Danish Butter Cookies
Raise your hand if you have memories of that iconic blue tin of butter cookies always making an appearance around Christmas *hand raised*. Well, you’re going to love this recipe! These Danish Butter Cookies taste just like the ones in the Royal Dansk blue tin; this simple recipe makes the best piped butter cookies and will immediately give you all of the warm holiday feels.
Back in September (which seems like a million years ago at this point), I asked readers for holiday recipe requests, and Susan said she would love a recipe for the Danish butter cookies in the blue tin. There was always, always, always that blue tin of assorted butter cookies at my grandma’s during the holidays, and I had totally forgotten about it until she mentioned it.
I immediately put it on my list and started testing some recipes not very long after. I was positively elated when I landed on the perfect combination of butter, sugar, egg, and flour that produced a cookie that tastes exactly like those popular Danish butter cookies!
Ingredients in Danish Butter Cookies
These cookies have a super simple list of ingredients (only six ingredients, to be exact!), it’s all about combining them in the right quantities to give them that ultra-buttery, yet tender and slightly firm texture that we know and love so much. This is all you need:
- Butter, which is arguably the most important ingredient! These are butter cookies, so the butter flavor shines; I recommend using a nice quality butter (my favorite is Kerrygold).
- Sugar to sweeten things up. I experimented with both powdered sugar and granulated sugar, and much preferred the flavor and texture that regular granulated sugar provides. I also sprinkle a little on the top of the unbaked cookies for a little extra crunch.
- Egg to keep the cookies tender and act as a binder. I tried some recipes that did not use an egg, but found them to be too doughy tasting and the texture too crumbly.
- Flour to hold everything together and ensure the cookies keep their shape.
- Vanilla and salt for an extra punch of flavor and balance.
How to Make Danish Butter Cookies
This is an easy butter cookie recipe to mix together; the only extra step is piping the dough into circles, which gives them that characteristic swirl look. Let’s discuss!
Make the Cookie Dough – This dough follows the very familiar mixing steps of creaming together the butter and sugar, then adding the egg, vanilla and salt, then gradually adding the flour. The dough will be quite thick, which the consistency we’re going for.
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Pipe the Cookies – This is where the magic happens for these cookies! In order to get that amazing swirl look, the dough MUST be piped. You will need to use a large open-star piping tip (my preferred tip is the Ateco #827, but you can also use the Wilton 1M), and pipe the cookies into 2-inch circles. If you don’t have piping tips, you can simply put the dough into a plastic baggie and snip off the end. It won’t have the same swirl effect, but you’ll get nice circles. Another alternative is using a cookie press to make different shaped cookies out of the dough.
Bake and Cool the Cookies – Before I put the cookies into the oven, I give them a little extra sprinkle of sugar for a bit of crunch that I love. You only want to bake the cookies until they are barely light brown, so as not to make them crisp; you want them to be nice and tender. Finally, allow the cookies to cool completely before you eat them; the cookies will continue to set as they cool, so it’s an important piece of achieving that wonderfully tender consistency!
Danish Butter Cookies Recipe Notes
A quick recap of all the important tidbits to making the best Danish butter cookies in your own kitchen!
- Use good-quality butter (my favorite is Kerrygold).
- You can substitute an equal amount of vanilla bean paste for the vanilla extract to give the cookies little flecks of vanilla.
- My preferred piping tip for these cookies is the Ateco #827, but you can also use the Wilton 1M.
- You can also use a cookie press to make different shaped cookies out the dough.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before eating or storing them.
- The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.
I LOVE receiving recipe requests from readers because they often spark a forgotten memory and allow me to recreate something that I otherwise may never have attempted.
I hope everyone enjoys these wonderfully tender butter cookies this holiday season. Those beautiful buttery swirls will add a little extra pop to your Christmas cookie platters!
If You Like These Danish Butter Cookies, Try These Recipes:
- The Best Snickerdoodle Recipe
- Chocolate Chip Tea Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies
One year ago: 2017 Holiday Gift Guide: Cookbooks
Four years ago: Turtle Candies
Five years ago: Panettone (Italian Christmas Bread)
Six years ago: Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Danish Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheeting with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until combined and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the salt, vanilla and egg, and beat until combined, about 1 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the flour until mostly combined. Give a final few stirs with a rubber spatula to ensure the flour is totally incorporated (the dough will be thick).
- Transfer the dough to a decorating bag fitted with a large open star tip. Pipe the dough into 2-inch circles on the parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake, one pan at a time, until light golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Allow to cool completely before storing or serving.
Notes
- Use good-quality butter (my favorite is Kerrygold).
- You can substitute an equal amount of vanilla bean paste for the vanilla extract to give the cookies little flecks of vanilla.
- My preferred piping tip for these cookies is the Ateco #827, but you can also use the Wilton 1M.
- You can also use a cookie press to portion out the dough.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before eating or storing them.
