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Home » All-Time Favorites

Chicago Public Schools Butter Cookies

Last updated on December 12, 2022 By Anna 30 Comments This post may contain affiliate links.

Our family just moved to the great city of Chicago. We love it, and we've been so busy! There's always something to do and it's so easy to get around on foot, train or by car. Between all the unpacking and exploring, I’ve managed to squeeze in some baking and sample some really good cookies. At our house, we call these CPS Butter Cookies.

CPS Butter Cookies

CPS Butter Cookies

A friend gave me this cookie last week. It was made by her friend who wraps each cookie individually and shares or sells them. He obviously puts a lot of love in his baking, and his cookie seems like it might be reminiscent of the ones they used to serve in Chicago public schools. It's a cross between a butter cookie and a sugar cookie and is made with just four ingredients -- butter, sugar, flour and vanilla. There's no chemical leavening agent, but the cookies bake up light and crispy thanks to the air that's whipped in with the butter and sugar. The texture is much lighter than shortbread, but the butter flavor comes through loud and clear.

Chicago Public School Butter Cookies
Chicago Public Schools Butter Cookies Recipe Clone

I made a batch yesterday using a mishmash of different CPS butter cookie copycats. Mine are smaller than the originals and not exactly the same, but they got a vote of approval from a friend who attended Chicago public schools. So even if they're not the same cookies, they're good on their own merit.

Chicago Public Schools Butter Cookies

Notes on the Butter

I used Danish butter from one of my neighborhood grocery stores, Treasure Island. It's called Lurpak, and I know we've discussed it before, but I had trouble finding it back in Austin. Apparently Treasure Island will be my new go-to source for butter because they had a nice variety of interesting ones including an Amish butter. Also, I used unsalted and added my own salt to the recipe, but most shortbread type recipes advise using salted.

Lurpak Danish Butter
Lurpak Danish Butter

Notes on the Flour

For the flour I used regular old Pillsbury's Best bleached. I normally used unbleached, but I figured CPS probably used bleached and from my experience, cookies with bleached flour don't spread quite so much. The key is getting the amount of flour just right so that the cookies don't spread too much (too little) or the dough is too dry (too much). That can be tricky since volume measurements of flour aren't always accurate, so if you have a scale it's best to weigh, but also go by the feel of the dough. The dough should be stiff enough to work with and not require any refrigeration.

Update:  I've made these over and over since first posting and have added a few more tips in the notes section. For instance, KerryGold butter works so well. It's easier to find than the Danish butter and you can buy it in bulk at Costco.

  • Some New Favorite Cookie Exchange Recipes
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  • Cupcakes in Chicago I haven't been cupcake hunting in Chicago in a while. These were all great places back in 2015. I'm sure there are more now.

Recipe

Chicago Public School Butter Cookies

Chicago Public School Butter Cookies

Anna
A recipe for cookies that are supposed to be similar to the ones they used to serve in Chicago public schools.
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 12 minutes mins
Total Time 22 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24

Ingredients
 

  • 2 sticks 230 grams good salted butter, at cool room temperature **
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 grams
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 more tablespoons flour optional, only if needed

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and have ready an ungreased or Silpat lined baking sheet.
  • With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes, scraping bowl often, until very light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and scrape sides of bowl again.
  • Gradually stir in flour, ½ cup at a time, until a smooth dough forms.
  • Using a generously rounded tablespoon, scoop up dough and shape into 24 balls. At this point you can bake the dough or chill it until ready to bake.
  • Arrange the dough balls on baking sheets spacing about 2 ½ inches apart. Dampen fingers and press index, middle and ring fingers into each dough ball to make indentations and flatten.
  • Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Carefully transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Notes

