Melt-in-Your-Mouth Piped Butter Cookies (3 Flavors)

If you are looking for the perfect holiday gift or a treat to enjoy with your afternoon tea, look no further.

Welcome back to The Bon Menu. Today, I am sharing the ultimate recipe for Piped Butter Cookies (also known as Viennese Whirls or Spritz Cookies). We are making three classic flavors: Original Vanilla, Rich Cocoa, and Earthy Matcha.

Many home bakers struggle with piped cookies—the dough is often too hard, making it impossible to pipe, or the cookies spread out and lose their beautiful shape in the oven. This recipe solves all of that. With a secret temperature trick, you will get dough that is silky smooth to pipe but holds its shape perfectly while baking.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Zero Struggle Piping: Say goodbye to burst piping bags and sore hands. This dough is soft and manageable.
• Melt-in-Your-Mouth Texture: The addition of almond flour gives these cookies a delicate, sandy texture that dissolves on your tongue.
• Defined Shape: The cookies hold their intricate swirls perfectly, making them look professionally made.

Ingredients Note

• Unsalted Butter: This is the main flavor, so use high-quality butter. It must be softened to a mayonnaise-like consistency. In winter, you might need a warm water bath (as shown in the steps) to keep it workable.
• Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar): Do not use granulated sugar. Powdered sugar dissolves instantly into the butter, ensuring a tender cookie that doesn’t spread too much.
• Almond Flour: This is the secret ingredient for flavor and texture. It adds a nutty aroma and prevents the gluten from developing, keeping the cookies tender.
• Cake Flour: Low-protein flour is essential for a light, airy cookie.
• Milk: Use whole milk at room temperature (around 26°C/79°F). Cold milk will cause the butter to seize and curdle.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the Butter Softening the butter is the most critical step. You can microwave it briefly until it’s soft enough to press easily with a finger (but not melted). Add powdered sugar and salt to the butter. Mash it with a spatula first to avoid a sugar dust cloud, then switch to a hand mixer.

Step 2: Whip until Fluffy Whip the butter mixture until it turns pale white and increases in volume. Pro Tip: If your kitchen is cold (winter time), place your mixing bowl over a bowl of warm water (about 32°C) to keep the butter soft and emulsified.

Step 3: Emulsify with Milk Add the milk (must be at room temperature, ~26°C) in two batches. Whip thoroughly after each addition until the milk is fully absorbed into the butter.

Step 4: Fold in Dry Ingredients Sift in the cake flour and almond flour. (If making Matcha or Cocoa versions, sift the flavoring powder with the flour). Use a spatula to press and fold the dough until no dry powder remains. Do not overmix.

Step 5: Pipe the Cookies Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with an 8-tooth open star tip (medium size). Pipe the cookies onto a baking tray in circular swirls or rosettes. The dough should flow smoothly without breaking.

Step 6: Chill and Bake Important: Place the piped cookies in the fridge for 20 minutes before baking. This helps set the butter so the pattern stays sharp in the oven. Bake at 160°C (320°F) for about 20-25 minutes. Let them cool completely on the tray before moving them (they are fragile when hot).

Chef’s Tips for Success

• Temperature Control: The temperature of your ingredients dictates the success of this recipe. Cold milk = Curdled batter. Cold butter = Impossible to pipe.
• The “Warm Water” Trick: As seen in the video, keeping the butter bowl over warm water ensures the emulsion stays stable and the dough remains pipeable, especially in colder months.
• Don’t Skip the Almond Flour: It adds richness that plain flour cannot achieve.