Classics need little fanfare, but it’s hard to hold back when something is this good, like this recipe for Chicago Public School Butter Cookies. A simple short list of ingredients has just the right ratio, creating a cookie that is tender, delicate, and bursting with vanilla flavor.

Cafeteria food isn’t always something to ride home about, but Chicago Public School Butter Cookies are next level in terms of texture and flavor. The recipe is pretty straightforward. After the butter and sugar are creamed together, the vanilla is added followed by the dry ingredients. It might seem like a lot of vanilla, but trust the process, it is absolutely worth it, especially when the ingredient list is so short.

Once the cookie dough is portioned out, rolled, and pressed down, the cookie dough is chilled for a minimum of one hour.

After the dough is chilled, the cookies bake in the oven until the bottoms are just slightly golden. The tops of the cookies won’t brown too much, so don’t try to overcook these cookies.

The result? Perfection. 

Chicago Public School Butter Cookies have this velvety melt-in-your-mouth tenderness that is similar to a holiday shortbread cookie. 

The ample vanilla may have sounded like a lot, but it’s the perfect amount, injecting the cookies with a full-frontal vanilla that cuts through the richness of the butter and flavors the cookie, giving them a great discernible taste.