the cookies, preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius/356 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the dough and spread some flour on the work surface as well as on the dough. Divide or cut the dough into two equal parts.
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough. Roll the dough to a thickness of 0.50 to 0.75 cms.
- With cookie cutters, cut the dough. Gather the remaining dough and again roll. Cut with the cookie cutters and repeat the process.
Baking butter cookies
- Then place the cookies in a baking tray with an inch space between them.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius/356 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 25 minutes or more till the cookies are light golden or golden.
- Once baked, remove when still hot and place them on a wired tray or rack. So that the cookies cool down.
- Once they cool down at room temperature, place them immediately in an airtight jar or box.
- Serve butter cookies plain or with milk or tea.
Notes
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This butter cookies recipe post from the archives, first published on December 2014 has been republished and updated on 5 November 2021.
Hi Dassana
Yesterday i made it and it turn out very good.My kid and husband love this.
Keep it up
khanjan, glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
I tried these biscuits today, really yummy n tasty.. your site is very helpfull for the beginners like me.
thanks lavanya for sharing positive feedback.
Hi,
So today I was having some free time and just surfing the net and somehow I landed on your page. I do admit that I was thinking of baking something for some time and it seems to be cosmic indication I landed at the cookie recipe page.
I have never baked earlier and this is my first time, and I must say due to your very simple detailed steps, I am able to bake 10-12 cookies by taking the ingredients proportionally. They turn out to be amazing with sweetness on the lower side but its amazing for the first try.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
thanks a lot vineet. nice to know. baking is very good, creative and therapeutic too. so do try baking more. you will amazed the way you can create different varieties of breads, cakes and cookies at home. these cookies are not overtly sweet as i have kept it that way.
Hi,
It is a wonderful recipe, simple and delicious !
My first baking experience and Thanks you for sharing it
welcome lakshmi. glad to know this.
hi dassana,
i always try your recipes .they are superb…..
but here i dont have microwave oven so please suggest me any other method
thanks pranit. you can make skillet or pan cookies. drizzle 1 to 2 tbsp of olive oil or add butter on a pan. on a low flame, place the cookies. cover and let them cook. when the base is browned, turn over and again cover and cook. depending on the heat source and the thickness of the pan, the cookies can cook faster or slower. the texture of cookies made this way will be different than the baked ones. these will have a softer texture.
Hi, Ur blog is just awesome with all details for a new person to start baking. I love this site 🙂
I tried this cookie last night and it didn’t turn up like urs:( . I always fail in cookies which am trying hard, i am not getting the wholesome brown color like urs.
I baked at 180 in top tray (usually my cookies bottom gets burnt if i keep in mid rack so trying in top tray which doesnt happen in top tray) , cookies are little hard not much hard, color is slight brown in bottom and I could sense the slight raw smell of wheat 🙁 . Almost till the time i took out from fridge it was same like ur pics. What would be my mistake? Als pls tell me how do we get even browning? pls help me
thanks kruba. these cookies are a bit dense due to whole wheat. raw smell should not be there. which means they should have been baked for a few more minutes. for even browning, i don’t do anything different. in my oven i have an issue where one side gets browned faster than the other side. so i rotate the tray to get an even color. for a nice golden color, you can also brush the cookies lightly with some milk or beaten eggs, if you use them.
Hi Dassana, can I use Ragi flour in place of whole wheat flour and follow the same steps?
savitha, can’t say how the cookies will turn out as i have never tried.
Cookies look just the perfect. I have one question. . why the butter should be slightly cold. .and why should we not use the creaming method here with butter n sugar
thanks pooja. cookies can be made both with creaming method and this method. the texture and taste depends upon the method used. you can make these cookies with creaming method also.
Hello
I am regular follower of your website. Want to know can we keep these cookies in air tight jar for 15-20 days. And which other cookies we can keep for longer period.
anu, yes you can store these cookies for 15-20 days. cookies which have milk or curd can not be stored for longer time at room temperature, unless kept in fridge.
Hi, I am new to your site and have spent some time browsing through your recipes. What strikes me is how you have tried to simplify the recipes by detailed photos and listing even the little but important steps. Today I tried this recipe and it came out very well. I liked that its not very sweet and I feel good about feeding my children healthier cookies. You dont miss the eggs at all. They rise well depite the absence of eggs and presence of wholewheat flour. This one’s a keeper for sure!! Next I want to play around with the flavors. Have you tried any? Thanks for such a simple but excellent recipe.
thanks a lot trupti. i agree that we should give our family healthy and wholesome food. i have not yet added any flavors. but was thinking of adding some orange juice and zest for an orangish flavor. you can also try adding some cocoa powder for a chocolate cookie.
Hi dassana
Can i use jaggery powder( khand in hindi) instead of white sugar?
sakshi, you can try. i don’t know how it will turn out.
Hi dassana.
Can i use jaggery powder( we call it khand in hindi)instead of white sugar?i mostly use khand in all my sweet recipes n used it in ur banana n apple cake recipe too so was wondering if i can use it here too:)
sakshi, thats good to know. jaggery is better than sugar for health. so give it a try.
Hi Dassana,
Tried this recipe today…. Cookies turned golden brown from bottom…. But the taste was good…. My husband and daughter like it very much….
Hi dassana,
Tried this recipe today…. The cookies turned golden brown from bottom… But the taste was good…. My husband and daughter like it very much…
thanks hanisha for sharing positive review. glad to know that everybody liked the cookies.
thanks for the feedback hanisha.
Hi dasanna,
Loved ur recipe. Please can u tell me whether yogurt n milk has to be at room temp or cold? Defintly gonna give it a try.
thanks namitha. they should be chilled. i will mention in the post also.
Hi dasanna I have ifb convection oven and I made the cookies today, first I set it for 20mins it came out very hard and with the remaining dough I set for 15mins I felt it has not baked well. Wat is the mistake pls let me know.i am a big fan of ur blog and I hv tried many curries and it has cm very well thank u for sharing with us ur amazing recipes
firstly thanks shobha. did you preheat the oven. also the hardness could be due to the uneven mixing of butter with flour. again the dough should not be kneaded. but just gently mixed. even a light kneading will spoil the texture of the cookies making them hard.
Thanks, will try again and let u know
welcome shobha