Easy 5 Ingredient Delicious Meltaway Cookies

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These Easy 5 Ingredient Delicious Meltaway Cookies have the most amazing taste and literally melt in your mouth! The soft buttery fine crumb flavor comes from 5 simple ingredients you just might already have in your pantry.

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These soft, lightly sweet, buttery cookies are one of my family’s favorite! It’s a recipe that has been made every holiday for decades.

• Prep time: 30 minutes
• Bake time: 15 minutes
• Cooing time: 30 minutes
• Frosting time: 15 minutes
• Total time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Servings: 3 dozen
• Preparation level: Beginner +

Ingredient Notes

• Salted butter(not margarine): Using salted butter adds a touch of balance to the sweetness of the cookies and enhances their buttery flavor. Make sure the butter is softened so it blends in smoothly.
• Confectioners’ sugar: Also called powdered sugar, it gives the cookies their signature melt-in-your- mouth tender crumb.
• All purpose flour: Provides structure to the cookies while keeping them soft and light.
• Cornstarch: This is the secret ingredient to that “melt away” texture! Cornstarch softens the flour’s gluten, creating an ultra-tender, shortbread-like bite.
• Pure vanilla extract: Adds a warm, aromatic flavor that complements the buttery sweetness of the cookies.
• Cream cheese(for the frosting): Gives the frosting a creamy, tangy richness that perfectly balances the sweet, buttery cookies. Use room temperature full-fat cream cheese for the smoothest texture.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1

Make the Cookies

Slice room temperature butter and place in a large bowl. Combine the sugar to butter and beat until light and smooth. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the flour and the cornstarch slowly. Beat until combined. Using about a spoonful, round the dough into a small size ball and place them on the cookie sheet a few inches apart.

Bake until the bottoms are slightly brown. Remove them from the oven, let them rest on the cookie sheet. Remember to use an oven mitt, the cookie sheet will be very hot! Place them on a wire rack for cooling. Let the cookies completely cool before adding the frosting.

In a smaller separate bowl, mix cream cheese and butter. Add the vanilla. Beat on low speed until blended. Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar. Blend until smooth.

You can leave the icing white or add a few drops of your favorite color and stir until you get the color you like. You can also divide the icing up and make multiple colors.

Using a spoon or spatula, put the icing in either a pastry piping bag or a snipped corner of a ziplock bag and squeeze icing on top of each cookie.

See the recipe card below for complete measurements and baking time.

Laura Belle’s Tips

1. Don’t over-mix the dough – Once the flour and cornstarch are added. mix just until combined. Over mixing can make the cookies dense instead of light and tender.
2. Chill the dough if needed – If the dough feels sticky or too soft to handle, chill it for 20-30 minutes before shaping.
3. Watch your bake time: These cookies are meant to stay pale, not golden. Bake just until the edges look set. This keeps the crumb soft and tender.
4. If you don’t have a pastry bag – No worries. Just snip off one corner of a ziplock bag. It does the same thing but remember to only make a small opening on a diagonal for best results.
5. Customize the flavor – Pure almond extract instead of pure vanilla extract is a wonderful alternative for meltaway cookies. You can also add lemon zest or orange zest to the dough or icing for a slight citrus taste.

Storing

Store any remaining frosting in an air tight container in the fridge up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to six months. I would recommend using parchment paper in between the layers and use a freezer-friendly container.

More Delicious Holiday Sweets

• Mini Pecan Raisin Tarts
• Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie
• Easy Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce
• Libby’s Classic Pumpkin Roll
• Mexican wedding cake cookie from Allrecipes

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Yield: 3 dozen

Easy 5 Ingredient Delicious Meltaway Cookies

5.0 Stars (56 Reviews)

Print

Soft, lightly sweet, buttery cookies with cream cheese frosting

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• For the cookies:
• 1 cup (2 sticks) of salted butter at room temperature
• ⅓ cup confectioners’ 10x powdered sugar
• ¾ cup cornstarch
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or pure almond extract)
• For the frosting:
• 3 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) of softened salted butter
• 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) confectioners’ 10x powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• Food coloring if desired

Instructions

Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

If using parchment paper, prepare the baking sheet with it.

1. Combine the sugar and cut butter in a large bowl and mix on medium speed until light and smooth, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the pure vanilla extract and mix until combined.
3. Add the flour and cornstarch and mix on low speed until well combined.
4. Using about a spoonful, round the dough into a small size ball and place them on the cookie sheet a few inches apart.
5. Bake for 12 to 18 minutes (depending on your oven) or when the bottoms are slightly brown.
6. Once you remove them from the oven, let them rest on the cookie sheet for about 1 minute. Remember to use an oven mitt, the cookie sheet will be very hot!
7. Then place them on a wire rack for cooling. Once they are completely cool, it’s time for the frosting!
1. Frosting: In a small bowl, mix the softened cream cheese and butter on low speed until blended.
2. Add the pure vanilla extract and blend. Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar. Blend until smooth.
3. Using a spoon or spatula, put the frosting in either a pastry piping bag or a snipped corner of a ziplock bag and squeeze frosting on top of each cookie.

Notes

Helpful Equipment

• 2 mixing bowls
• Spatula
• Large spoon
• Oven mitt
• Cookie / Baking sheet
• Parchment paper (optional)
• Wire cooling rack
• Mixer (either standup or hand held)
• Pastry piping bag or a ziplock bag

Recipe Tips

• No worries if you don't have a piping bag! Just snip off one corner of a ziplock bag. It does the same thing but remember to only make a small opening on a diagonal for best results.

• You can press the dough down to make a flatter bigger cookie.

• You can have some fun with the icing and divide it in two and add a few drops of food coloring to make them festive looking.

• They're the perfect cookie and great addition to the holiday season!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 111Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 70mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g

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