Buttermilk Cookies

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!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 10

Chill Time 1

Total Time 1 35

Servings cookies

Calories 181kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

Baking Sheets
Nonstick Parchment
Cookie Scoop (medium; about 1.5 Tablespoons in volume)
Offset Spatula

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

US Customary - Metric

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

Note on parchment: I like using nonstick parchment on my pans to ensure no sticking and for easier cleanup.

Note on 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.

Note on vanilla bean paste: I love the flavor of vanilla bean paste, and the beautiful flecks of vanilla bean it leaves in both the cookies and the frosting! If you don't have vanilla bean paste or prefer not to use it, you can use an equal measure of vanilla extract.

Note on cookie scoop: I used a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons in volume) to portion out my cookies so they’re all uniform in size (and my hands stay a lot cleaner).

Nutrition