Soleils (Parisian Butter Cookies) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

5 Ingredients or Fewer

by: Catherine Lamb

October31,2017

4.3

10 Ratings

  • Prep time 1 hour
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Makes around 50 cookies

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Author Notes

These cookies are inspired by the famous ones from Poilâne bakery in Paris, as well as the lemon-scented version made by Chris Wilkins of Root Baking Co. in Charleston, SC. Make sure to bake the cookies until they are golden on the edges; the toasty, caramelized flavor is key.

Note: This recipe calls for lemon zest to flavor the sugar, but other citrus fruits would work well, too (lime, orange, or grapefruit). You could also experiment with other flavorings like dried lavender in lieu of citrus zest, almond extract in lieu of vanilla, or no flavorings at all. —Catherine Lamb

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 3/4 cupunsalted butter, at room temperature (170g)
  • 1/2 cupplus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (140g)
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1 lemon zested (or other citrus), if desired
  • 1 teaspoonvanilla extract (4g)
  • 2 1/4 cupsunbleached all purpose flour (300g)
  • 1/2 teaspoontable salt (2g)
Directions
  1. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and citrus zest with your fingers, rubbing the zest to release the oil. This will ensure that the zest is incorporated evenly throughout the cookies.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or by hand, cream the butter and sugar together until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure it is evenly mixed. Add the egg and mix until just incorporated, then mix in the vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined, scraping down the sides one more time. *Do not overmix!* The dough should still be a bit crumbly, but hold together when pressed.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and form it into two disks. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. (At this point, you can leave the dough in the fridge overnight—just be sure to let it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes or so before rolling so it isn't too chilled.)
  4. Preheat the oven to 400°F and cover a few baking sheets with a silpat or parchment paper. Take out one dough disc at a time and roll it out on lightly floured surface until it is 1/4-inch thick. Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter (or the mouth of a glass), cut out cookies. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch between them. (Note: If you want very clean-cut cookie shapes, refrigerate cut cookie dough for 30 minutes to an hour before putting in the oven.) Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies begin to turn golden brown around the edges. Take out and allow to cool before packing into gift bags, tupperwares, or lunchboxes.
  5. Note: These cookies freeze well when stored in a tightly-sealed bag or tupperware container. They're also not too sweet, so would take well to being frosted, covered with sanding sugar (before baking), or being used as the bread to sandwich icing or dulce de leche.

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12 Reviews

Archrighthere October 19, 2019

Lovely butter cookies!
I used Clover European butter, and 2 lemons worth of zest. I also added 1 heaping Tablespoon of black sesames. I forgot to add the salt to the dough even though I read the reminder from one of the reviewers! I figured I can still incorporate the salt since I haven’t baked them, so I sprinkled some finger-crushed Maldon finishing salt and smoothed them over the cookie dough. The cookies came out pretty good! I only wished they were a little less dense. Would love to know if anyone has any suggestions for making these cookies less dense.

Steve September 5, 2019

I made them using the metric measurements, and I found them to be a bit lacking in sweetness, and a bit on the bland side.

I am going to try them again, this time with the US measurements, and see if that works. I will use Danish (cultured) butter instead of the local stuff and add more lemon as mentioned below.

Robb B. February 23, 2019

These cookies are fantastic! I've been to Poilane and this recipe seems to up the butter. I little tough to work with the dough but delicious in the end. I doubled the lemon zest and they are great.

McKenna P. January 31, 2019

These are divine! Crispy, buttery and perfectly sweet. I added vanilla bean seeds and extra salt which really elevated the elegance of the cookie. Planning on using heart cut outs for the other batch I froze to give as Valentines!

Elizabeth January 1, 2019

These cookies are tasty without being overly sweet, and I like how you can vary the crispness by modifying how thick you roll them out. They're great with the lemon zest, but the most recent time I made them I replaced the lemon zest with almond extract and liked it even better.

Erin December 24, 2018

These are great! I found the dough easy to roll out and work with and the cookie is not overly sweet - like a very pleasant mix of sugar & butter cookie.

William N. December 13, 2018

You need to add salt to the method. It's in the video, but not in the written instructions. (Not that it was terribly hard to figure out! :))

Lorraine F. December 10, 2018

Catherine: Since the butter is so important in flavoring this cookie, what butter did YOU use.

Claire June 4, 2018

Delicious buttery cookies with subtle lemon flavor. The dough is very sticky in spite of putting it in the refrigerator at each stage but I found that flouring both sides of the dough and rolling it between sheets of parchment kept it workable (while being careful not to introduce too much additional flour). I appreciate Antonia James's comment and chose to cover the flavor and convenience questions by buttering the parchment I used on the baking sheets!

dickensthedog May 6, 2018

I find that with many recipes that call for rolling out cookie dough, it is far simpler to roll the dough into logs, chill the rolls, then simply slice and bake the cookies.