**If using unsalted butter, add ¾ teaspoon of salt when you whip the butter and sugar. For the flour, I used two (5 oz weight/140 grams each) cups (280 grams total or 140 grams per cup). Since flour weight varies cup for cup, I recommend weighing. If you don’t have a scale, go by the consistency of the dough. It should be a nice, workable consistency neither dry nor requiring refrigeration.
Also, I recommend you add the flour gradually. Start with 1 ½ cup and then add the flour a few tablespoons at a time stirring until the dough is just firm enough to be shaped into a ball.
Use the best butter you can get find. The Danish butter is good, but KerryGold works really well too and gives the cookies a yellow hue.
Keyword Butter Cookies, Chicago Public Schools

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Reader Interactions

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  1. Anna

    July 17, 2023 at 3:33 pm

    Thank you! That is the goal.

  2. Renee Jones

    July 17, 2023 at 2:04 pm

    I made them. it brought back memories in my childhood

  3. Anna

    July 03, 2023 at 4:37 pm

    The glasses with the sunburst pattern on the bottom make such pretty cookies. Thanks for sharing that tip!

  4. Patricia Christie

    July 03, 2023 at 4:32 pm

    The Chicago Butter Cookies are a favorite of everyone! Easy to make and delicious to eat!

    I made a few minor changes, I roll the dough into a log and store it in the refrigerator. I cut them into 15 gram pieces, roll them in to little balls. Instead of stamping them with my fingers, I used a pretty glass with a sunburst on the bottom.

  5. Anna

    May 26, 2023 at 6:07 am

    Clarence, thanks for testing the different flours. I've never made the CPS cookies with self-rising flour, but I'm definitely going to try it very soon. And thanks for mentioning the brand. I'll pick up some Great Value flour next time I'm at Wal*Mart. I don't think I've used Great Value yet, but I tend to buy all different brands depending on what I'm making and what's on sale and it's interesting how different brands and types of flour work in recipes.

  6. Clarence

    May 26, 2023 at 5:34 am

    5 stars
    Great simple recipe.
    I've made successful batches of butter cookies following your guide with batches made with generic Great Value brand flour. The first two batches was made using All-Purpose Flour paired with salted butter, they came out great. Then on my next run I did successful batch using Great Value Self-Rising Flour paired with unsalted butter, and these came out equally the same as the previous batch. Proving to me that you can use either flour types, provided you have unsalted butter for Self-risings since that flour is already packed with salt. The brand of butter I used was Prairie Farms butter.

    This recipe was so simple and fun to do that I'm going to soon try my hand at Chocolate Chip Cookies next.

  7. Anna

    May 03, 2023 at 6:01 am

    Hi Sylvia,

    Yes! You can freeze the Chicago Public School Butter Cookies. Just let them cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then put in a heavy duty freezer bag.

  8. Sylvia Jackson

    May 02, 2023 at 8:48 pm

    Hello. Can you freeze these cookies, if you have to bake ahead?
    Thanks
    Sylvia

  9. Anna

    February 17, 2023 at 7:39 am

    Let's hear it for lunch ladies! They all need a raise. Thanks for sharing that, V.

  10. Vincent

    February 17, 2023 at 6:48 am

    5 stars
    This is the way my mother made them, she was a great lunch lady.

  11. Anna

    December 09, 2021 at 8:57 am

    Thank you, Janice! I'll bet yours are great and love the idea of turning them into thumbprint cookies.

  12. Janice Clarke-Reiter

    December 09, 2021 at 8:52 am

    5 stars
    These cookies are delightful! I have made them a number of times following the recipe exactly. I also make them incorporating dried fruit or mini chocolate chips, toffee chips, nuts and so forth. I press some cookies and place a small amount of jam in the center for a mini thumbprint cookie. So happy I encountered your recipe.

  13. Anna

    December 20, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    Hi Gail! I'm glad you like the recipe. As for why they are sometimes hard and sometimes soft, it probably has to do with the temperature of the dough and the bake time. Maybe you always use the same bake time, but sometimes the dough is colder so the cookies end up not baking quite as long and come out soft? I'm going to assume you use the same brands of flour, same brand of butter, etc. If that's not the case, using a softer flour like cake flour or even bleached flour (any brand) might make the cookies softer than if you'd used unbleached. The other thing would be if you are using margarine rather than butter. Margarine makes cookies softer.

