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Vanilla Cookies are moist, chewy, and full of creamy vanilla flavor. A delicious twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie!
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These Vanilla Cookies are a scrumptious twist on a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. Creamy, smooth white chocolate chips wrapped up in a buttery cookie dough that is bursting with vanilla flavor. I hate to admit this, but I am a huge cookie snob! I won’t eat any store bought cookies or any cookie that even looks like it was overbaked in the slightest. I’m not proud of it, but hey – we all have our flaws. However, this snobbery has made me work hard on coming up with perfect, and I mean perfect cookie recipes. These vanilla cookies are darn near perfection in taste and texture, and I can’t wait for you to try them!
Ingredients in Vanilla Cookies
These soft vanilla cookies are so simple but is one of my favorite recipes of all time. They’re perfect to serve for bridal or baby showers, picnics, or just a family evening at home. I like to keep all the ingredients on hand for whenever a cookie craving strikes. Here’s what you need:
- Butter – I like to use one cup of softened unsalted butter for incredible soft cookies.
- Sugar – one cup white, granulated sugar
- Brown sugar – one cup, packed
- Almond extract – try this in place of vanilla extract for a deep, slightly nutty flavor that makes the cookies so divine. Of course, if you can’t find almond extract, you can always substitute a teaspoon vanilla here.
- Vanilla – vanilla extract enhances the perfect vanilla cookie flavor.
- 2 eggs – if the eggs are smaller, you can use three small to medium eggs.
- All purpose flour – three cups, sifted and leveled.
- Salt – one teaspoon salt, either kosher or table salt
- Baking soda
- Vanilla chips – or white chocolate chips, one 12 ounce bag.
Tips for Perfect Cookie Dough
- Before mixing your dough, make sure that your butter is a room temperature. You should be able to make a slight dent in the butter with your finger. Believe me, the temperature of your butter really affects the way your cookies bake.
- Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Combine the dry ingredients all together in a medium bowl, then add to the wet ingredients that you’ve mixed in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl during mixing so all the ingredients are incorporated.
- You can scoop and bake these cookies right away or give the dough a little chill time in the fridge before baking.
Baking Suggestions
- Grease baking sheets with cooking spray or line the sheets with parchment paper so the cookies don’t stick.
- Use a cookie scoop to make sure the cookies are all the same size. That way they’ll all bake up evenly.
- One of the biggest secrets to soft and chewy cookies is the baking time. I always bake my cookies for about nine to eleven minutes, just until the bottom of the cookie is ever so slightly golden.
- Then I take them out and let them cook on the cookie sheet on top of the stove for another two minutes or so.
- Once they’re cooled slightly, I put them on a wire rack to finish cooling to room temperature. (or I eat a few while they’re still warm and gooey!)
How to Store Vanilla Cookies
- Store fresh cookies in an air tight container on the counter for up to a week.
- You can freeze these cookies too! They keep in the freezer for weeks, and you can pull them out whenever you need a little treat (just let them thaw on the counter for a few minutes).
- You can also freeze the dough, tightly covered in plastic wrap. When you want to bake some fresh vanilla cookies, just unwrap the dough and let it thaw for a few minutes.
Substitutions/Additions for this Cookie Recipe
This is a basic cookie dough that can be changed up a million different ways.
- I love the nutty flavor of almond extract but you can leave it out if you choose.
- Or swap out the almond extract for other flavors: coconut, peppermint, just about anything!
- Vanilla chips or white chocolate chips work well in this recipe.
- Add chopped pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts or almonds to the dough for extra texture and flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions about Vanilla Cookies
It’s all about the butter and sugars. Using a combination of white and brown sugar and butter gives the cookies a soft texture. If you want a more crisp cookie, use shortening and only granulated white sugar.
Vanilla extract won’t change the texture of the cookie but will definitely affect the flavor. Switch up extracts for different flavors, like almond extract in this recipe.
Vanilla extract enhances all the other flavors of a cookie recipe. Without it the cookies could taste flat and rather bland. But again, you can change up extract flavors for different types of cookies.
