Danish Butter Cookies – Simple shortbread cookies made with just butter, flour, sugar, and eggs that are crispy on the outside but melt in your mouth with each bite.
It’s been a while since I’ve shared a cookie recipe so I thought now would be a great time. When thinking though some of my favorite cookies, these Danish Butter Cookies immediately popped in my head.
My mom used to buy these cookies every Christmas and my sister and I would go crazy for them! If you’ve never had them before, think of shortbread cookies but slightly softer so when you bite into them, they melt in your mouth.
I know it’s not time for holiday cookie recipes yet but I don’t care – these cookies can be eaten all year long, as far as I’m concerned. And when you find out are simple they are, you’ll only have another reason to make them more often.
Hows this recipe is made
Shortbread is the simplest cookie recipe you’ll ever encounter. And these Danish butter cookies are no different! Made with just a handful of ingredients, you can make them at a moment’s notice and enjoy them within the hour.
Ingredients
Because there are few ingredients in this recipe, it’s important that each ingredient be spectacular, especially the butter. That is why it requires extremely flavorful, creamy salted butter. I used a European-style butter that is extra fatty and makes for a better cookie.
Process
The dough is formed by simply mixing all the ingredients together. Then, the dough is added to a pastry bag with a large star tip. To form the cookies, the dough is piped into tight circles, almost like a mixture between a wreath and a rosette. Then the cookies are baked for 20 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown. And that’s all there is to them!
Tips & Tricks
Here are a couple tips to ensure these cookies come out perfectly:
- Be very careful about how you measure the flour. If you add too much, the dough will be too thick and impossible to squeeze out of the pastry bag.
- Speaking of the pastry bag, make sure you use a large star tip. A smaller tip will not allow enough dough to push though so it will be almost impossible to form the cookies.
- Ordinarily, I would say all cookies should be eaten warm out of the oven. However, these butter cookies taste better with a little crispiness to them, which is achieved after they’ve cooled.
Danish Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter salted, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar together until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until they have substantially mixed with the butter mixture.
- Add flour and mix until dough forms, but don't overmix the dough. Add dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large star piping tip.
- Pipe tight circles about 1 1/2 - 2 inches wide and 2 inches apart, making sure to make the center as small as possible. Bake in preheated oven until the edges turn golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let them cool almost completely before serving, about 30 minutes.
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Melting in your mouth is the only acceptable standard for a butter cookie. Going to bake a batch of these this weekend while I wait on a restock email I’ve been hoping for all week. Fingers crossed on both fronts!
I had to smile at the CPA title—it’s so true. Your post perfectly captures the simple joy of that iconic blue tin. I always save the sugar-topped ones for last.
I used a European-style butter
These Danish butter cookies sound delicious and bring back memories! By the way, if you ever want to digitize old family recipes, try using Image To Text to easily convert them from photos to editable text.
These Danish butter cookies look absolutely delicious! I love how simple the recipe is, yet it promises such a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Can’t wait to try making them myself. Thanks for sharing!
Ooh, these Danish butter cookies look so good! My block game make these, and they were always my favorite. Gonna have to try this recipe and see if it brings back those memories! Thanks for sharing!
Thas looks so delicious, I’ll give it a try.
Any chance you’ve experimented with Gluten free flours with this recipe? These are my favorite cookies, and I haven’t been able to eat them since being diagnosed with Celiac’s 2 years ago. You’ve given me hope.
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Butter cookies use to be my fav before I came allergic to dairy and gluten! they sure look tasty thought.
I love Danish butter cookies! These look so delicious and buttery ♥
Cookies are my weakness! I can’t wait to try these, they look absolutely delicious
I’ve always seen this type of cookies in pretty boxed sets, but never realized how simple they could be to make! They are lovely and the butter flavor is so classic!
Saving this one for Christmas! Looks perfect!
These cookies look amazing! I love shortbread cookies, but really love soft cookies! This recipe might just be the perfect thing for me… can’t wait to give it a try!
Thank you for making me drool. I just love cookies, and this look scrumptious! I must make them one day.
These look like they would melt in your mouth! Such a great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Yumm! I’m always looking for new recipes and I’m excited to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Sucha simple yet yummy recipe, I’ll have to give it a go
These remind me so much of my Abuela! She would set them out, but they were, “Only for company!” (I stole some anyway)