Melt-Away Butter Cookies
Submitted by Gibbie
Melt-away butter cookies with vanilla and almond extract, pressed with a cookie gun and optionally dipped in chocolate with chopped pecans. Yields 7 dozen.
YIELD
7 dozenPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minThree ingredients do all the work here: 1 ¼ cups butter, powdered sugar, and flour. That’s it for the base. The result is a cookie so tender it dissolves on your tongue before you finish chewing. The name isn’t an exaggeration.
Powdered sugar instead of granulated is the reason these melt the way they do. Granulated sugar creates a slightly gritty texture and more structure. Powdered sugar dissolves completely into the butter during creaming, producing a dough that’s smooth, ultra-fine, and bakes into something that barely holds together before crumbling apart in your mouth.
Vanilla and almond extract together create a more complex flavor than either one alone. The almond adds a subtle, almost cherry-like sweetness that rounds out the vanilla.
These are designed for a cookie press (cookie gun), which stamps out uniform shapes quickly from the soft dough. The press gives them crisp, detailed edges that look professional and bake evenly. Seven dozen cookies from one batch means they’re built for holiday cookie platters and gift tins.
The chocolate-tipped variation takes them over the top. Half of each cookie dipped in melted semisweet chocolate and rolled in finely chopped pecans turns a simple butter cookie into something you’d pay good money for at a bakery.
Kitchen Tips
- Cream the butter until very light and fluffy. The air you beat in is what makes them tender
- The dough needs to be soft enough to press through the cookie gun but firm enough to hold its shape. If it’s too soft, chill for 10 minutes
- Bake at 325°F (160°C) for exactly 15 minutes. These should not brown on top. Golden edges are fine, but browning means they’ll be crispy instead of melt-away
- Let the chocolate set completely on wire racks before storing. Stacking before the chocolate firms smudges the coating
Variations
- Lemon butter cookies: Replace almond extract with lemon extract and add a teaspoon of lemon zest
- Espresso dipped: Add a teaspoon of instant espresso to the melted chocolate for a mocha-flavored dip
- Sprinkle finish: Skip the chocolate and press colored sprinkles into the center of each cookie before baking for a festive look
Ingredients
Directions
Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add flour and mix well.
Stir in flavorings and food coloring, if desired.
Use a cookie gun to shape dough as desired, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.
Cool on wire racks.
Store in airtight container.
Chocolate-Tipped Butter Cookies Melt together semisweet chocolate morsels and shortening. Dip half of each prepared butter cookie in chocolate mixture. Roll chocolate-dipped portion in finely chopped pecans. Place cookies on wire racks until chocolate is firm. NOTE: Melt-Away Butter Cookies call for a cookie gun to shape the dough. With a cookie gun, you can stamp out a wide variety of perfectly shaped cookies in a minimum of time, making this piece of equipment a practical investment for someone who does a lot of baking and entertaining. You’ll find both electric and hand-pump models of cookie guns available in most kitchen shops or department stores. Most are constructed so that you can make mints, cheese straws, and canapes as well as cookies. Since the models differ in construction, follow the specific manufacturer’s directions for assembling and loading the gun.
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