These kid-friendly cookies are buttery, crumbly, and just sweet enough for little ones to enjoy as a special treat. Cut them into fun shapes and drizzle with a little chocolate for extra fun. Enjoy!
I absolutely love baking and cooking with the kids (when I’m not in a hurry, that is!). The other day, we made these no-white-sugar butter cookies to celebrate Valentine’s Day, rolling out the soft, buttery dough and cutting it into different-sized heart shapes. It felt extra special seeing a tray full of sweet little hearts ready for the oven.
The kids carefully pressed the heart-shaped cookie cutters into the dough, and once the cookies had cooled, we decorated them with silky melted chocolate and a sprinkle of crushed dried raspberries on top. The chocolate adds a rich touch, while the raspberries bring a little pop of color and tangy sweetness.
My daughter loves finding one or two tucked into her lunchbox, my toddler happily enjoys one as a little treat after lunch, and I savor mine slowly with my morning coffee.
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👩🏻🍳 Why you should try my recipe
- Ready in 30 minutes.
- You can keep them plain or decorate them as you like.
- They can last for 7-10 days in a storage container.
- Great as a little treat after meal.
- Made with only 5 ingredients.
🥘 Ingredients
To make this no processed sugar butter cookies, we are going to use all-purpose flour, egg, vanilla, unsalted butter and maple syrup.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter that has been left at room temperature for a couple of hours to soften.
- Vanilla: I like to use vanilla paste for these butter cookies because it has more intense flavor and I like to see the little black vanilla seeds.
- Maple Syrup: To sweeten the cookies, I add about a quarter cup maple syrup. You could also use honey but it has more intense flavor and the cookies might turn out darker.
For full quantities and to print the recipe, see the recipe card below.
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
So get your ingredients ready and let's get started!
01. To start, add the softened butter and maple syrup to a bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat them together until light and creamy.
02. Next, I add the egg and vanilla paste and continue with the mixer until incorporated. Finally, I add the flour and using a spatula, I gently mix until it's incorporated.
03. I use my hands to incorporate any remaining flour that is stack on the bowl, and press it together. The dough will have a soft texture.
04. If you are making cutout cookies, I recommend wrapping the dough and refrigerating it for half an hour. It's easier this way to roll it out and cut it with the cookie cutters.
05. I place the cold dough between two parchment paper sheets and roll it out to about ¼ " thickness.
06. Try to place the cookie cutter as close as possible to make as many cookies as possible. Then I combine the remaining scraps and press with the rolling pin to avoid any lumps before cutting it into shapes again. Avoid kneading the scraps as that might result in a laminated dough.
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Lots of different heart shaped cutters for cookies or pancakes. It also comes with heart sandwich cutter for making uncrustables which my both my kids love.
Buy On Amazon07. Depending on the size of your cookie cutter, you will get about 20-25 cookies. I split them between 2-3 trays to give them some space and let the air flow in the oven. The cookies are ready when the edges are just beginning to turn a very light golden brown.
08. I transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely, sometimes for a couple of hours while I crack on with other bits around the house.
To decorate, I melt some chocolate with a little coconut oil until smooth and glossy, then drizzle it over the top or cover half of each cookie with the chocolate for a simple but beautiful finish.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
These kid-friendly butter cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day or as a sweet treat any time of the year. You can cut them into different shapes with your little helpers for a fun family activity, then decorate them together.
If you’d like to share them with little ones under 12 months, leave some plain. They’re crumbly but softer than traditional shortbread biscuits, making them easier for little ones to bite.
🧰 Storage
The recipe makes about 20-25 butter cookies. You can store them in a cookie jar or airtight container for up to a week or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
❓ FAQ
You could leave the butter cookie dough in the fridge overnight or for a few hours. If it is too hard when you are ready to roll out the dough, leave it at room temperature for half an hour until it's easier to use the rolling pin.
If you tried my kid-friendly butter cookies or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
📋 Recipe
Butter Cookies For Kids (no refined sugar)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened) 115gr
- ¼ cup maple syrup (80gr)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250gr)
Instructions
- Add the softened butter and maple syrup to a bowl. Mix until creamy with a stand or hand mixer.
- Add the egg and vanilla paste. Mix until incorporated.
- Add the flour. With a spatula, gently mix until incorporated. Press with your hands to form a dough.
- Form the dough into a ball and wrap with cling film. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll with a rolling pin into about a ¼ inch thickness.
- Use heart or any shape cookie cutters to form the cookies. Place the cookies on lined baking trays.
- Press the scraps together and flatten with the rolling pin. Cut more cookies and repeat if needed.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated oven to 350℉ / 180℃ for 15 minutes or until the edges are turning into a light golden brown color.
- Let the cookies cool down on a wire rack and optionally, decorate with melted chocolate.
Video
Notes
- Don't overwork the dough to avoid lamination.
- Wait for the cookies to cool down completely before decorating.
Nutrition
🥣 More to try
If you liked my heart-shaped butter cookies, you should try some of these recipes too:
Julia Droulia
A great way to get the kids involved in the kitchen and to spend some time altogether. These butter cookies are so delicious and a special treat my whole family enjoys. Please let me know if you try them and leave a comment and a rating here.