Description
These classic butter cookies are soft, buttery, and beautifully swirled, partially dipped in rich melted chocolate and adorned with festive sprinkles. Perfect melt-in-your-mouth treats for Christmas celebrations or any holiday gathering, combining simple ingredients for a timeless taste and elegant presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (126g) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) milk
Chocolate Dip and Decoration (Optional)
- 10 oz Ghirardelli Chocolate Wafers
- Sprinkles of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a large cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat to prepare for baking.
- Mix Butter and Sugar: In a stand mixer, combine the room temperature unsalted butter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is well combined and creamy, ensuring a smooth base for your cookies.
- Add Egg Yolks and Extract: Incorporate the three large egg yolks and the vanilla or almond extract into the butter-sugar mixture. Beat again until fully blended, which helps to enrich the dough with flavor and moisture.
- Add Dry Ingredients and Milk: Gradually add the all-purpose flour and salt to the wet mixture, beating until the dough begins to form. Then add the milk and continue beating until you achieve a stiff dough consistency, perfect for piping.
- Prepare Piping Bags: Fit a large piping bag with an Ateco 825 large open star tip. Place about 1 cup of cookie dough into another large piping bag, pressing the dough down firmly. Then insert this dough-filled bag into the bag with the piping tip, facilitating easy piping of swirl shapes.
- Pipe Swirling Cookies: Pipe large swirls approximately 1 ½ inches wide on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow room for spreading during baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake one tray at a time in the preheated oven for 9 to 11 minutes until edges are lightly golden but the centers remain soft.
- Cool Cookies: Remove the baked cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer them carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt Chocolate: Once the cookies are fully cooled, melt half of the chocolate wafers in a microwave-safe bowl on 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring in between to prevent burning. Continue until smooth and fully melted.
- Dip and Decorate: Dip the cooled cookies partially into the melted chocolate, tap off any excess gently on the bowl’s side, then place them on a sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Add sprinkles immediately if desired for festive flair.
Notes
- To Store: Keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. For chocolate-dipped cookies, ensure the chocolate is fully set before storing and separate layers with wax paper. Consume within 1 week for plain cookies, 3-4 days for dipped ones.
- To Freeze: Freeze cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container with wax paper between layers if dipped in chocolate. Thaw at room temperature before serving. Best enjoyed within 3 months.
- Use an Ateco 825 large open star piping tip to achieve the classic swirl shape.
- Do not overfill piping bags; use about 1 cup of dough per bag for better control and easier piping.
- Initially piping cookies might be challenging; the dough softens with handling making it easier with practice.
- If piping issues occur, reshape the dough with fingers or clear piping tip blockages with a knife.
- If a swirl doesn’t look right, scrap it back into the bowl to try piping again.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 55mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
