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    Bless This Mess > Recipes > Desserts > Cookies

    Vanilla Melt Away Cookies

    Published: Dec 2, 2020 · Modified: Dec 2, 2020 by Melissa · 35 Comments

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    Cookies with white icing on parchment, top view, and the works "easy melt away cookies" in brown at the bottom
    top view of cookies with white icing on them with letters in green at the bottom that say "melt away cookies"
    Collage with two photos, first photo shows stacked cookies and the second is a plate of cookies from the top down, words in the middle say "easy melt away cookeis"
    cookies on ceramic plate stacked nicely with words "melt away cookies" at the top

    Simple Vanilla Melt Away Cookies have the most amazing texture and are made with powdered sugar, butter, and a secret ingredient - corn starch!

    Simple Vanilla Melt Away Cookies

    Have you ever had melt away cookies?! There are lots of variations (mint, chocolate, coffee...), but my very favorite are the deliciously simple vanilla cookies with a vanilla icing.

    These cookies are a cross between a Mexican wedding cake cookie and shortbread in texture. They are soft but have an incredible fine crumb that just kind of melts in your mouth. And the secret to that amazing texture? Cornstarch! Who would have thought.

    These were on Husband's favorite cookie list this year. He loves how simple and sweet they are without being over the top. And that texture... you really have to try them to understand how tasty it is!

    You'll love how simple the recipe is too! Just a little mixing, baking, and then spreading on an easy to make icing/glaze.

    What are melt away cookies?

    Melt away cookies are a soft, lightly sweet shortbread cookie that seem to melt away in your mouth. The unique texture comes from a combination of powdered sugar, corn starch, and butter!

    How can I add a little flare to melt away cookies?

    This is the plainest version of this cookies but feel free to change it up! You can easily add food coloring to the dough and or icing. It's easy to sprinkle on sprinkles, crushed candy canes, and sprinkling sugars.

    You can change up the flavor by adding additional extracts to the dough or icing like almond, lemon, lime, or orange.

    Can I freeze these cookies?

    Yes! These store well in an air-tight container and they freeze well.

    More Cookie Recipes:

    • Soft Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
    • Candy Cane Meringue Cookies
    • My Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe
    • Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies

     

    Print
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    above shot of melt away cookies with white icing on a cooking sheet with parchment paper

    Vanilla Melt Away Cookies


    ★★★★★

    4.3 from 6 reviews

    • Author: Melissa Griffiths-Bless this Mess
    • Total Time: 40 minutes
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Simple Vanilla Melt Away Cookies have the most amazing texture and are made with powdered sugar, butter, and a secret ingredient - corn starch!


    Ingredients

    Scale

    For the Cookies

    • ½ cup powdered sugar
    • 1 cup butter, softened
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup cornstarch

    For the Glaze/Icing

    • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
    • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
    • 1 - 2 tablespoon milk
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper.
    2. Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and combine. Add the flour and cornstarch and mix on low speed until well combined.
    3. Cover the cookie dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
    4. Shape the dough into round 1-inch balls and place a few inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for one minute and then remove and let them cool on a wire rack.
    5. For the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in small bowl. Drizzle or spread the glaze over cooled cookies.
    6. Enjoy and store any extras in an air-tight container.

    Notes

    • This is the plainest version of this cookies but feel free to change it up! You can easily add food coloring to the dough and or icing. It's easy to sprinkle on sprinkles, crushed candy canes, and sprinkling sugars.
    • Prep Time: 30 minutes
    • Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Bake
    • Cuisine: American

    Nutrition

    • Calories: 267
    • Sugar: 23.3g
    • Sodium: 3.2mg
    • Fat: 13.9g
    • Carbohydrates: 35.3g
    • Protein: 1.3g
    • Cholesterol: 36.6mg

    Keywords: Dessert, Cookies, Vanilla, Christmas Cookies

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @blessthismessblog on Instagram and hashtag it #blessthismess

    I hope you enjoy these Vanilla Melt Away Cookies made with powdered sugar and butter as much as we do.

    And there you have it! One very easy and delicious cookie you can make today. You are going to love how these cookies just melt in your mouth.

    « Whole Roasted Chicken
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    About Melissa

    Melissa is dedicated to helping parents figure out the nightly questions, "What's for Dinner?!" with her no-fuss approach to cooking. Read more...

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    Comments

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      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Sandy

      February 04, 2023 at 8:49 pm

      My cookies broke up and didn’t flatten out at all in oven. I gently pressed them and they brok all around the edges. Good taste but not pretty

      Reply
    2. Karen

      December 08, 2022 at 6:45 pm

      These cookies were amazing ❤️ thank you so much

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Alisa

      October 12, 2021 at 6:34 pm

      These are just like you said, delicious. I'm making my 2nd batch per my husband's request.
      Thanks for a winner!

