50 Vintage Recipes That Celebrate Butter (2024)

Home Recipes Cooking Style Baking

Sure, we like butter slathered ON our baked goodies, but we also love it—lots of it—IN our baked goodies. These treats, including butter cookies, butter cakes and more, are loaded up with your favorite dairy product.

Shortbread

I live in Missouri, but many family recipes come from New Zealand, where I was born. My parents moved there when I was a year old, so I have a “Down Under” heritage. These special-occasion cookies bring back warm memories of my childhood, and I’m going to make sure they’re passed on to the next generation in my family—no matter where they live! —Allen Swenson, Camdenton, Missouri

Butter Pecan Layer Cake

Pecans and butter give this cake the same irresistible flavor as the popular butter pecan ice cream flavor. —Becky Miller, Tallahassee, Florida

Buttery Cornbread

A friend gave me this homemade cornbread recipe several years ago, and it's my favorite of all I've tried. I love to serve the melt-in-your-mouth side hot from the oven with butter and syrup. It gets rave reviews on holidays and at potluck dinners. —Nicole Callen, Auburn, California

Pfeffernuesse

These mild spice cookies, perfect for dunking, come from an old family recipe. —Betty Hawkshaw, Alexandria, Virginia

Pecan Butter Tarts

I searched for the perfect butter tart for ages. After many attempts, I discovered this favorite that begs for a scoop of ice cream on top. —Susan Kieboam, Streetsboro, Ohio

Aunt Rose's Fantastic Butter Toffee

I don't live in the country, but I love everything about it—especially good old-fashioned home cooking! Every year, you'll find me at our county fair, entering a different contest. This easy toffee recipe is a family favorite. —Kathy Dorman, Snover, Michigan

Kentucky Butter Cake

I found this butter cake recipe in an old cookbook I bought at a garage sale and couldn’t wait to try it. I knew it had been someone’s favorite because of the well-worn page. —Joan Gertz, Palmetto, Florida

Buttery 3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies

With only a few ingredients, these butter shortbread cookies are so simple to prepare. —Pattie Prescott, Manchester, New Hampshire

Icebox Butterhorns

These beautiful golden rolls just melt in your mouth! People will be impressed when these appear on your table. —Judy Clark, Elkhart, Indiana

Thumbprint Butter Cookies

These buttery little rounds add beautiful color to a platter of treats. Fill the thumbprint in the center with any fruit preserves you like. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

We’ll show you how to make butter cookies.

Old-Time Butter Crunch Candy

Both my children and my grandchildren say the season wouldn't be the same without the big tray of candies and cookies I prepare. This one's the most popular part of that collection. We love the nutty pieces draped in chocolate. —Mildred Duffy, Bella Vista, Arkansas

Crisp Sugar Cookies

My grandmother always had sugar cookies in her pantry, and we grandchildren would empty that big jar quickly because they were the best! I now regularly bake these wonderful cookies to share with friends. —Evelyn Poteet, Hancock, Maryland

Lemon Shortbreads

Every year my mom and I collect cookie recipes we want to try and then get together in early December for an afternoon of baking. These no-fail lemon cookies have become an annual tradition. They're a wonderful homemade holiday gift. —Kristen Stecklein, Glendale, Wisconsin

German Butter Pound Cake

Cardamom and lemon zest mix with almond and vanilla flavors to add zip to a classic butter pound cake. —Kristine Chayes, Smithtown, New York

Raspberry Ribbons

I make these attractive, buttery cookies to serve at our remote guest lodge, and all the cooks in the kitchen are addicted to them! —Patsy Wolfenden, Golden, British Columbia

Pecan Pie Bars

These pecan pie bars are rich and delicious - just like pecan pie! They're perfect for taking to potlucks and other gatherings...I always come home with an empty pan. These Kentucky Derby pecan pie bars are the perfect snack while watching the races. —Carolyn Custer, Clifton Park, New York

Butter Pecan Fudge

Toasted pecans add a nutty crunch to this creamy fudge, perfect for holiday giving. People always seem to rave about its wonderful caramel flavor. —Pam Smith, Alta Loma, California

Buttery Bubble Bread

Homemade bread can be time-consuming, difficult and tricky to make. But this fun-to-eat monkey bread, baked in a fluted tube pan, is easy and almost foolproof. If I'm serving it for breakfast, I add some cinnamon and drizzle it with icing. —Pat Stevens, Granbury, Texas

Chocolate-Tipped Butter Cookies

These wonderfully moist morsels are too tempting to resist. They melt right in your mouth. Rather than sprinkling the chocolate tips with nuts, you can roll them in red and green jimmies or leave them plain. —Charolette Westfall, Houston, Texas

Cranberry Butter Crunch Bark

One Christmas I dreamed this recipe up when making butter crunch toffee. It is an addictive treat that disappears fast.—Heather Ferris, Vanderhoof, British Columbia

Light and buttery, these delicate shortbread cookies are melt-in-your-mouth good. The coconut flavor makes them extra special. —Roberta Otto, Duluth, Minnesota

Cooling lemon and aromatic rosemary make these butter cookies stand out at the holidays. I use them to punch up the cookie trays for potlucks or as gifts.—Elizabeth Hokanson, Arborg, Manitoba

Stollen Butter Rolls

My family members enjoy my stollen so much and say it’s just too good to be served only on holidays. I created this buttery, less-sweet dinner roll version. —Mindy White, Nashville, Tennessee

Toffee Almond Sandies

These crispy classics are loaded with crunchy chopped toffee and almonds, so there's no doubt as to why they're my husband's favorite cookie. I used to bake them in large batches when our four sons still lived at home. Now I whip them up for the grandchildren! —Alice Kahnk, Kennard, Nebraska

