Danish Butter Cookies are a holiday season classic. Buttery cookies with perfect texture and flavor in every bite.
I think a lot of families have fond memories of large family gatherings and cozy evenings around a tin of these classic Danish butter cookies. But you might not know that they are really simple to make. Butter cookies are one of those easy bakes that make a super fun activity to get the whole family involved in.
This recipe starts with some of the same basic ingredients as my classic Shortbread Cookies, but with a few tweaks and additions to make the texture and flavor more like the iconic Danish butter cookie you know and love.
Alongside Linzer Cookies, Danish Butter Cookies are an absolute classic Christmas cookie recipe, you have to give them a try this holiday season!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Danish Butter Cookies
- What are Danish Butter Cookies?
- What is the Difference Between Butter Cookies and Shortbread Cookies?
- Ingredients for Danish Butter Cookies
- How to Make Danish Butter Cookies
- Troubleshooting
- Danish Style Butter Cookies Variations
- How to Store Danish Cookies
- Danish Butter Cookie Recipe FAQs
- More Christmas Cookies?
- Recipe
Why You'll Love These Danish Butter Cookies
- Look and taste just like the Royal Dansk cookies in the blue tin.
- Easy recipe to make at Christmas time with the whole family.
- Enjoy at home or give as homemade holiday gifts.
What are Danish Butter Cookies?
Danish Butter Cookies are soft cookies that melt in your mouth because of the high butter content. The dough is so soft that it can be piped into different shapes, and they are often served around the holidays as a classic Christmas cookie. Danish butter cookies are well known for being served in an iconic blue tin, but this homemade version may just be even better!
What is the Difference Between Butter Cookies and Shortbread Cookies?
While butter cookies and shortbread cookies do have a lot of similarities, they are distinctly different. Shortbread is traditionally made with just three ingredients - sugar, butter, and flour, whereas butter cookies also contain an egg and vanilla.
Butter cookies also have a higher ratio of butter to flour, giving them a softer dough and less of a crumbly texture than shortbread cookies.
While both have an irresistible ‘melt-in-the-mouth' texture, their flavor and crunch are different.
Ingredients for Danish Butter Cookies
These homemade Danish butter cookies have very simple ingredients that you probably have at home already.
- Butter - As the butter is such a huge part of the flavor and texture of these cookies, try to use high-quality butter if you can. European-style butter has a higher fat content which lends itself well to this recipe. I like to use Kerrygold. I use salted butter, but if you have unsalted butter just add a pinch of salt to the recipe when adding the flour.
- Powdered Sugar - Using powdered sugar (icing sugar) does two things. First, it makes a softer cookie dough that is easier to pipe. Secondly, the cornstarch in the powdered sugar helps to prevent the cookies from spreading which means they will keep their lovely piped shape better. It also creates a nice tender cookie and adds to that 'melt-in-the-mouth' texture.
- Egg - Use a large egg, preferably free-range if possible.
- Vanilla - Use high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for a lovely base flavor.
- Flour - Regular, all-purpose flour (plain flour) works best for these butter cookies. I don't recommend using another type of flour for these. Wheat flour makes them too tough and cake flour makes them too soft and they break when you pick them up.
See the recipe card for quantities and the full recipe.
Recommended Equipment
- Stand Mixer - I used a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, but you can also do this with a hand mixer, or even just mix it by hand in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.
- Baking Tray - You will probably need 2 cookie sheets to fit all the cookies on. Make sure they fit in your fridge before you pipe onto them!
- Piping bag - A disposable piping bag or pastry bag will be fine. But if your disposable bags are super thin, it may be better to use a reusable one as they are more durable and less likely to burst.
- Large Star Tip - You'll need an open star tip if you want to make nice lines in the cookies like in the pictures.
- Cooling Rack - Cool the cookies on a wire rack to make sure they don't get a soggy bottom.
- Cookie Lifter - This is the best way I have found to transfer cookies delicately. I have been using this cookie lifter for years and it is fantastic.
Measuring Ingredients: I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale, rather than using measuring cups. It's very difficult to measure accurately with cups and this can mess up your bakes.
How to Make Danish Butter Cookies
You won't believe how quick and easy this Danish butter cookies recipe is.
Cream butter and sugar
Beat the room-temperature butter and powdered sugar together at medium-high speed until creamy.
Add egg and vanilla
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg and vanilla. Beat until mostly combined.
Don't worry if it looks a little curdled at this stage.
Add flour
Add half of the sifted flour into the mixture and mix it in on low speed, then add the remaining flour and mix it until combined.
Be careful not to overmix.
Put it in a piping bag
You should now have a very soft cookie dough. Use a rubber spatula to transfer it into a piping bag with a large open star tip fitted.
Don't fill the piping bag all the way as it is easier to control with less dough.
Pipe the cookies
Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper and pipe the dough onto them in any shape you like.
Make sure you leave a bit of space between them as they will spread a little.
Sprinkle the cookies with a little bit of granulated sugar (optional).
Chill
Place the piped cookies in the fridge for at least an hour.
I have tested this recipe with a shorter chilling time of 30 minutes and saw a huge difference - they spread more and lost a lot of their definition in the oven. So for best results chill for the full hour.
Bake
Bake the Danish cookies for 15 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown around the edges.
Baking time can vary depending on your oven so keep an eye on them so they don't overbake.
Remove the baked cookies from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Tips for Piping Cookie Dough
- Your cookie dough must be the right consistency to be able to pipe it effectively. If it is too soft or too stiff, see the troubleshooting section below.
