These piped butter bow cookies are pink, cute, buttery and delicious! They're crisp shortbread cookies that are buttery and slightly salty. It can be a little tricky to get the perfect piped cookie consistency but I've tested this recipe over 7 times and share all of the tips and tricks to get these piped cookies perfect on your first try. The cookie dough is easy to make and you're going to love piping them into bows or any other design that you like!
These cookies are perfect to make for Christmas, Valentine's day, or just to have a delicious sweet treat throughout your week. I made these cookies for my Nutcracker themed holiday cookie boxes.
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Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Perfect piped butter cookies: I go through all the tips, tricks, and necessary steps to get perfect piped cookies with the perfect texture every time. I tested this recipe over 7 times to get it perfect so that you can succeed the first time!
- Pink bow cookies: Cute and easy pink bows make the perfect festive cookie for any time of year!
- Shortbread cookies: Buttery, crisp, and delicious. A classic for a reason!
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
👩🍳 How to make bow tie cookies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Piped Cookies Tip: Start off with very soft butter. It should be very easy to push your finger in the butter, but it shouldn't be melted into a liquid. Err on the side of softer butter - it will make piping easier!
Step 3: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the very soft butter and powdered sugar. Use an electric mixer and paddle attachment and mix just until combined.
Step 4: Add vanilla extract, salt, pink food coloring, and mix. Add pink food coloring until you get the color that you like - it will only lighten slightly when you add the flour.
Step 5: Add the flour into the butter mixture and mix until it comes together. Add the cream and mix until it forms a soft dough.
Step 6: Immediately transfer half of the dough to a piping bag fitted with a coupler and a small, open star piping tip.
Piped cookies tip: If you're using disposable piping bags, I recommend using two, one inserted into the center. The coupler and double piping bags help prevent the piping bag from popping or breaking while you pipe the dough because the dough is stiff and it is difficult to pipe.
Step 7: Pipe bow shapes on a parchment lined baking sheet. If it is too difficult to pipe, you can massage the dough in the piping bag to warm it up. Or use a hair dryer and massage it to evenly heat the dough.
Step 8: Freeze the piped dough for 10 minutes, then bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 8 minutes. The dough should be slightly golden on the bottom.
Step 9: Let the bow cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least a few minutes before handling them because they firm up as they cool.
✔️ Expert piped cookie tips
- Start off with very soft butter: This creates a soft cookie dough that is easier to pipe. Make sure that the butter is softened - not melted and liquid!
- Add the food coloring before the flour: Coloring the dough after adding the flour will overmix the dough and result in a doughy shortbread that isn't crisp.
- Use a fabric piping bag or double layered plastic piping bag to successfully pipe the cookie dough without bursting the bag.
- Massage the dough in the piping bag to make it even softer and easier to pipe.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
These piped butter cookies are great to make ahead because they store really well. Store the cookies in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 1 week. If you want to store them longer, freeze the cookies in an airtight bag for up to 2 months.
❔ What piping tips should I use for piped cookies?
The best type of piping tips for piped cookies are open star tips. It's easier to squeeze the dough out of them. Closed star tips have a more closed opening that creates too much resistance, ends up requiring too much force, and the dough breaks easily. I've included a reference photo here on three different open star piping tips and how the cookies appeared after baking for you to choose which look you prefer.
I've also tried larger open star piping tips like 1M, but I didn't like it since it was much harder to push the dough out of a larger piping tip. The cookies spread more too.
📖 Recipe FAQs
I haven't tested this recipe with 1:1 gluten free flour and am not sure how easy or difficult it would be to pipe the cookie dough. It should work, but you may need to add a touch more cream if the dough turns out too stiff to pipe.
The best piping tips for piping cookie dough are smaller, open star piping tips. They're easier to push dough out of and create smoother lines.
I tried both methods and preferred adding food coloring before the flour. This prevents overmixing the dough. When the dough is overmixed, the cookies turn out dense and doughy as opposed to crisp and light. It's much better to add food coloring before the flour! Add a little extra because the color will dilute slightly once the flour is added.
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📖 Recipe
Piped Butter Bow Cookies
Equipment
- piping bag One if using cloth. Two if using plastic disposable bags
- piping bag coupler this really helps prevent the bag from bursting
- small open star piping tip
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter very soft but not melted
- ¾ cup powdered sugar or icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- pink food coloring as needed
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 300g
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Start off with very soft butter. It should be very easy to push your finger in the butter, but it shouldn't be melted into a liquid. Err on the side of softer butter - it will make piping easier!1 cup butter
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the very soft butter and powdered sugar. Use an electric mixer and paddle attachment and mix just until combined.¾ cup powdered sugar
- Add vanilla extract, salt, pink food coloring, and mix. Add pink food coloring until you get the color that you like - it will only lighten slightly when you add the flour.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon sea salt, pink food coloring
- Add the flour into the butter mixture and mix until it comes together. Add the cream and mix just until it forms a soft dough.2 ½ cups all purpose flour, 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Immediately transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a coupler and a small, open star piping tip. If you're using disposable piping bags, I recommend using two, one inserted into the center. The coupler and double piping bags help prevent the piping bag from popping or breaking while you pipe the dough because the dough is stiff and it is difficult to pipe.
- Transfer half of the dough into the piping bag. It's easier if you don't transfer all of the dough at the same time.
- Pipe bow shapes on a parchment lined baking sheet. If it is too difficult to pipe, you can massage the dough in the piping bag to warm it up. Or use a hair dryer and massage it to evenly heat the dough.
- Freeze the piped dough for 10 minutes, then bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 8 minutes. The dough should be slightly golden on the bottom.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least a few minutes before handling them because they firm up as they cool.
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