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.
For something richer, try shortbread or butter cookies. Martha Stewart, 11 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Butter cookie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butter%20cookie. Accessed 25 May. 2026.

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