Amazing 3-ingredient butter cookies in 10 mins

I’m Alex, and if you’re like me, sometimes you just don’t have the time or the energy for a long recipe list. You know that feeling? That craving hits, and you need something delicious and buttery right now. Well, I found the secret to stopping that craving in its tracks. I want you to forget everything you think you know about baking being complicated because we are diving into the world of **3-ingredient butter cookies**!

Seriously, these cookies are pure joy captured in a simple batch. We’re talking about incredibly satisfying, melt-in-your-mouth goodness achieved with just flour, sugar, and butter. That’s it! For me, these **3-ingredient butter cookies** are proof that exceptional food doesn’t need complexity; it just needs the right, simple steps. When you pull that first golden tray out of the oven, you’ll understand the peace I found when I mastered these simple sweets. Welcome to Pure Cooking Joy, where we find happiness right here in the kitchen. You can read more about my journey and why I believe in food made with simple ingredients.

Why These 3-Ingredient Butter Cookies Are Your New Favorite Simple 3 Ingredient Baking Recipe

If you’ve been looking for a recipe that delivers maximum flavor with minimum effort, welcome home! These 3-ingredient butter cookies are an absolute game-changer. They are the epitome of **fast cookie baking** because you can literally have warm cookies cooling before most other recipes even finish chilling their dough.

• They require zero specialized equipment—you can honestly do this all by hand!
• Perfect for those moments when you need a **Last Minute Cookie Recipe**.
• They are naturally egg-free, making them fantastic for those with dietary needs.

Minimalist Baking: Just Three Core Components

This is what I call true **minimalist baking**. We are relying only on **flour, butter, and sugar cookies**, and trust me, that combination is magic on its own. If you’re new to baking, these are the most **beginner-friendly cookies** you can tackle. It really builds confidence when you see great results from something so simple.

Texture and Flavor Profile of Our 3-Ingredient Butter Cookies

What you get is the absolute richest, most intensely buttery cookie imaginable. They have that lovely, delicate crumb that just dissolves in your mouth—true **melt in your mouth cookies**! The edges get just slightly golden, creating a wonderful crispness that pairs perfectly with that soft center. Honestly, they taste like the best, creamiest **buttery shortbread style** cookie you’ve ever had, but without any extra fuss.

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Gathering Ingredients for Perfect 3-Ingredient Butter Cookies

Since we only have three players in this delicious show, their quality matters so much! You really notice the flavor when there’s nothing else to hide behind. When you look at the list for these **3-ingredient butter cookies**, you’ll see we don’t need anything fancy, which is why this **simple 3 ingredient baking** method works so well.

I always recommend using the best butter you can find, because that’s where 90% of the flavor comes from in these treats.

Ingredient Specifics and Preparation Notes

Here is exactly what you need. Notice that this recipe is naturally full of **no egg cookies** goodness:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, importantly, it must be softened to room temperature. Don’t use melted, or they won’t cream right!
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (also called confectioners’ sugar).
• 2 cups all-purpose flour.

This small ingredient list helps us achieve that wonderful, light texture and keeps these **3-ingredient sweets** so incredibly fast to put together.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Fast Cookie Baking

Okay, we have our three simple components ready to go. This process is honestly so fast, which is why I rely on this recipe when I need **effortless weeknight dinners** or a quick treat like these cookies. Don’t stress over timers; just follow the visual cues, and you’ll be fine!

First things first, we need to get that oven warmed up. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). While that’s heating, which takes no time at all, line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Trust me, parchment paper is my best friend for any **quick dessert recipe**; cleanup is practically non-existent!

Mixing the Dough for Your 3-Ingredient Butter Cookies

Grab your largest bowl. We start by creaming the softened butter and the powdered sugar together. You want to beat those two until they look light and fluffy—think pale yellow, not just combined wetly. This step creates tiny air pockets, which is key to getting that lovely texture later on. Remember what I always say about bread? The first step matters! Once it’s fluffy, gradually mix in the two cups of flour. Stop mixing as soon as you see the flour disappear and a soft dough forms. If you keep mixing after that, you’ll toughen up these delicate cookies, and we definitely don’t want that!

