If you grew up in Chicago and attended a CPS school then you are more than likely familiar with the classic CPS lunchroom butter cookies that you used to be able to buy at lunch. These cookies were a favorite of students for years and years. If you didn’t attend a CPS school then maybe you were lucky enough to find a store that sold knockoff versions of the cookies. Either way, these cookies are near and dear to many a people who remember them from their youth.You’ll know the ones I’m talking about because of the distinctive ridges in the cookies.
So if you have had these cookies or you’re just a fan of a good, simple butter cookie then this is the recipe for you! These cookies are such a buttery treat and what makes them even better is that they only require four, yes I said four ingredients to make them. In the world of baking there are few things that are easy to make than these cookies.
Once you mix the four ingredients you will see that you will end up with a drier dough that is almost crumbly.
I used a 1 oz. scoop for my dough balls which is larger than your average cookie scoop. You can use a tablespoon to scoop the dough and then roll it into a ball. You follow that up with the classic finger press to flatten that gives this cookie its distinctive ridges.
Don’t press down too hard or too far otherwise you will end up with edges that are overdone. You want their to be about 1/4″ thickness on the edges. That way the edges are just turning a light, golden brown when the cookies are done.
4 Ingredient CPS Lunchroom Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 c. salted butter, softened
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and cream together on medium-high speed with a mixer until it is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir in the vanilla. In three batches stir in the flour and mix just until combined. Scoop out the dough with a 1 oz. scoop or use a tablespoon to scoop the dough. Roll into balls quickly as the more you handle the dough the more the butter melts. Place on the prepared baking sheets and using your three middle fingers press the dough down so that the edges are about 1/4" thick. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the pans for 5minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
There is a lot of butter in these cookies the more you handle the dough the more it melts. That is why I prefer to use a scoop over rolling. If that's not an option for you just do a very quick roll of the dough in your hands.