Tender Pecan Logs

Folks always ask me to make these tender nutty logs. Not overly sweet, they're just right with a steaming cup of coffee or tea. —Joyce Beck, Gadsden, Alabama

Lemon Butter Cookies

These tender cutout cookies have a slight lemon flavor that makes them stand out from the rest. They're very easy to roll out compared to other sugar cookies I've worked with. I know you'll enjoy them as much as we do. —Judy McCreight, Springfield, Illinois

Heavenly Praline Cake

A moist cake and generous frosting are filled with the fabulous flavor of caramel. The candied pecans are almost a dessert by themselves!—Jennifer Rodriguez, Midland, Texas

Martha Washington Candy

Passed down by my grandmother and mother, this Martha Washington candy recipe is a cherished family tradition. We've even had each grandchild and great-grandchild take a turn stirring the candy mixture! —Cindi Boger, Ardmore, Alabama

Maple Butter Twists

My stepmother gave me the recipe for a delicious yeast coffee cake shaped into pretty rings. When I make it for friends, they always ask for seconds. —June Gilliland, Hope, Indiana

Cherry Snowballs

A juicy maraschino cherry is the secret center tucked inside these special cookies. My mom was inspired to create this by a recipe she clipped out of a newspaper more than 30 years ago. —Evy Adams, West Seneca, New York

Lemon Oatmeal Cookies

This is an especially fun recipe to make with kids because they can roll the dough into balls and flatten them on the baking sheets. The lemon and oatmeal add a nice twist to traditional sugar cookies. —Susan Marshall, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Flaky Butterhorn Rolls

The recipe for these dinner rolls, slightly sweet and so very flaky, was my mother’s. They are simple to prepare because kneading skills are not required and the dough is easy to handle. My grandchildren have renamed them "Grandma’s croissants"! —Bernice Smith, Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota

Semisweet Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies

Chocolate and vanilla provide a delightful contrast in their flavor and appearance. —Nancy Arevalo, Brookfield, Wisconsin

Orange Spritz Cookies

Brown sugar gives these spritz cookies a lovely light caramel tint. This variation has a rich buttery shortbread taste and texture with a hint of orange flavor. They are a delightful addition to my holiday cookie tray. —Sean Fleming, St. Charles, Illinois

Yellow Cake with Buttercream Frosting

—Aria Thornton, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Nanny's Fruitcake Cookies

My grandmother always made a holiday fruitcake. I turned her recipe into cookies that are perfect anytime, especially with a cup of tea. —Amanda Digges, South Windsor, Connecticut

Pecan Meltaways

This sweet, nutty pecan meltaways recipe is a tradition in our house at Christmastime, but the treats are delightful any time of the year. —Alberta McKay, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A pleasingly moist cake, this treat is the one I requested that my mom make each year for my birthday. It's dotted with sweet carrots and a hint of cinnamon. The fluffy buttery frosting is scrumptious with chopped walnuts stirred in. One piece of this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is never enough—it's better than all the other carrot cakes I've tried! —Kim Orr, West Grove, Pennsylvania

Raspberry Linzer Cookies

These wonderful cookies require a bit of extra effort to make and assemble, but the delight on the faces of family and friends when I serve them makes it all worthwhile. —Schelby Thompson, Camden Wyoming, Delaware

Lemon Snowdrops

I save my snowdrop cookies for special occasions. The crunchy, buttery sandwich cookie has a puckery lemon filling. —Bernice Martinoni, Petaluma, California

Best Coconut Pecan Cookies

I gave cookies to friends every year, and these are a favorite. Freeze the dough in logs, then slice and bake the crisp, buttery, coconut pecan cookies when you need them. —Betty Matthews, South Haven, Michigan

Buttery Almond Cookies

My husband loves these cookies. They have an old-fashioned flavor that goes well with a cup of tea. Plus they’re simple to put together. —Elaine Anderson, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania

Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread

We love hazelnut flavor and cookies that aren’t too sweet, so this recipe is perfect for us! If you like your cookies on the sweeter side, bake up these crisp beauties and slather some Nutella between two to create an extra-special sandwich cookie. —Karla Johnson, East Helena, Montana

Butter Pecan Icebox Cookies

My grandmother used to bake very similar cookies. As a little girl, I always loved their butterscotch flavor and was fascinated by the way Grandmother prepared these cookies (from logs that she took out of the icebox!). These are simple but delicious old-fashioned cookies. The dough logs can be stored in the freezer, then pulled out to defrost a day or two before baking time.—Lisa Varner, El Paso, Texas

Chocolate-Dipped Orange Cookies

These tender cookies are pretty to look at—and the combination of cream cheese, orange, chocolate and almonds makes them almost irresistible. —Linda Call, Falun, Kansas

Lemon Tea Cookies

These sandwich cookies taste rich and buttery and have a lovely lemon filling. The recipe has been in our family since the 1950s, when my mother got it from a French friend in her club. —Phyllis Dietz, Westland, Michigan

Pecan Roll-Ups

This recipe is so delicious and is sure to become a favorite of your family. The pecans make them so rich.—Lee B. Roberts, Racine, Wisconsin

Annamarie is Taste of Home’s Shopping Editor and previously worked on the brand’s magazine and special issues. It was during this time she tapped into her love language, gifts, and spearheaded the print holiday gift guides in 2021 and 2022. She’s thrilled to continue creating gift guides full time for the shopping team, in addition to testing and reviewing products, spotlighting viral gadgets and editing freelanced content. A midwestern transplant from the San Francisco Bay Area, she enjoys hiking, crafting and—you guessed it!—shopping and cooking.