Shaping and Baking Your 3-Ingredient Butter Cookies

Now for the fun part! Take your dough and roll it into little balls—aim for about 1 inch in diameter. Place them on your prepared sheets, leaving a little space between them, though they don’t spread wildly. Pop them into the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. This is lightning fast! You are looking for the edges to turn just lightly golden brown. If the tops still look pale, that’s perfect! They’re done. Let them sit right there on the sheet for about 5 minutes before moving them to cool completely. You can find more tips on quick prep that lets you get back to enjoying life over on my weeknight guide.

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Tips for Success When Making 3-Ingredient Butter Cookies

Because we are working with such a stripped-down recipe, knowing a few tricks ensures these **Easy Butter Cookies** come out flawlessly every single time. My goal is always for you to feel like a baking champion, even when you’ve spent less than 15 minutes prepping!

The most important thing is paying attention to your butter temperature. If your kitchen is warm, or if you hurried the softening process and the butter is slick and greasy, your cookies will spread out into lacy puddles instead of firm little discs. If you notice the dough feels too soft before you shape them, just pop the whole bowl into the fridge for 15 minutes. That brief chill makes rolling so much easier!

If you wanted that beautiful, rustic look, you can take that dough and, instead of rolling it into balls, press it evenly into a 9-inch pan. Score it into squares or wedges before it goes into the oven. When these come out, they look just like classic shortbread, which is a fun presentation boost for your **Teatime Snacks**.

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Remember what the recipe notes mentioned about texture? If you truly crave that super crisp edge, I found that baking them for an extra minute or two helps. Just keep a close eye on the edges because they go from perfectly golden to slightly burnt quite fast! It’s worth the monitoring to get exactly the crispness you love. For more tips on making your simple bakes shine, check out what I’ve learned over on my main blog page.

Storage and Serving Suggestions for Your 3-Ingredient Butter Cookies

The best part about these **3-ingredient butter cookies** is that they are stable—they hold up really well! Storing them correctly is key to keeping that **melt in your mouth** texture perfectly preserved. I always keep mine in a rigid cookie tin or an airtight container once they are completely cool.

And I mean completely cool. Putting warm cookies into a container is like sealing in steam, and that moisture will soften those crisp edges right up. We want them to stay buttery and slightly crisp, not soft and cakey!

They are fantastic just as they are, plain and simple—perfect for **teatime snacks** alongside a strong cup of coffee. But if you want to dress them up just a tiny bit without adding extra ingredients to the recipe itself, grab some powdered sugar. A light dusting over the top right before serving makes them look so much more special, honestly. It gives them a lovely, snowy finish that just says, “Here, enjoy this simple moment!”

Variations on Classic 3-Ingredient Butter Cookies

One of the greatest joys of **minimalist baking** is how easily you can customize a recipe that starts from such a simple base. These **3-ingredient butter cookies** are excellent naked, of course, but they also handle additions beautifully without turning into a totally different recipe. You’re not overloading them; you’re just whispering in an extra layer of flavor!

I never feel guilty adding just one extra thing because it keeps us firmly in the realm of **easy butter cookies**. My absolute favorite way to jazz things up is by adding a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract right when I’m creaming the butter and powdered sugar. That hint of vanilla really wakes up the buttery flavor—it just tastes richer!

Another trick that I adore, especially if I’m planning to serve these as savory-leaning **teatime snacks**, is adding just a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt to the dry ingredients. Not regular table salt—flaky sea salt! That little bit of sparkle on top contrasts wonderfully with the sweetness. When these come out of the oven, they turn into these sophisticated little bites that no one will ever guess took five minutes to mix together.

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If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can incorporate a teaspoon of almond extract instead, but be careful! Almond extract is much stronger, so a little goes a very long way to give these **simple 3 ingredient baking** treats a completely different personality. Honestly, just pick one addition, stick to it, and enjoy how much personality you brought to this super basic cookie.

Frequently Asked Questions About 3-Ingredient Butter Cookies

When you’re making something this simple, sometimes the details matter even more! I get a lot of questions about substitutions and timing for these **3-ingredient butter cookies**, which just proves how much everyone loves how incredibly easy they are. Let’s clear up a few things so your baking session goes perfectly smooth.

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter in these 3-ingredient butter cookies?

That’s a great question, especially since we are relying so heavily on the butter flavor! You absolutely can use salted butter if that’s what you have on hand. But here’s the catch: since there is no added salt in this recipe, the saltiness in the butter will really come through. Since these are meant to be sweet, buttery treats, I usually recommend using unsalted so you are in total control. If you use salted, I’d skip adding any extra salt if you decide to try a variation later. They still make great **3-ingredient sweets**, they’ll just taste a little more savory.

