There's something irresistible about an old community cookbook, where the recipes are short on instructions and somebody's grandmother apparently assumed you were born knowing how to bake. I found these old-fashioned butter cookies tucked into the 1966 Dallas Women of Rotary Cookbook, and they're everything a good cookie should be: crispy edges, tender centers, and a rich, buttery brown sugar flavor that tastes almost like pecan pralines. Roll them in red and green sparkling sugar for Christmas, add a pecan half, and you've got a holiday cookie that looks like you fussed without actually having to.
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🥰 Is this butter cookie recipe for you?
- Love crispy edges and tender centers? These old-fashioned butter cookies deliver both, with a rich, buttery praline flavor.
- Need an easy Christmas cookie? Red and green sparkling sugar makes them festive without requiring a piping bag or an advanced degree in cookie decorating.
- Prefer simple, old-fashioned recipes? Basic pantry ingredients, a short chill, and just 12 minutes in the oven.
- Making holiday cookie trays? These little pecan-topped beauties look fancy enough to impress Aunt Mildred, who hasn't complimented anything since 1987.
If you want to make these ahead get all the tips in how to freeze cookies and cookie dough.
🧾 Ingredients
Just some everyday ingredients that somehow turn into cookies with the rich, buttery flavor of pecan pralines. Here's what you'll need, along with a few things you should know before you start.
- Butter: Use real butter. Margarine and shortening can sit this one out.
- Brown sugar: Packed firmly into the measuring cup. This is where that rich, almost praline-like flavor comes from. The darker the sugar, the more flavor.
- Egg: One large egg holds everything together. Somebody has to keep order around here.
- Vanilla: The good stuff, please. We're making cookies from 1966, not punishing ourselves.
- All-purpose flour: Nothing fancy. Plain old flour has been getting the job done for generations.
- Baking powder: Gives these little beauties just enough lift without turning them into cupcakes.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and makes all that buttery goodness shine.
- Colored sugar: Red and green sparkling sugar dresses these up for Christmas without requiring a single artistic bone in your body.
- Pecan halves: One on top of each cookie for a little crunch and old-fashioned Southern charm. Pecans are practically a food group in Texas.
📖 Recipe
Old-Fashioned Butter Cookies
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Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Mix the flour with baking powder and salt.
- Stir into butter mixture until completely mixed and a soft dough forms.
- Chill for 15 minutes if dough is too sticky to roll into balls.
- Shape dough into balls about the size of a walnut using a scant tablespoon.
- Roll in colored sugar and place on parchment covered cookie sheet.
- Press down gently with the bottom of a glass then press a pecan half into the center.
- Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes, or until the edges are set. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Dark brown sugar gives more of a praline flavor but produces a darker cookie.
- I used salted butter because vintage recipes almost always just used what was on hand - most often salted butter.
- You could press half a candied cherry into the center instead of a pecan half.
- Roll in plain granulated sugar for year 'round yumminess.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
🧈 Cookies spread too much: Your butter may have been too soft or the dough too warm. Chill the dough for 15 to 30 minutes before rolling into balls if it feels too soft or sticky. We're making cookies, not pancakes.
🧈 Cookies are hard instead of tender: Too much flour or overbaking can turn these little beauties into hockey pucks. Measure flour carefully and start checking at 12 minutes. Mine were done at 195°F when I inserted an instant-read thermometer into the cookie beside the pecan. You could take them up to 205°F if you want them crunchier.
🧈 Colored sugar won't stick: Roll the dough balls in sparkling sugar before flattening them. If the dough feels too dry, let it warm up for a few minutes so the sugar can cling.
🧈 Pecans fall off: Press each pecan half gently but firmly into the flattened dough before baking. They're supposed to be part of the cookie, not escape at the first opportunity.
🧈 Cookies seem too soft: Let them cool completely before judging the texture. That's when the edges become crisp and the centers settle into their tender, buttery perfection.
👩🏻🍳 FAQs
Yes! Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes if it's too firm to roll into balls or the sugar doesn't stick. Here are more make-ahead cookies.
Not at all! Regular granulated sugar works beautifully if you're making these outside the Christmas season. You can also leave off the pecans, although you'll miss out on a little of that wonderful praline flavor.
Use softened, room-temperature butter, not melted. It should be soft enough to cream easily with the brown sugar but still hold its shape. Melted butter can cause the cookies to spread more than we'd like, and we're making butter cookies, not little pecan-studded Frisbees.
🍽 Related recipes
🏡 There's something special about bringing a recipe from 1966 back to life, especially when it turns out this good. These are the cookies I'd happily tuck into a Christmas tin for a neighbor, pile onto a holiday cookie tray, or serve with coffee while pretending I haven't already eaten six.
Sometimes the old recipes really are the best ones. Especially when they don't require a piping bag, three hours of decorating, or divine intervention.
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