French Buttercream Cookies are light and buttery and the perfect cookie to brighten up any holiday dessert table. Add some food coloring to this simple French Butter cookie dough or just sprinkle some colored sugars on the top for a pretty dessert perfect for sharing. These soft and buttery treats are so good, it’s hard to eat just one at a time.

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French Buttercream Cookies

Cookies are the hallmark of our family’s Christmas season. Our mom starts baking cookies right after Thanksgiving so she has enough time to make the dozen or so varieties that will grace festive holiday plates, boxes and platters.

From the mail carrier to our teachers, anyone and everyone who touched our lives would receive an assortment of our mom’s baking treasures during the Christmas seasons of our childhood. While she has limited her distribution list in recent years, Mom still expresses her love through her cookies!

While cookies featuring chocolate are still my number one choice, these French Buttercream Cookies have always been a favorite choice from the cookie platter.

Perfect Flavor and Texture

I love these delicate little sugar cookies. The butter gives them an addictive flavor while the powdered sugar makes the most delectable texture.

It’s truly hard to eat just one. But since they are on the smaller size, it’s no big deal. Go ahead and have several at a time.

They pair perfectly with a glass of milk or mug of hot chocolate or coffee.

French Butter Cookies

What makes this French butter cookie recipe so great is that you can change up with coloring to make them fit whatever you are celebrating.

For Christmas, tint the dough red or green or simply use red or green colored sugar crystals on the top of each cookie. For Easter or birthdays, use pastel colors of your choice. You get it where I’m going with this, right? Or you can add a frosting to the top.

The ingredients for these French Buttercream Cookies are simple and you probably have all of them in your pantry and refrigerator.

Ingredient List

Powdered Sugar (confectioners sugar)
Baking Soda
Cream of Tarter
Salt
Room Temperature butter
Large Egg
Vanilla Extract
All Purpose Flour

How to Make French Buttercream Cookies

Step by Step Instructions

In a large bowl, add together all ingredients, except for the flour. Combine with a mixer (stand mixer or electric mixer) on low speed for 1 minute.
Gradually add the flour to mixture until well mixed.
Tint the dough (if desired).
Cover and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes until dough can be rolled into balls.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet or one lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Flatten each cookie with a fork in a criss-cross pattern. Dip fork into flour if it sticks to dough.
Bake for 7-8 minutes or until set but not brown.
Remove from oven and let cookies rest on the pan on top of a cooling rack for 1 minute.
Take cookies off baking sheet and let cool on wire rack.

Storage Instructions

Store cookies in an airtight container. They also can be stored in the freezer if you want to bake them a few weeks ahead.

Find the full recipe for French Butter cookies at the bottom of this post.

Recipe FAQs

Start with the butter at room temperature.
Be sure to chill the dough before shaping, and rechill the dough, if needed. This will help prevent the cookies from spreading.
These cookies are not supposed to be brown. Remove them from the oven before they get to that point.

How to customize French Butter cookies for Christmas?

Tint the dough green or red with food coloring.
Leave these plain, or top with holiday-themed sprinkles or colored sugars.
Top with edible glitter in Christmas colors.

Linking up to Meal Plan Monday.

French Buttercream Cookies are light and buttery and the perfect cookie to brighten up any holiday dessert table.

Print Recipe

French Buttercream Cookies

The dough for these French Buttercream Cookies can be tinted to make them extra festive for any occasion and be sure to add colored sugar crystals on top.

Prep Time40

Cook Time8

Total Time48

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: French Butter cookies, French Buttercream Cookies

Servings:

Calories: 72kcal

Author: Megan

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour

Instructions

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT flour on low speed with a mixer for 1 minute.
Add flour and blend at low speed until well mixed. It will begin to form a large ball of dough.
Tint dough with food coloring if desired (not required).
Chill dough for a minimum of 30 minutes. Feel free to chill for several days in the refrigerator. I like to wrap my dough in plastic wrap.
Shape into 3/4-inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet about two inches apart. If the dough begins to warm up, it may be necessary to put the dough back in the fridge to chill it between each pan.
Flatten each cookie ball with a fork (dip fork in flour if it sticks to dough).
Sprinkle each cookie with colored sugars, sprinkles or edible glitter.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 7 to 8 minutes until set but NOT brown.
Let cookies stand on cookie sheet for about 1 minute. Remove cookies from pan and cool on rack.

Notes

What makes this butter cookie recipe so great is that you can change up with coloring to make them fit whatever you are celebrating.
- For Christmas, tint the dough red or green or simply use red or green colored sugar crystals on the top.
- For Easter or birthdays, use pastel colors of your choice.
Store the cookies in an airtight container.
Want to bake ahead? Just stick these cookies in the freezer and pull them out when you need them. They will stay good for several weeks if frozen.
Looking for some more Christmas cookie options? Try our Mom’s Dainty Logs and Chocolate Crinkles.
The nutritional information below is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used.