Tie-Dye Butter Cookies
Tender vanilla butter cookies dipped in swirled, marbled glaze for a playful psychedelic finish.
⏱️ Prep: 40 min🍳 Cook: 15 min🍽️ Makes 24
Ingredients
| 14 Tbsp | 210 ml | unsalted butter, room temperature |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | granulated sugar |
| 1 1/4 tsp | 6.3 ml | kosher salt |
| 2 | large egg yolks | |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste |
| 2 cups | 480 ml | all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting |
| 2 cups | 480 ml | powdered sugar, divided (glaze) |
| 6 Tbsp | 90 ml | whole milk, divided (glaze) |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | plant-based food-coloring powder, first color |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | plant-based food-coloring powder, second color |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.3 ml | kosher salt, divided (glaze) |
Instructions
- Cookies: Using an electric mixer (flat beater) on high speed, beat butter, sugar and salt in a large bowl, scraping down as needed, until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, add the 2 cups flour and mix until incorporated. The dough will be semifirm but rollable without chilling. If your kitchen is warm or the dough is sticky, pat into a 1"-thick disk, wrap and chill 15 minutes.
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 350°F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment, dusting with flour as needed, to about ¼" thick. Punch out shapes with lightly floured cookie cutters and transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1½" apart. Pat scraps into a 1"-thick disk, wrap and chill 10 minutes if soft.
- Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden brown, 10–15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Glaze: Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 Tbsp milk, 2 tsp food-coloring powder and half the salt in a small bowl until no lumps remain; it should be the consistency of heavy cream (add more milk if needed). Repeat with the second color, remaining salt, remaining 1 cup powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp milk.
- Spoon 1 tsp of the first glaze in the center of a small plate. Drizzle 1 tsp of the second glaze over it and swirl slightly with a toothpick. Gently press the top of a cookie into the glaze, lift and let excess drip off; pop any air bubbles with a toothpick. Transfer to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Decorate cookies in batches of 3, adding ½ tsp of each color between cookies; clean the plate and repeat. Let sit until set, at least 2 hours.
- Do Ahead: Dough can be made 1 month ahead (wrap and freeze). Cookies can be baked 2 days ahead (store airtight) and glazed 1 day ahead (store tightly wrapped at room temperature).