These Buttermilk Cookies will make your day! They are soooo soft, cakey, and delicious! Their tangy sweetness and hint of vanilla are irresistible!
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These Buttermilk Cookies are soooo soft and cakey, and topped with buttermilk frosting! You'll love how simple, delicious, and versatile this recipe is! Appropriate for any season or occasion, you'll find yourself making them again and again!
If you enjoy this recipe, check out the posts for my Lemon Sugar Cookies, Sprinkle Cookies with Browned Butter, and Sweet Potato Cookies!
Ingredients
With some buttermilk and some fridge and pantry staples, you'll be whipping up these cookies in no time! Measurements for each of the ingredients are included in the recipe card, below.
Buttermilk Cookie Ingredients
- Flour - Provides structure for the cookies. I used all-purpose flour.
- Baking Soda - For leavening.
- Salt - To balance and enhance the flavors of the cookies.
- Unsalted Butter - For moisture and richness. Unsalted so that you control the amount of salt in the recipe. You want your butter to be at room temperature so it incorporates better with the other ingredients.
- Sugar - For sweetness and keeping the cookies moist.
- Egg - For moisture, richness, and a little leavening. You want your egg to be at room temperature.
- Vanilla Bean Paste - For flavor and lovely vanilla bean flecks in your cookies! If you prefer to substitute, you can use an equal measure of vanilla extract.
- Buttermilk - For flavor, richness, and moisture. Baked goods with buttermilk will always be sooo soft and fluffy!
Buttermilk Frosting Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter - The base of your frosting! Unsalted butter so that you control the amount of salt in the recipe. You want the butter to be at room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar - For sweetness, and because it dissolves completely, giving your buttercream a smooth, creamy texture. I sift my powdered sugar to ensure there are no lumps in the frosting.
- Vanilla Bean Paste - For flavor.
- Buttermilk - For moisture and flavor. You want your buttermilk to be at room temperature.
Hint: For best flavor and results, I do suggest using buttermilk in both the cookies and the frosting! If you prefer to substitute, check out the substitutions section below (or recipe card notes) for a quick and easy buttermilk substitution!
Instructions
Here's what you need to do to make these delicious cookies, step by step! More detailed instructions are included in the recipe card, below.
Making Buttermilk Cookies
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla bean paste and mix to combine.
- Alternate additions of the dry ingredients and buttermilk, mixing until just combined.
- Scoop dough onto baking sheets and chill for at least an hour before baking.
Making Buttermilk Frosting
- Beat the butter until smooth, then gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated.
- Add vanilla bean paste and buttermilk and mix to combine. Frost cooled cookies and enjoy!
Hint: Looking for recipes to use leftover buttermilk? Check out this post with 20+ Recipes Using Buttermilk for lots of ideas!
Substitutions
This recipe mostly uses pantry and refrigerator staples, so I have only two potential substitutions for this one:
- Instead of Buttermilk - For best flavor and results, I highly recommend using buttermilk! That said, you can make a quick substitution if you don't have buttermilk on-hand. For this recipe, put ¾ teaspoon vinegar OR lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup, then add enough milk (I find that 2% milkfat or greater works best) to come up to the ¾ cup line. Let sit for 5 minutes, then it's ready for use! This will make enough to substitute in both the cookies and the frosting with about one tablespoon left over.
- Instead of Vanilla Bean Paste - If you don't have it or prefer not to use it, substitute with an equal measure of vanilla extract.
Variations
These cookies, while completely delicious as written here, can be treated as a blank canvas for whatever flavor you're craving! Here are a few examples:
- Use flavored sugar instead of regular granulated sugar - Check out my recipes for Vanilla Sugar, Lavender Sugar, Strawberry Sugar, and Blueberry Sugar--they would all be delicious!
- Add some spice - Both the cookies and the frosting would be lovely with some cinnamon or cardamom!
- Experiment with extracts - Change up the flavor by adding different extracts instead of (or in addition to) the vanilla bean paste! Almond extract would be a fantastic addition!
- Get zesty - Add some lemon, lime, or orange zest to the cookies and/or frosting for a citrus flair!
- Change the frosting - Changing the frosting is such an easy way to completely change up the flavor profile! These cookies would be fantastic with Blueberry Buttercream, Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting, or Honey Lavender Buttercream!
Storage
The cookie dough will keep, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for a few days, or up to six months in an airtight container in the freezer. Once baked, the cookies will keep for about three days in an airtight container on your counter.
Other Recipes You May Like
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Buttermilk Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Scoop (medium; about 1.5 Tablespoons in volume)
Ingredients
Buttermilk Cookies
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
- ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature (see note)
Buttermilk Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
- 3 Tablespoons buttermilk, at room temperature
Instructions
For Buttermilk Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment (see note) and set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add egg and vanilla bean paste (see note) and mix to combine.
- With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add half the dry ingredients and mix until nearly incorporated. Gradually add half the buttermilk and let mix until nearly combined. Repeat this process with the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk, mixing until just combined.
- With a medium cookie scoop (see note), scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Place the cookies in the freezer for at least one hour before baking (this greatly improves the texture).
- Bake cookies until golden on the bottoms, 10-12 minutes. I turn the baking sheets around in the oven after 5 minutes to help promote even baking. The cookies are so soft that you may potentially think that they aren't done when you pull them from the oven. Look for the browning as a sign that they are baked through. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
For Buttermilk Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the vanilla bean paste (see note) and buttermilk and mix to combine. If the buttercream is too thick you can add more buttermilk. If too thin, you can add a bit more powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, top with the frosting.
- The cookie dough will keep, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for a few days, or up to six months in an airtight container in the freezer. Once baked, they'll keep for about three days in an airtight container on your counter.Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate.
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