Best Cinnamon Crescent Butter Cookies Recipe
I learned how to make this cinnamon crescent butter cookies recipe from my mom, a long time ago. What I didn’t realize is that this is a land o lakes butter cookies from the 90s basic cookie dough recipe from the Land O Lakes cookie cookbook.
These butter cookies are soft and tender and have a yummy cinnamon taste, almost like a Snickerdoodle cookie, except the sugar goes on after the cookie is baked. No matter who I share these with, they seem to love them.
But the secret to this cookie is making a really good butter cookie dough. Butter cookies are a classic that everyone loves. Their buttery flavor and texture make them a favorite for holidays, because you can bake so many varieties of cookies from a butter cookie dough. And, making butter cookie dough is easier than you may think. So let’s start with the cookie dough.
How to Make Good Butter Cookie Dough
Butter cookies are light and buttery and known for their melt-in-your-mouth texture. They often have a golden color and a slightly flaky consistency. The key to great butter cookie dough is using high-quality ingredients and following the right steps.
With just a few items from your pantry, you can create delicious homemade butter cookies that will taste like bakery quality. I say this because that’s what I’ve been told about this about these Cinnamon Crescent Butter Cookies. So, let me walk you through the process of making perfect butter cookie dough to get the ideal texture and flavor to make these cookies.
Butter
The quality of butter used can really affect the taste and texture of the butter cookie dough. Full-fat butter is what you want to use to get the rich butter cookie taste. Unsalted butter is often preferred for baking, so the amount of salt in the recipe can be controlled. Some recipes may call for salted butter for added flavor, so, if you want to use salted butter that works too. Plus, salt enhances the sweetness.
What you don’t want to use is margarine or a butter substitute made from oil. Another thing not to do is melt the butter. Doing either of these things will only make the cookies fall flat. Instead, take the butter out of the refrigerator ahead of time and let it soften at room temperature if you want to make a good butter cookie dough.
Eggs
Eggs play a big role in making butter cookie dough. They add moisture and help bind the ingredients together. For baking, always have large eggs in hand. Eggs should also be taken out of the refrigerator ahead of time and cooled down at room temperature.
Flour
All-purpose flour is the most common choice for flour for butter cookies. It provides a good balance of protein and starch and makes a tender yet sturdy cookie. For butter cookie dough you don’t need to use fancy cake flour because it tends to make cookies too soft and crumble. Just be sure to store flour for baking in a cool, dry place, like a pantry.
Sugar
Granulated white sugar is the standard for making butter cookies. It creates the right texture and helps cookies spread a bit during baking.
Flavoring
Vanilla extract is a classic flavoring for making good butter cookie dough. Pure vanilla extract offers the best flavor. My Cinnamon Crescent Butter Cookies also calls for 2-tablespoons of orange juice and I add it in every time because this is a classic butter cookie recipe.
How to Make Cinnamon Crescent Butter Cookies
To make this cinnamon crescent butter cookies recipe, I start by cooling down the butter and eggs to room temperature. Next I gather up all the ingredients, measuring cups and spoons and preheat my oven to 365 degrees.
I measure out the butter, sugar, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla extract, prior to mixing. I also measure the flour and baking powder. Once I’ve measured my ingredients, it’s time to start mixing.
For these cookies, I like to use my KitchenAid stand mixer, but the dough can easily be mixed in a large bowl with electric beaters. In a large mixing bowl, I cream the butter and sugar together first, then add in the eggs, orange juice, and vanilla extract and beat it until it’s combined and smooth.
Once the wet ingredients are mixed, I add in the flour and baking powder slowly and gradually combine it into a dough. Once the flour is completely combined and forms a dough, stop the beaters. Over-beating cookie dough can cause the cookie to be tough.
Next, I chill the dough for at least a half-hour in the refrigerator. While the dough chills, I mix up a bowl of sugar and cinnamon.
Once the dough has been chilled I roll out 1-1/2 inch logs, curve each log slightly to make a crescent shape, and place them onto the cookie sheet.
I bake the cookies for 10 to 14 minutes until the bottoms are slightly browned. Once they are done, I wait about 1 minute before removing cookies from the baking sheet so they won’t break, then gently roll each one in the sugar mixture, and place them onto a tray.
This cinnamon crescent butter cookies recipe is an easy and delicious cookie to serve any time!
Cinnamon Crescent Butter Cookies Recipe
This Cinnamon Crescent Butter Cookies Recipe is a butter cookie shaped into a crescent, baked, and then rolled in cinnamon sugar.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 10-14 min
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 36 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
Ingredients
For Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons orange juice
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2–1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For Coating
- 1–1/2 – cups granulated sugar
- 1–1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 365 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine butter, sugar, egg, orange juice, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed, scraping until the mixture is smooth.
3. Continue beating, and slowly add in flour and baking powder, until the dough is well mixed.
4. Chill the dough for about a half-hour in your refrigerator.
5. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set it aside.
6. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and roll out 1-1/2 inch logs. Curve each log slightly and place them onto the cookie sheet.
7. Bake cookies between 10 to 14 minutes each, depending on your oven until the bottoms are slightly browned.
8. Wait about 1 minute before removing cookies from the baking sheet, then gently roll each one in the sugar mixture, and place onto a tray.
As I roll the baked cookies in the sugar mixture, I place them in a foil pan to cool. I have also froze these cookies in the foils tray, by adding wax or parchment paper between thcookie layers and sealing with a lid. This keep them fresh in the freezer up to 3 to 4 weeks.