- It is important to use a large piping tip. If the opening is too small it will be very difficult to squeeze out the dough and the cookies will be too thin.
- If you put all the cookie dough in your piping bag at once it will be really hard to control the bag as you will need to grip it at the top. If you just put a little bit of dough in at a time you can grip closer to the piping tip and control the flow more easily.
- To pipe the perfect cookie, place the piping tip where you want to start and gently squeeze at an even pressure while you slowly move the tip. Don't overthink the shape too much as any style of these cookies look beautiful.
When you reach the end of the cookie, keep the piping tip in place and release the pressure. If you pull up before you stop squeezing you will have a little peak on your cookies.
Troubleshooting
Cookie dough is not soft enough to pipe: There could be two reasons behind this. The first is that your butter may not have been soft enough. It's important that the butter is completely at room temperature when you start making these cookies.
The second issue could be that you accidentally added too much flour. If you are using cups to measure your dry ingredients, it is very difficult to get an accurate measurement and so people often end up adding in too much flour. For best results, I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients.
Cookie dough is too soft: You might think that your cookie dough seems too soft, but that is how it is supposed to be! When made correctly the consistency of the butter cookie dough is almost like a thick buttercream. This is to allow you to pipe it smoothly and easily.
If your dough is too runny to hold a shape then something has gone very wrong. It could be that your kitchen is too warm and the butter in the dough has started to melt. Put it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes and try again.
Cookies spread in the oven: If you ended up with flat cookies or they lost their definition in the oven, a few things may have gone wrong. The most likely culprit is mismeasured ingredients. As mentioned above it's best to weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale for accuracy. Too much butter or not enough flour could lead to cookies that spread too much in the oven or can't hold their shape.
The second possibility is that the cookies were not chilled for long enough. They have to chill for at least an hour. I tested the recipe with a shorter chill time and the results were very obvious. (See process shots above for comparison photo). When they are done chilling, they should be fairly firm to the touch so they can keep their definition as they bake.
Danish Style Butter Cookies Variations
- Extracts - Add different flavors of extract to the cookie dough to mix it up a bit. Almond extract is my favorite.
- Coconut - Mix some shredded coconut into the cookie dough before piping to make a delicious coconut cookie.
- Spices - Add some warm spices to Danish biscuits for an extra cozy flavor. Ginger and cinnamon world very well.
- Citrus Zest - Mix some lemon zest or orange zest into the dough for a zingy, fresh flavor. This works well in my Orange and Ginger Cookies.
- Chocolate - Dip your butter cookies in chocolate and add some holiday sprinkles. Make sure you use real chocolate, not chocolate chips, and check out my guide on how to temper chocolate really easily.
How to Store Danish Cookies
Store your Danish butter cookies in an airtight container (or a reusable tin!) at room temperature for up to a week.
You can freeze them too - wrap them in plastic wrap or put them in a sealed Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Danish Butter Cookie Recipe FAQs
Yes! If you don't want to pipe your butter cookies there are two other methods of making them. You can either use plastic wrap to shape the cookie dough into a log, refrigerate and use the slice-and-bake method, or you can refrigerate the dough first, then roll it into small balls and press them down on the baking sheet with a fork or a cookie press.
Butter cookie recipes contain a higher ratio of butter to flour than sugar cookie recipes, this makes a softer dough that is often piped into shapes. Sugar cookies tend to be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters.
Traditional shortbread only contains 3 ingredients - butter, sugar, and flour, this makes for super crumbly, or 'short' cookies, hence the name. Butter cookies have the addition of egg and vanilla extract which makes them more pliable and less crumbly.
More Christmas Cookies?
Looking for more easy holiday cookie recipes? Try these:
Recipe
Best Danish Butter Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Electric Mixer optional
- Open Star Piping Tip
Ingredients
- 2 sticks Salted Butter 227g (room temperature)
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar 113g
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour 250g (sifted)
- 1 Large Egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Cream the room temperature butter and powdered sugar together until creamy. You can use a mixer or do this by hand.2 sticks Salted Butter, 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until mostly combined. Don't worry if it looks a little curdled at this stage.1 Large Egg, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Add half of the sifted flour and mix it in slowly, then add the remaining flour and mix it until combined. Be careful not to overmix. It should be a very soft, squishy dough.2 cups All-purpose Flour
- Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a star nozzle fitted. If your disposable piping bags are very thin, it may be better to use a reusable one, as they are more durable and less likely to burst. Don't fill the piping bag all the way, as it is easier to control with less dough.
- Pipe the dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. You can do any shape you like, see the photos in the post above for inspiration. Make sure you leave a bit of space between them as they will spread a little.
- If you want to, sprinkle with a little bit of granulated sugar. This is totally optional.
- Place the piped cookies in the fridge for at least an hour. Any less than an hour and they will spread more and lose some of their definition as they bake.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C while the cookies are chilling.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until they just start to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit on the pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Optional. If you want to, you can dip the cookies in chocolate. See my post on how to temper chocolate easily in the microwave.
Notes
It really helps and I love hearing all your feedback!
Katherine
This recipe so far, is too good. I've tried a few different recipe before, and is disappointed with the results. This one even provide me the better version of the Dansk Royal. I'm in love with it.
Chris Radwanski
As I am writing this, I am nibbling on one of these danish butter cookie and om nom nom nom! oh great now its gone. Time for another one! Great stuff!