Vanilla Meltaway Cookies are the original Meltaway Cookies. With a soft shortbread vanilla cookie base and a sweet vanilla royal icing on top, they melt in your mouth!
If you like these Meltaway Cookies, I have a few other flavors for you: Almond Meltaway Cookies, Coconut Meltway Cookies and Lemon Meltaway Cookies.
What are meltaway cookies?
Meltaway cookies are made up of a soft buttery shortbread cookie base. They are called meltaways because they will literally melt in your mouth!
My girls and I love to bake, so with Summer fast approaching our kitchen is about to kick up into full swing. These Vanilla Meltaway Cookies are always at the top of our list as they require minimal ingredients and are insanely good.
These meltaway cookies are so light and fluffy in texture, that it allows them to melt in your mouth. The sweet royal icing on top really seals the deal and makes them irresistible. I can never keep them in the house, they’re usually gone the same day!
Ingredients for Meltaway Cookies
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
Vanilla Royal Icing Ingredients
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
You can use any flavor of extract in place of the vanilla extract in these meltaway cookies to create a different flavor of your choosing. You can also flavor them with citrus zest!
I like to use milk in my royal icing, however if these cookies will be sitting a long time, I recommend using water instead. If you use milk, technically you should refrigerate the cookies. If you use water, you do not need to refrigerate them. This is just a safety precaution!
How to make Vanilla Meltaway Cookies
- Line a baking sheet with either a silpat or parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Whisk together your dry ingredients. Then beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Incorporate the egg and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients.
- Use a tablespoon to gather batter. Roll each tablespoon into a small circle. Then, using either your palm or the bottom of a cup, press into a disk shape.
- Bake for 8 minutes. They won’t look “done” but they are done! They will still be very light and white. Let them cool on the cookie sheet.
- Once cookies are cool, whisk together icing ingredients until smooth and set aside. Use a spoon to apply icing. Let sit for at least 10 minutes or until icing is hardened.
What flavor additions can I make to my meltaway cookies?
These cookies are very customizable. You can add extracts like lemon, almond, peppermint, etc. You can also add additional toppings to your icing to jazz them up with sprinkles or think of adding something like crushed peppermint during the Holiday season! Feel free to play around and find the combination that you love best!
Can I freeze my meltaway cookies?
I, personally, would suggest freezing uncooked dough (and unfreezing as needed for baking) as opposed to an actual baked cookie. The cookies once frozen and thawed do not tend to have the same texture anymore.
These Vanilla Meltaway Cookies require minimal ingredients and effort, and I promise your family is going to love them. Seriously delicious, soft cookies in just about 30 minutes!
Feel free to play around with different flavor profiles. I have made these so many different ways and my family loves them all! I think yours will feel the same way too!
Head on over to Dixie Crystals for the full recipe I developed for them!
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