Rachel B. December 19, 2017

How long can the dough stay fresh in the fridge? Thanks!

AntoniaJames November 8, 2017

May I respectfully add this bit of wisdom, which seems particularly applicable here: "[B]y all means use butter where a greased cookie sheet is called for. Nothing else does so much for the finish and flavor." Mimi Sheraton, New York Times, December 9, 1981. In other words, for even more of that lovely brown butter flavor, forego the marginal convenience of parchment, and generously butter your cookie sheets instead.

Soleils (Parisian Butter Cookies) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Why are my butter cookies not crispy? ›

Adjust baking time to achieve the cookie texture desired. A little less time produces chewier cookies, a little more time makes them crispy. If you prefer softer cookies, remove them from the oven while they are still slightly under baked. Always check for doneness at the minimum baking time.

Are Danish cookies the same as butter cookies? ›

Butter cookies, also known as Danish butter cookies, are cookies originating in Denmark consisting of butter, flour, and sugar. They are similar to shortbread cookies. The butter cookie is often categorized as a "crisp cookie" due to its texture, caused in part by the quantity of butter and sugar.

What does melted butter do in a cookie recipe? ›

Using melted butter in cookies helps you achieve a similar fudgy-yet-cooked texture and prevents any unwanted cakiness. Instead of the rise coming from both chemical and physical leavening agents (baking soda/powder + creamed butter), it now comes almost exclusively from chemical agents alone.

What does extra butter do to cookies? ›

An excessive amount of butter makes it where the flour is unable to absorb the combined fat, which causes the cookie to spread too widely and the sugar to carbonize more easily because it's surrounded by too buttery a dough.

What is the secret to making soft cookies? ›

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

How do I make my cookies chewy instead of crunchy? ›

How To Make Cookies Chewy Without Cornstarch
  1. Go heavy on brown sugar. It has more moisture than its granulated counterpart, which means the cookie comes out less crispy. ...
  2. Choose margarine or shortening instead of butter. ...
  3. Use baking powder instead of baking soda. ...
  4. Rest your dough. ...
  5. Shorten baking time.
May 14, 2023

Is European butter better for baking cookies? ›

The higher butterfat content of European-style butter doesn't always lend itself well to recipes developed and written in North America. The higher fat content can weigh down cakes and cookies, making them too rich. It is, however, an obvious choice in French pastries like gâteau breton, pâte sucrée, and kouign-amann.

What is a cookie called in Europe? ›

In many English-speaking countries outside North America, including the United Kingdom, the most common word for a crisp cookie is "biscuit". The term "cookie" is normally used to describe chewier ones. However, in many regions both terms are used. The container used to store cookies may be called a cookie jar.

Why are Royal Dansk cookies so good? ›

True to our Danish tradition of baking excellence, we don't compromise on quality. We use no artificial ingredients, added preservatives, or colors. These carefully crafted Danish delicacies are the perfect balance of buttery and crisp.

Should you refrigerate cookie dough before baking? ›

Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.

Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

What happens if you use melted butter instead of softened for cookies? ›

In cookies, softened butter will result in a cakier and airier cookie than using melted butter. This is due to the fact that softened butter will create air bubbles that expand in the oven during baking. Melted butter will make your cookies delightfully dense on the inside and crisp on the edges.

What does adding extra eggs do to cookies? ›

Yolks also act as an emulsifier, making a creamy dough even before it's baked. Egg whites, on the other hand, can have a drying effect. A cookie made with extra egg yolk (or, in this case, only egg yolk), will be lighter and chewier than a cookie made with whole eggs.

What does brown sugar do to cookies? ›

In that role, white sugar aerates the dough when creamed with butter for thick and puffy cookies. Brown sugar, meanwhile, is dense and compacts easily, creating fewer air pockets during creaming—that means that there's less opportunity to entrap gas, creating cookies that rise less and spread more.

Why are my butter cookies soft after baking? ›

The cookies became soften when you left overtime in open atmosphere because some of the ingredients are hygroscopic(absorb atmospheric moisture fastly) in nature such as sugar,smp etc. so when you bake the cookies then give 1.5 times the baking time for cooling then pack cookies in air tight container for future use.

Why are my cookies soft instead of crunchy? ›

Soft cookies have a water concentration of 6% or higher – moisture being the variable in texture. To make cookies crispy, add less liquid or bake it in the oven for longer to dry out the dough.

How do you keep butter cookies crisp? ›

How do you store cookies to stay crisp? To keep crispy cookies crisp, you need to keep them away from moisture. Always store different types of cookies separately—soft cookies can cause crispy cookies to soften due to their extra moisture. Place crispy cookies in an airtight container, but don't completely seal it.

Why are my butter cookies dry? ›

Overmixing the dough

If you overmix the dough, the cookies will be dry and crumbly. The best way to fix this is to add more liquid to the dough. This can be done by adding milk, water, or even melted butter. You may also need to add more flour to the dough if it is too wet.

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