The Best Swirled Butter Cookies


Cookies High Altitude | Published December 16, 2022 by Mimi Council

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Rich, buttery, and sweet, these spiraled Dark Chocolate Dipped Butter Cookies are then coated in naturally colored sprinkles for a holiday cookie that is completely organic and free of artificial colors!

If you're looking for more holiday cookies, check out my Frosted Gingerbread Cookies, Eggless Sourdough Molasses Cookies, or my Cinnamon Pecan YiaYia Cookies.

So it's cookie season, if you haven't noticed. I would expect everyone knows that by now! And I'm breaking up the feed of peppermint, gingerbread, and candy cane with this simple, but classic, recipe for Dark Chocolate Dipped Butter Cookies.

While these aren't technically Christmas Cookies, you could slap some red and green decorating sugars on here in place of the nonpareils and call them Christmas cookies. Or, you could also add some crushed candy canes and then they would definitely be Christmas Cookies!

These are the best swirled butter cookies I've ever made. So, if you've been wanting to know how to pipe swirl butter cookies, read on. This recipe starts with a simple butter cookie base that has butter, cane sugar, egg, vanilla extract, flour, and milk. That's it! Then, of course, I dip them in dark chocolate because that is part of what makes these the best swirled butter cookies!

The trick for how to pipe swirl butter cookies perfectly is getting the right consistency of the cookie dough. You want it to be soft enough to pipe out of the piping bag, but also stiff enough that it will hold its shape in the oven. So that is the balance. I also refrigerate the cookie dough after I pipe it so they get that extra chill time so there is less spread in the oven, which I think is key for success.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Impressive & Easy: Swirl butter cookies look super fancy, but they are really easy to make!

Simple Ingredients: Butter cookies only have a few simple ingredients: butter, cane sugar, eggs, flour, and milk. I also add vanilla extract, but some people prefer to add almond extract, you could do either one. I also used pistachio milk for these today as that's what I currently had open in my fridge, and it makes them so subtly sweet, I love it! But you could also use cow's milk, coconut milk, or almond milk as well.

Dipped in Chocolate: Part of what makes these the best swirled butter cookies is that they are dipped in dark chocolate! Chocolate makes everything better, in my opinion. But, this part is totally optional and you can skip it if you prefer a more plain cookie.

Naturally Colored: I use plant based sprinkles here for a naturally colorful cookie without artificial colors.

the best swirled butter cookies

Ingredients

Organic Valley Salted Butter

Costco Kirkland Organic Cane Sugar

Simply Organic Vanilla Extract

Organic Valley Large Eggs

Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour

Three Trees Organic Pistachio Milk

Mama Ganache Organic Dark Chocolate

ColorKitchen Foods Nonpareil Sprinkles

Tools Needed

Digital Food Scale

Stand Mixer

Baking Sheet Half Sheet Pan (use code MIMIBAKES for 10% off my favorite stainless steel sustainable bakeware!)

Parchment Paper (get my favorite nontoxic parchment paper and get 10% off with MIMIBAKES)

Piping Bags

Ateco Tip #827

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Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2

To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined, then continue to mix on low for 5 minutes or until the mixture is light in color and fluffy.

Add the egg and flour and mix on low until combined.

Add in the pistachio milk and mix until combined. You want the dough to be fluffy, but stiff, but also not too stiff that you can’t pipe it out of bag! The more milk you add, the easier it will be to pipe. But the more you add the more the cookies will spread and not hold their shape, so be mindful of that.

Step 3

Transfer the dough to a piping bag with Ateco tip #827, only adding about half the dough in at first. This way it’s easier to pipe the cookies! Pipe a swirl of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 1 ½ times around (watch video below), spacing them at least 1-inch apart.

Step 4

Refrigerate the cookie sheets for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step 5

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on the bottoms. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).

