How to Make the Perfect Danish Butter Cookies
Danish · Easy · 32 min · 24 servings
Danish butter cookies are a melt-in-your-mouth kid friendly treat that are surprisingly simple to make at home and far better than the ones from the famous blue tin. These rich and buttery piped cookies are a wonderful introduction for kids to learn basic piping techniques with a pastry bag.
Why this recipe works
This Danish Butter Cookies recipe has been crafted to deliver restaurant-quality results in your home kitchen. At just 32 minutes from start to finish, it fits perfectly into a busy schedule without sacrificing flavor. Each serving comes in at 130 calories with 1g of protein, making it a balanced choice for any meal.
What you will need
This recipe uses 7 simple ingredients that you can find at any grocery store:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 0.5 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar for sprinkling
- 0.25 tsp salt
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Preheat and Make Dough
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat the softened butter and powdered sugar until very pale and fluffy, then mix in the egg, vanilla, and salt. Gradually stir in the flour until a smooth pipeable dough forms.
Step 2: Pipe the Cookies
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe rosettes or S-shapes onto the prepared baking sheets spacing them about 1.5 inches apart. Kids can try piping with a little guidance.
Step 3: Sprinkle and Bake
Sprinkle the piped cookies lightly with granulated sugar for a sparkly finish. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are just barely golden while the centers remain pale.
Step 4: Cool and Serve
Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack. These are delicate while warm so let them firm up before stacking or packaging them.
Easy substitutions
Missing an ingredient? Here are some swaps that work perfectly:
- unsalted butter → European-style high-fat butter for an even richer more authentic flavor
- vanilla extract → almond extract for a nutty variation that tastes wonderful
Common mistakes to avoid
Watch out for these pitfalls that can affect your results:
- Using cold butter instead of properly softened butter which makes the dough impossible to pipe through a tip
- Overbaking the cookies past pale golden edges which destroys the delicate buttery melt-in-your-mouth texture
Nutrition facts
Per serving: 130 calories, 1g protein, 16g carbs, 7g fat, 0g fiber.
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