READ NEXT: 33+ Easy Dessert Ideas
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
Because I’m such a cookie snob, I make sure our recipes are soft, chewy and delicious! Try some of our favorite family cookie recipes.
- Turtle Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Chewy Pecan Cookies
- Reese’s Pieces Cookies
- Coconut Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
How to Make Vanilla Cookies
Vanilla Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 cubes)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 12 ounces vanilla chips (white chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the butter and sugars together in a large bowl or electric mixer.
- Add almond extract, vanilla and eggs. Mix well.
- Gradually mix in flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Slowly stir in vanilla chips.
- Roll dough into walnut-sized balls or use a cookie scoop and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until just starting to lightly brown on top.
- Makes approximately 5 dozen cookies.
Notes
- Grease baking sheets with cooking spray or line the sheets with parchment paper so the cookies don’t stick.
- Use a cookie scoop to make sure the cookies are all the same size. That way they’ll all bake up evenly.
- One of the biggest secrets to soft and chewy cookies is the baking time. I always bake my cookies for about nine to eleven minutes, just until the bottom of the cookie is ever so slightly golden.
- Then I take them out and let them cook on the cookie sheet on top of the stove for another two minutes or so.
- Once they’re cooled slightly, I put them on a wire rack to finish cooling to room temperature. (or I eat a few while they’re still warm and gooey!)
Your recipe does not include the cherries!!! Can chopped maraschino cherries be used?
What amount of cherries?
Thanks for catching that! We fixed the recipe. It is one cup of dried cherries.
What is the serving size?? Surely it can’t be 348 calories per cookie, is it?? 😶
Thanks for catching that! The nutrition facts were incorrect. They are updated now and the serving size is one cookie and it is 116 calories!
My husband loves cherries. I substituted coconut almond flour to make them gluten free. Delicious! Thanks so much.
These were amazing!! We cut the amount of white chocolate chips down to about 1 cup (so about half what this calls for) and for us that was perfect. Also if anyone is wondering, this recipe works great gluten free as well by just swapping the flour for 1:1 GF flour. Nothing else was changed and the texture ended up perfect!
In wanting to make these,I will make a double batch,then Roll,wrap in Saran and freeze,but a double batch would call for two cups of butter,that’s a lot of butter,can I cut back on a stick or two?
We’ve only tried it with this amount of butter, so I can’t say for sure. Maybe try to substitute it with some coconut oil?
My cookies didn’t flatten. I measured all ingredients correctly. What did I do wrong?
Cookies that don’t flatten usually mean that your baking powder or baking soda is expired, or your oven wasn’t hot enough. I usually check my oven with an oven thermometer just to make sure! It could also have been that your butter was too cold. Did you soften it?
Do you pack the brown sugar?
Yes, I do in this recipe!
What a delicious combination!! Soft & chewy, my kids loved them!
I did not have the almond extract nor did I have white chocolate chips and still the best cookies I have ever had and the family agrees.
Thank you!
WOW!! These cookies sound incredibly delicious! A must try!
i love almond extract in cookies!! This was perfect with the cherries!! Thanks!
Oh my goodness, I am craving these cookies right now! Love how simple yet delicious they are!
Wow, these are so good! I’d never had this kind before!
Can I use maraschino cherries instead of the dried?
I haven’t tried maraschino cherries in cookies before, so I’m not sure! Let me know how it turns out if you do try it!
I’m going to try it with the dried cherries first . Does the butter and eggs have to be room temperature?
I just made these cookies, they are fantastic! My question, when mixing everything, I had a hard stirring the dough, does this sound right?
Yes, it is a pretty thick dough. I use a stand mixer which makes it easier. I’m glad you like them!
i love your recipes but am never able to print anything..i get a message saying aboutblank..can you help?????
hmmmm.. I will check into that right away
Is the almond extract a must? Will have to check the pantry for that one.
No, it is not a must. You can use vanilla if you prefer. Thanks for asking!