Step 6

To make the topping: Using a double boiler, add 80% of the dark chocolate. Heat until it reaches 115°F on a chocolate thermometer. Remove from heat and add in the remaining 20% of chocolate and stir to combine completely. Allow the chocolate to come down to 91°F.

Step 7

Dip each cookie half in the dark chocolate and place back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the sprinkles. Place in the freezer to set for 1 hour.

the best swirled butter cookies

Easy Substitutions

  • If you're using unsalted butter, just add ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt to the recipe.
  • Use any kind of milk, while I used pistachio, you can use cow's milk, coconut milk, almond milk… they'll all work!
  • You can use any kind of open star tip you have, it does not need to be the exact one I used.
  • Feel free to use any kind of natural sprinkles you like!
the best swirled butter cookies

FAQ's

Can I use another kind of milk?

Yes, if you don’t have pistachio milk you can use coconut milk, cow’s milk, or almond milk! I’ve made these cookies with all of these types of milk, and they are all delicious!

Can I use another tip for piping?

Yes, if you don’t have Ateco tip #827, you can use Ateco tip #846 as it’s similar. Or you can also use any large open star tip.

Can I use another type of chocolate besides dark chocolate?

Yes, you can use milk chocolate or white chocolate to dip these cookies in, or a combination of all three! Any type of chocolate will be delicious!

Do I have to temper the chocolate?

Tempering the chocolate is the portion of the recipe where you heat it to a certain temperature, add in more chocolate, and then let it come down to a certain temperature. This is done so that the chocolate is tempered and sets completely at room temperature. This prevents it from sweating or making your hands sticky! You do not have to temper the chocolate. If you prefer, you can melt all the chocolate together in the double boiler until completely melted. Or, you can place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, to prevent burning, until the chocolate is completely melted. If you don’t temper the chocolate, you may just find that the cookies are better kept in the fridge, this way the chocolate won’t sweat or get onto your hands or other cookies. If I’m just making chocolate dipped cookies for myself, I usually skip tempering as it’s not necessary! But, if I’m making them for a party or as a gift, then I temper the chocolate.

How should I store these?

These can be stored at room temperature as long as it’s cool (or in the fridge) for up to 7 days. You can also store them in the freezer for up to 1 month.

the best swirled butter cookies

Craving More?

the best swirled butter cookies

The Best Swirled Butter Cookies

Mimi Council
The best subtly sweet butter cookies! Learn how to pipe swirl butter cookies with this easy recipe. These simple swirl butter cookies are dipped in dark chocolate and covered in rainbow sprinkles. What more could you want?
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Makes 18 cookies
Calories 270 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Dough

Topping

Instructions
 

  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined, then continue to mix on low for 5 minutes or until the mixture is light in color and fluffy.
  • Add the egg and flour and mix on low until combined.
  • Add in the pistachio milk and mix until combined. You want the dough to be fluffy, but stiff, but also not too stiff that you can’t pipe it out of bag! The more milk you add, the easier it will be to pipe. But the more you add the more the cookies will spread and not hold their shape, so be mindful of that.
  • Transfer the dough to a piping bag with Ateco tip #827, only adding about half the dough in at first. This way it’s easier to pipe the cookies! Pipe a swirl of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 1 ½ times around (watch video below), spacing them at least 1-inch apart.
  • Refrigerate the cookie sheets for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on the bottoms. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
  • To make the topping: Using a double boiler, add 80% of the dark chocolate. Heat until it reaches 115°F on a chocolate thermometer. Remove from heat and add in the remaining 20% of chocolate and stir to combine completely. Allow the chocolate to come down to 91°F.
  • Dip each cookie half in the dark chocolate and place back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the sprinkles. Place in the freezer to set for 1 hour.

Notes

High Altitude — Bake at 350°F for 23 to 28 minutes or until golden brown on the bottoms.

Nutrition

Calories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 88mgPotassium: 116mgFiber: 2gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 332IUCalcium: 17mgIron: 2mg
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