Butter Cookies for the Holidays (Banh Bo)

Butter Cookies (Banh Bo) are simply irresistible and this 6-ingredient recipe is fail-proof. These buttery and crispy cookies make awesome holiday sweets or delicious everyday treats. The Butter Cookies are baked to golden perfection, light and crispy with just the right amount of sweetness. One of my favorite things about this cookie recipe is there’s no rolling and cutting dough. This Butter Cookie recipe uses a cookie press so cookies are super easy and fast to make and perfectly uniform. Love it! Once you make cookies with a good cookie press, you won’t go back to the roll-and-cut method ever again. Turn these Butter Cookies into festive holiday treats by decorating them with colored sugar, sprinkles and assorted candies. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to decorating cookies. It’s a wonderfully fun activity for the whole family and even the little kiddies can join in too. Happy Holidays!

Jump to Video Jump to Recipe Card

Notes on the Butter Cookies (Banh Bo) Recipe, Tips and Tricks

The butter and egg should be at room temperature. About an hour before starting this recipe, remove from the fridge and set on the counter.

This recipe makes cookie dough for using with a cookie press. You can still enjoy this wonderful recipe even if you don’t have a cookie press. Simply roll the cookie dough into small balls and then flatten with a spatula or spoon. Alternatively, use a small cookie scoop to transfer the dough to a baking sheet and then flatten the mounds. Adjust the baking time accordingly for larger-sized cookies.

The cookie dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 week. The dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the cookie dough come to room temperature before pressing into cookies and then baking.

To make Pandan Butter cookies, substitute the vanilla extract with 1/4 tsp Pandan paste. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are brown.

Store the Butter Cookies in an air-tight container and enjoy within the week. Butter Cookies can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

This recipe can be easily double, tripled, etc. to make more cookies. The recipe yields approximately 6 dozen (72) cookies. This may seem like a lot, but the cookies are bite-sized and so good, they’ll go fast!

Watch the video for instructions.

If you enjoy this Butter Cookies (Banh Bo) recipe, you may also like:

Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies

Coconut Macaroons (Banh Dua)

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies 

Butter Cookies / Holiday Butter Cookies / Banh Bo

Ingredients

Dough
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour

Decorations
sprinkles and nonpareils in holiday colors
sanding sugar: red, green, white and blue
assorted candies in holiday colors

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C).

In a mixing bowl, add the sugar, salt and butter. Using a flat beater and on Medium Low speed, cream together the ingredients until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract while continuously beating until incorporated. On Low speed, gradually add the flour. Beat until well incorporated, (dry flour is no longer visible), approximately 2-3 minutes. Scrape the dough off the flat beater and down the sides of the bowl. Mix together for another 30 seconds.

Transfer some dough into a cookie press with the desired decorative disk attached. Pack the dough in the barrel eliminating any large gaps. Press the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet making the desired number of cookies. Swap out the disk and make cookies in other shapes.

Sprinkle the cookies with assorted colored sugars, sprinkles and candies.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are brown. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through the baking time so the cookies brown evenly.

Use a spatula to transfer the hot cookies to a wire rack.

Let cool for a few minutes before enjoying.

Yields: 6 dozen cookies

* Adapted from recipe by Fraya Berg, Oxo friend

Print

Butter Cookies / Holiday Butter Cookies / Banh Bo

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, Asian, International, Vietnamese

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 72 cookies

Calories: 35 kcal

Author: Trang

Butter Cookies are simply irresistible and this 6-ingredient recipe is fail-proof. These buttery and crispy cookies make awesome holiday sweets or delicious everyday treats. The Butter Cookies are baked to golden perfection, light and crispy with just the right amount of sweetness. One of my favorite things about this cookie recipe is there's no rolling and cutting dough. This Butter Cookie recipe uses a cookie press so cookies are super easy and fast to make and perfectly uniform. Love it! Once you make cookies with a good cookie press, you won't go back to the roll-and-cut method ever again. Turn these Butter Cookies into festive holiday treats by decorating them with colored sugar, sprinkles and assorted candies. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to decorating cookies. It's a wonderfully fun activity for the whole family and even the little kiddies can join in too. Happy Holidays!

* Adapted from recipe by Fraya Berg, Oxo friend

Ingredients

Dough

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large egg , at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Decorations

• sprinkles and nonpareils in holiday colors
• sanding sugar: red, green, white and blue
• assorted candies in holiday colors

Standard - Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C).

2. In a mixing bowl, add the sugar, salt and butter. Using a flat beater and on Medium Low speed, cream together the ingredients until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract while continuously beating until incorporated. On Low speed, gradually add the flour. Beat until well incorporated, (dry flour is no longer visible), approximately 2-3 minutes. Scrape the dough off the flat beater and down the sides of the bowl. Mix together for another 30 seconds.

3. Transfer some dough into a cookie press with the desired decorative disk attached. Pack the dough in the barrel eliminating any large gaps. Press the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet making the desired number of cookies. Swap out the disk and make cookies in other shapes.
4. Sprinkle the cookies with assorted colored sugars, sprinkles and candies.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are brown. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through the baking time so the cookies brown evenly.
6. Use a spatula to transfer the hot cookies to a wire rack.
7. Let cool for a few minutes before enjoying.

Recipe Video

Notes, Tips & Tricks

• The butter and egg should be at room temperature. About an hour before starting this recipe, remove from the fridge and set on the counter.
• This recipe makes cookie dough for using with a cookie press. You can still enjoy this wonderful recipe even if you don't have a cookie press. Simply roll the cookie dough into small balls and then flatten with a spatula or spoon. Alternatively, use a small cookie scoop to transfer the dough to a baking sheet and then flatten the mounds. Adjust the baking time accordingly for larger-sized cookies.
• The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 week. The dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the cookie dough come to room temperature before pressing into cookies and then baking.
• To make Pandan Butter cookies, substitute the vanilla extract with 1/4 tsp Pandan paste. Bake at 375 F (190 C).
• Store the Butter Cookies in an air-tight container and enjoy within the week. Butter Cookies can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
  Nutrition Facts

  Butter Cookies / Holiday Butter Cookies / Banh Bo

  Amount Per Serving

  Calories 35 Calories from Fat 18

  % Daily Value*

  Fat 2g3%

  Saturated Fat 1g6%

  Cholesterol 7mg2%

  Sodium 9mg0%

  Potassium 5mg0%

  Carbohydrates 4g1%

  Sugar 1g1%

  Vitamin A 60IU1%

  Calcium 1mg0%

  Iron 0.2mg1%

  * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.