Danish Butter Cookies
Danish Butter Cookies are so much better than the store-bought version and they’re irresistibly buttery and delicious with soft centers and crispy edges. Use a large piping tip to make pretty swirls. You can also make them festive at Christmas by decorating them with sprinkles or dipping half of each cookie in chocolate.
You’re probably already familiar with my Christmas Butter Cookies. They are one of my most requested recipes here at MCT, and I recently turned them into a peppermint version, Peppermint Butter Cookies. They were a huge hit with my family, but I decided I wasn’t done with butter cookies yet.
I decided I also wanted a simple buttery cookie that was delicious on its own…no icing! A version like the ones in those little blue tins but with a much better flavor. Somewhere in the middle between my butter cookies and my crispy Angel Sugar Cookies.
I loved making these cookies because the majority of sweets I make for the holidays are very sweet and/or rich. These aren’t…they’re just right. A perfect cookie for the little ones that like to keep coming back for more.
Danish Butter Cookie Pros:
- Easy to make…no icing involved
- Perfect for piping
- Only 30 minutes of chilling time
- A perfect cookie tin cookie…great for gifting
- Buttery centers and crisp edges
- Festive…can decorate with sprinkles, chocolate, nuts, etc…
- Taste more buttery the longer they’re stored
- Freeze beautifully
Ingredients for Danish Butter Cookies:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spoon & leveled
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 teaspoons warm milk, as needed for perfect piping
- Sugar for sprinkling on tops of cookies
Mixing the dough:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt and set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium speed until all ingredients are well combined about 1 more minute. Stop and scrap down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour/salt mixture on low speed and mix until just incorporated. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of warm milk to get the perfect piping consistency. The dough will be rather thick.
Piping the dough:
- Transfer one half of the dough at a time to a large piping bag fitted with a large open star tip. I used Ateco #826. Try to use a tip that has an opening on the back end of 1/2 inch. Otherwise, it will be too hard to pipe the dough through.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. I don’t often use silicone baking mats but for this recipe, I did to help keep the cookies from spreading.
- Pipe the dough onto cookies sheets, making them about 2-inches in diameter. Sprinkle the tops generously with granulated sugar. Place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This also keeps them from spreading. I actually only prep and bake one cookie sheet at a time.
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Danish Butter Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade Danish Butter Cookies are buttery and delicious and super easy to make. They are also 100 times better than those store-bought cookies in the little tins.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spoon & leveled
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 stickes) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 teaspoons warm milk
- Sugar for sprinkling on tops of cookies
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt and set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium speed until all ingredients are well combined about 1 more minute. Stop and scrap down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour/salt mixture on low speed and mix until just incorporated. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of warm milk to get the perfect piping consistency. The dough will be rather thick.
- Transfer one half of the dough at a time to a large piping bag fitted with a large open star tip. I use Ateco #826. Try to use a tip that has an opening on the back end of 1/2 inch. Otherwise, it will be too hard to pipe the dough through.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. I don’t often use silicone baking mats but for this recipe I do, to help keep the cookies from spreading.
- Pipe the dough onto cookies sheets, about 2-inches in diameter. Sprinkle the tops generously with granulated sugar. Place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This also keeps them from spreading. I actually only prep and bake one cookie sheet at a time.
- Meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cookies for approximately 15 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet halfway through. Bake until the tops are a light golden brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to completely cool.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.