What is the best way to soften the butter quickly for these Easy Butter Cookies?

We need the butter soft—squishy like room temperature playdough, but not melted—and sometimes it feels like time is against us! The microwave is dangerous because it tends to create hot spots where the butter melts instantly, and melted butter means flat cookies. Here is my safe trick for **fast cookie baking**: cut your cold butter into small, roughly 1-inch cubes. Put those cubes in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 15% power for about 5 to 10 seconds at a time, tossing them in between. It takes a little longer, but you maintain a better overall texture than just blasting it on high. This keeps them ready for creaming without sacrificing the final cookie texture!

Can I make these 3 Ingredient Butter Cookies ahead of time?

Yes, you definitely can, which makes them perfect for planning ahead for holidays or just having ready for guests. You have two options here! You can chill the dough, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to three days. When you’re ready to bake, just let it sit out for about 20 minutes to soften slightly before rolling into balls. Alternatively, these **easy butter cookies** store beautifully once cooled. Keep them in that airtight container we talked about, and they stay fresh for at least a week. You can even share photos of your successful baking on my Facebook page if you want to tag me!

Nutritional Estimates for 3-Ingredient Sweets

Look, I always say that if you’re going to eat a cookie, you might as well enjoy it, right? These **3-ingredient butter cookies** are wonderfully simple, but because they are essentially butter, sugar, and flour, they are definitely a treat! This recipe is not meant for counting every single calorie, but I know some of you like to have a general idea of what you’re enjoying when you whip up these **3-ingredient sweets**.

Below you’ll find the approximate nutritional breakdown based on serving one cookie. Remember, this is always an estimate because the exact fat content in your butter or the brand of flour you use can change the final numbers. Think of this as a helpful guideline rather than a precise measurement, okay?

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 110
• Fat: 7g (mostly saturated fat from the butter—that’s where the flavor is!)
• Carbohydrates: 10g
• Sugar: 4g
• Protein: 1g

When you’re baking something this straightforward, knowing the estimates helps balance things out. But truly, the joy you get from these **easy butter cookies** when you need a **quick dessert recipe** makes tracking them worth it!

Share Your Simple 3 Ingredient Baking Success

And just like that, we’re done! Can you believe how quickly we went from zero ingredients to a whole batch of the most perfectly buttery, crumbly **3-ingredient butter cookies**? I genuinely hope you feel that sense of pure joy I get every single time I make these. They are the definition of food made for sharing, aren’t they?

Now, I really want to hear what you thought! Did they live up to the ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ promise? Were they the perfect **teatime snacks** you needed on a busy afternoon? Please take a moment to leave a rating right below this section. Your feedback helps others who might be hesitant about trying **simple 3 ingredient baking** realize just how easy and rewarding this recipe is.

If you snapped a photo of your beautiful, simple cookies—maybe you opted for a light dusting of powdered sugar, or perhaps you tried one of the variations—please share it! Tag me online. It connects us, and honestly, seeing your successes is the greatest reward for me here at Pure Cooking Joy. If you have any lingering questions after trying them out, please don’t hesitate to reach out via my contact page. Happy baking, friends!

The Ultimate 3-Ingredient Melt-in-Your-Mouth Butter Cookies (No Eggs)

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You can make these incredibly simple, buttery cookies with just three ingredients. They bake quickly and have a satisfying melt-in-your-mouth texture, perfect for a last-minute sweet treat.

• Author: purejoyalex
• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 12 min
• Total Time: 22 min
• Yield: About 2 dozen 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

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• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and powdered sugar until the mixture looks light and fluffy. You can do this by hand or with a hand mixer.
3. Gradually add the all-purpose flour to the butter mixture. Mix until just combined and a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
4. Roll the dough into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter, or shape the dough as desired. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown. They will look pale on top.
6. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

• For a shortbread style cookie, press the dough into a 9-inch pan and score before baking.
• If you want a crispier cookie, bake for an extra minute or two, watching carefully to prevent burning.
• You can dust these easy butter cookies with a little extra powdered sugar after they cool for presentation.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 110
• Sugar: 4
• Sodium: 35
• Fat: 7
• Saturated Fat: 4.5
• Unsaturated Fat: 2.5
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 10
• Fiber: 0
• Protein: 1
• Cholesterol: 25