      Reply
    4. Sammy Jo

      September 20, 2021 at 6:40 pm

      Thanks for sharing. My grandmother used to make these and I couldn’t for the life of me remember what they were called or how she made them. I bake them now and then to feel close to her. ❤️

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Melissa

        September 21, 2021 at 12:31 pm

        I love that so much, did she do any flavors besides the vanilla?

    5. Mary Beth Darby

      March 06, 2021 at 3:23 pm

      Do you freeze the dough or the cookies after baked?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        March 08, 2021 at 3:05 pm

        If you want to save some for later, after baking, no need to freeze the dough before.

    6. Kat

      June 27, 2020 at 10:44 pm

      should the dough be dry before you refrigerate it.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        July 01, 2020 at 4:53 pm

        No, it's not an overly dry dough in general. Not wet, but still a cookie dough.

      • Wanda

        August 03, 2020 at 3:40 pm

        Crumbly as f—a very crumbly thing.

        ★

      • Melissa

        August 04, 2020 at 3:33 pm

        Sounds like you measured a little heavy on the flour, they shouldn't be crumbly...

    7. Debbie

      February 20, 2020 at 1:51 pm

      In the video they use egg. In this online they don’t. Which is correct.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        February 20, 2020 at 5:21 pm

        The video must have been for a different recipe. This one doesn't have an egg, so go off the recipes as written! ENJOY these are a favorite.

    8. Erin

      December 16, 2019 at 2:16 pm

      Can you refrigerate the dough longer than 30 minutes? I'm hoping to mix up the dough the day before I need to back them.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        December 17, 2019 at 3:30 pm

        Yes, just let them sit for maybe 15 minutes before working with them as they'll get really firm in the fridge! ENJOY!

    9. Julie

      February 23, 2019 at 11:21 am

      These have become a favorite with all of us! Everyone wants the recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Melissa

        February 25, 2019 at 9:41 am

        That's awesome! Aren't they such a great texture and easy too!

    10. Joyce Boone

      February 17, 2019 at 3:43 am

      Can you tell me how long these can stay out on the counter prepared like you have it here? I made it into a pan cookie. And for the icing, I mixed in gel colors to make it resemble camoflage. Several batches of different colored icing were put on the cookie and then mixed to get it to look like camoflage. It's for my grandson's 15th birthday.....he asked for a vanilla cookie. He's in for a real treat? Thanks for the recipe?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Melissa

        February 18, 2019 at 11:14 am

        They'll be ok for a day or so, if you live in a really humid climate you might want to consider keeping them in an air-tight container because the humidity makes their texture change a bit. I'm in Utah and we are really dry, so I bet I could leave them out for 2-3 days with no issues.

    11. Liz

      December 30, 2018 at 11:12 pm

      These also tasted good with almond extract! Thanks!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Melissa

        January 01, 2019 at 11:08 am

        Great idea that sounds delicious, thanks for the tip!

    12. Anna Marie

      December 10, 2015 at 7:13 am

      How many does it make?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        December 13, 2015 at 4:47 pm

        Man, it's been a while since I made them. I think around 3 dozen?

    13. Yvonne

      April 11, 2015 at 1:38 am

      Hi can you please explain what corn starch is? I live downunder in NZ thanks
      Yvonne

      Reply
      • Kelly

        February 20, 2016 at 6:40 pm

        Hi there,
        I know it's 10 months late, but your corn starch may be labeled corn flour. Hope this helps.

    14. Marcy

      January 01, 2015 at 7:12 pm

      I have been making these for years. My only change is no milk in the frosting and instead I use lemon juice.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        January 01, 2015 at 9:42 pm

        That sounds delicious! I'm going to try it 🙂

    15. Mandy

      December 30, 2014 at 5:51 pm

      Do you need to refrigerate since there is milk in the glaze?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        December 31, 2014 at 12:15 pm

        I don't, sugar is a great preservative 🙂 You can if you'd like though, but I'd let them come back to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!

      • Mandy

        December 31, 2014 at 3:08 pm

        Thank you for the reply! I never knew that about sugar!

    16. Rachel

      August 09, 2014 at 6:45 pm

      I made these recently for a family event. Vanilla and lemon were both a HUGE hit. Thanks again!!

      Reply
    17. Kathleen R.

      March 04, 2014 at 6:20 pm

      These sounds amazing! I love cookies that melt in your mouth 🙂

      Reply
    18. Rachel

      March 02, 2014 at 6:12 am

      I made these last night and they are sooo good. I think lemon flavored ones would be awesome for summer time. Mmmm.

      Reply
    19. Heather

      February 28, 2014 at 8:51 am

      Oh and they are gluten free but look so good!

      Reply
    20. amy hines

      February 27, 2014 at 2:55 pm

      Going to try these. Thanks for all your good ideas.

      Reply

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