Meltaway Cookies
These meltaway cookies are soft, buttery, and unbelievably tender—exactly the kind of cookie that keeps everyone reaching for one more. With just a few simple ingredients, they bake up into the lightest, most delicate cookie you’ll ever make.
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The texture is dreamy, and there is simply no other cookie like it. This is one cookie recipe that needs to be added to your holiday baking list, like these French Christmas Cookies!
Why You'll Love these Cookies
You’ll love these meltaway cookies because they’re unbelievably soft and buttery, with a delicate texture that literally dissolves the moment you take a bite.
They use just a handful of simple ingredients, like my Chocolate Dipped Butter Cookies, and come together quickly. They make the perfect little treat for holidays, parties, or anytime you want something sweet without a lot of fuss.
Let's Gather The Ingredients
How To Make These Cookies
- Step 1: In a large bowl, add the butter, egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Step 2: Using a hand mixer,r blend just until smooth.
- Step 3: Add in the powdered sugar, flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda, and mix. The dough will appear to be crumbly.
- Step 4: Work the dough with your hands until it comes together.
- Step 5: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Step 6: Use a glass or your fingertips and flatten the dough. Bake!
Recipe Tips
- Make sure you use real butter.
- Use softened—not melted—butter
- You can work it with your hands to help it stick together.
- I recommend having some silicone baking mats or parchment paper for your baking sheets.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Don't press the cookies too flat.
- If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- If you like a lot of icing, you may want to double the icing recipe.
Recipe Faq's
A meltaway is a soft, buttery cookie that literally melts in your mouth. They’re very similar to shortbread or Russian tea cakes but even lighter and more tender.
Because the dough is so light and buttery, the cookies break apart instantly and dissolve like butter on the tongue.
Powdered sugar creates a finer, more delicate texture. It dissolves quickly into the butter, giving the cookies their signature “melt-in-your-mouth” feel.
Even a little extra flour can make the cookies dry and crumbly instead of soft and silky.
This often happens if: The flour was scooped directly from the bag (always spoon & level!)
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Meltaway Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour spoon and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Cookie Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 2-4 tablespoons milk
- Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract together
- Add powdered sugar, flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Beat well. The dough will appear to be crumbly. Work it with your hands until it forms a ball.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the baking sheet.
- Flatten each ball with your fingers or a flat glass cup. Lightly flour the bottom of the cup if it sticks.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly brown. Allow cooling.
For The Frosting
- To prepare the frosting, beat powdered sugar, butter, and milk together. If it's too thick, add a little milk. If it is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar
- When cookies are cool, frost, add sprinkles, and enjoy!
It's a very delicate cookie and they are designed to melt in your mouth 🙂
Great cookie recipe! Delicious in flavor. Does the dough need to be refrigerated before baking? My cookies were crumbly in my hand before I could get it in my mouth.
An egg yolk gives the cookies a finer texture. A whole egg, however, makes the dough sticky and difficult to work with and results in tougher shortbread.
Why not use the entire egg?
Fantastic Karen 🙂
Ok, these are AMAZING!
Definitely melt in your mouth 😊. I don’t think it tells me to use salted or unsalted butter and so I did 1/2 of each…
Thanks for a quick great recipe.
Yes real butter is always best! Thanks for the great review
I passed this recipe on to a friend and she used Margarine instead of Real Butter.. I explained to her that Margarine is oil. Don't let the labels fool you. butter flavored doesn't compare to the real thing. Butter is the key. Thank you for this awesome recipe. Kids love it.
Really hard to say what went wrong without more info. Right off I would say you either didn't use parchment paper for the baking sheet or didn't add enough flour. Feel free to email me and give me more info 🙂
Hi!
Followed the recipe exactly, but the cookies are very greasy, taste good, but greasy.