butter cookie

noun

plural butter cookies
: a somewhat crisp cookie having a high ratio of butter to flour and sugar
These simple butter cookies will remind you of the ones Grandma always had at the ready in a circular tin can.—Melissa Terrell
Butter cookies have more flour and sugar than shortbread. That means that the cookies will hold their shape better than shortbread, which leans toward the crumblier side.—Jennifer Billock
I bit into a slightly sweet, crisp butter cookie with a hint of cinnamon.—Jan D'Atri
… looked forward to the … tins of butter cookies that popped up around the holidays.—Susan Puckett
compare sugar cookie

Examples of butter cookie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There’s something for everyone in this assortment, which includes dark chocolate orange biscuits, cinnamon biscuits, milk chocolate biscuits, shortbread cookies, butter cookies with the Maxim’s de Paris logo, and more. — Tim Chan, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026 About 50 people filtered into the Perez Architecture Center for the event, many holding plates of danishes and boxes of Royal Dansk Danish butter cookies laid on tables by the entrance. — Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026 The pastry selection also includes karidopita (Greek walnut cake), kourabiedes (wedding cookies), koulourakia (butter cookies) and melomakarona (honey cookies). — Gail Ciampa, The Providence Journal, 2 Sep. 2026 Think gingersnaps, molasses cookies, brown butter cookies, and drop cookies. — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for butter cookie

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of butter cookie was in 1879

Rhymes for butter cookie

See All Rhymes for butter cookie

Browse Nearby Words

butter color
butter cookie
buttercream
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Butter cookie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butter%20cookie. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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