There are only seven easy things you need to make butter cookies at home. Cover cookies in chocolate and sprinkles to make them look like they came from a bakery.
Beat the butter on low speed in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld mixer until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and mix on medium speed for 1–2 minutes until combined.
1
Mix egg yolks, milk, vanilla extract, and salt until combined, scraping bowl sides as needed. Mix in flour. The mixture will be crumbly but will come together as you mix. I used the Ateco 827 to pipe half the dough.
2
Leave 2 inches between 1.5–2-inch circles of dough on ungreased baking sheets (you can use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat). I generally pipe 1.75-inch circles. If the dough is too thick to pipe, warm it in the bag with your hands.
3
When the piping bag runs out of dough, add more to it and keep piping circles until you're out of dough. Warm the oven up to 350°F (180°C) at the same time.
4
While the oven heats up, refrigerate piped cookies on baking sheets for 30 minutes. Bake 12–16 minutes until cookies set and bottoms lightly brown. To avoid sticking, run a thin spatula under cookies piped directly on baking sheets after baking. Cool baking sheets.