  14. Gail

    December 20, 2020 at 1:51 pm

    I love these cookies,they bring back old memories for me. I have made them many times and sometimes they are hard and not soft.
    Can you tell me what I might be doing wrong.?

    Gail

  15. Anna

    December 04, 2020 at 6:26 am

    Edmund, yes! Whole wheat flour is much dryer and will absorb too much moisture. The cookies will be dry and too hard to shape. I'm wondering if you meant "unbleached" flour rather than whole wheat. You can definitely use unbleached as opposed to bleached. But I wouldn't recommend whole wheat flour without other adjustments.

  16. Edmund t. Scott

    December 04, 2020 at 6:07 am

    Will it make a difference if using bleached whole wheat flour?

  17. Anna

    May 15, 2016 at 5:46 pm

    Penny, that's a good question. I've never tried. My advice is to start with this size batch and if you like the results, try doubling. This recipe makes great cookies, but sometimes my cookies are flatter than others. I've found I get different results with different brands of butter, flour and most importantly, the amount of time spent whipping the butter. You really do have to whip as directed so the cookies will be light. Good luck!

  18. Penny

    May 15, 2016 at 4:56 pm

    Can you make a double batch

  19. J Blackmon

    March 20, 2016 at 10:49 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for this simple, yet STUNNING cookie. Amazing flavor and quickly out together.

  20. TxPepper

    June 27, 2015 at 12:08 am

    I was wondering which city/state was going to be the lucky recipient of your move. Glad to read that you are getting settled in.

    But! You're going to miss us. 😀

  21. Carol

    June 25, 2015 at 5:54 am

    Glad you are enjoying Chicago Anna! I lived in Peoria, IL for my first 32 years. We moved to PA almost 10 years ago. If you say you are from IL here, they always assume you have moved from Chicago :). Cookies look great!

  22. Rebecca

    June 20, 2015 at 11:53 am

    How exciting! We just came back from a trip to Chicago. I hope you will be trying to duplicate some of the treats from Sweet Mandy B's!

  23. Anna

    June 20, 2015 at 7:05 am

    Kelly, I've seen some versions that have either all powdered sugar or a mixture of the two. I'm going to try that one soon, but these were such a hit that I'll probably make another batch using this same recipe and testing with different butter. I'm wondering if the special Danish butter is really what made them so good. The people I made them for are still talking about them.

  24. Katrina

    June 19, 2015 at 11:48 am

    Looks like a fun, simple cookie!

  25. Kelly

    June 18, 2015 at 10:09 pm

    Welcome to the upper midwest, from the Milwaukee area! I've been making a variation of this, with powdered sugar, as cut outs. Looking forward to trying with granulated sugar!

  26. joan

    June 18, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    These look wonderful! Can't wait to hear about your cooking/eating adventures in The Windy City....

  27. cookienurse

    June 18, 2015 at 2:21 pm

    Congratulations on your move to Chicago!

  28. Anna

    June 18, 2015 at 1:06 pm

    Sugar is optional. I actually like sprinkling it on the hot cookies because it just melts a little and adheres, whereas if you sprinkle it on before, it soaks in. But that sugar dusting was just an optional last minute thing and is not necessary.

  29. Darlene

    June 18, 2015 at 11:52 am

    I know I would love these! The indentations from the fingerprints make them especially charming. Did you sprinkle the top of the unbaked cookies with sugar? It looks like you may have in the pictures.

    So happy to hear you and your family are enjoying your new home!

  30. Kimberly

    June 18, 2015 at 9:23 am

    Oh my, those cookies look absolutely delicious! I will be making these this weekend for sure.

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