- The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]
RODBAKES and SERENA
1. Use a butter with a high fat content. It really does make that ridge.
2. I find when I want to make rudges, accents, etc I back off the dough that I insert, just a smile.
3. If it keeps happening put dough in fridge for about 30 min. then pipe it (and fast…pipe and bake)
Good luck.
I was so excited to get this recipe. My son (and I) loved the blue can stuff. He was allergic to most but did not have a noticeable problem so these were our favorite. He is now 26 as of a week ago and I’m going to surprise him with these this Christmas season. Now I have to find his wife’s favorite. Thank you.
P.S. You know that “26 yrs” means no big thing….he’ll always be my little boy.
i made twice n i dunno why the swirl disappeared as the cookies bake in the oven. it got flatten ish n almost flat. it was pretty n the swirl were high as ur picture.
Same here! It flattens out
After you pipe cookies, refrigerate them or pop the tray in the freezer until the cookies are firm (not frozen.) This goes for cut out cookies, too. It helps the cookies hold their shape rather than spread out.
My first tray spread, so I refrigerated the second one. That didn’t help, as the ridges were gone as well. Did I perhaps let my butter get too soft? Or beat it too long with the sugar?
Thank goodness, mine look like pan cakes, I tried making them smaller as the 2inch ones spread so much they were one.
Baked cookies for the first time with my 10 yr old daughter and they have come out perfect .. Thank you for the simple recipe.
Thank you for the yummiest danish butter cookies recipe. The right texture and the balance sweet. My kids loved it ❤️
This was absolutely divine! The recipe is spot on as I remember Danish bitter cookies to taste. I am adding this to my favorites. Thanks you!
The cookies looked perfect, but they tasted like flour. Did I do something wrong? I followed the recipe exactly, but I might have messed up.
Hmmm mine tasted mostly like butter!
Hi. I tried your recipe and I love it! I used French butter and I love how the simplicity of the recipe brings out the butteriness and the vanilla flavour.
This dough was so thick i could NOT get it through my tip! Had to use the cookie press, which Worked but i really was looking for the swirl. Good cookie but fighting with the dough was not enjoyable
Very good and close to the original, but missing the dehydrated coconut that gives it the signature flavor!
Can’t monk sugar and either almond or coconut flour be used to make them Keto friendly?
Hi Rita, I am not familiar with either of those ingredients, so I could not say for sure.
I made these twice and it was much easier to pipe using European butter because of the higher fat content I got a softer dough.
My god, Those are my favorite. Try it, so cool.
Thanks Michelle
I had a cookie press and used a small star tip. The cookies definitely didn’t turn out pretty but are delicious. Maybe I need to invest in the Ateco star tip?
I love the Danish cookies. My turn to bring the cookies to church (with several dutch families) is coming up, can’t wait to make these! Have you ever tried to adjust recipe to fit low carb diet? (Sugar & flour substitutes) erythritol & almond or coconut flour would be my choices.
Sincerely
Tina
After reading comments on thickness. Wondering if rolled and stamped if they would hold the stamp after it’s baked.
I’m literally sitting here eating Blue Tin Danish Cookies looking for a recipe for danish cookies. Now that I’ve found this recipe I’m absolutely going to try it. Especially if they do taste just like the ones I’m currently stuffing my face with. These are my favorite cookies ever! Thank you for this recipe!
Same here Lynnette! I am munching on my order of blue tin cookies that just arrived today from Amazon, and regretting I did not order more. I’m going to save a couple to later compare side-by-side after making this recipe. Ha! Who am I kidding… I won’t be saving any cookies for a taste test ;-)
Also, I found through your website another recipe I want to try out soon — the Butternut Squash Ravioli & Brown Butter Sauce sounds absolutely delicious!
Tastes pretty good BUT impossible to pipe. Had to scoop out of my bag..
Delicious as described. This recipe has the temperament of pie crust, though, so there’s a balancing act between the amount of flour used and temperature of the dough. For what it’s worth I used 8.5oz AP flour, which gets me 2 cups based on the way I measure. The dough was insanely hard to pipe so I let it rest to in the pastry bag before piping. Then popped the sheet pans in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking and that helped the cookies keep their shape in the oven. Definitely will make again.
These are amazing I was reading some of the comments my dough was not too stiff at all maybe you need to let your butter sit out longer. I’m a baker don’t know what you all are doing wrong but these are so good. Thanks for sharing I’m adding it to my list of keepers.
The best butter cookies I’ve eaten . I did increase the sugar a little, I also put them in the fridge to set a bit they came out really good. Thank you and Merry Christmas!!!
Had to try recipe and my cookies turned out great thank you for sharing :)
I just tried making these. There is no way in the world that this batter can be piped, unless you have hands like a lumberjack. I had to get the mess of a batter out of the piping bag and into my cookie press. After all that aggravation and double the mess, they turned out to be a basic spritz cookie. If you have a favorite spritz cookie recipe, use that and your cookie press. Save yourself a huge mess and DO NOT attempt to use a piping bag. This recipe was a huge waste of time. I fell for the name. Shame on me.
Agreed. I should have reviewed comments prior to making these. They can not be piped as stated by Claudia.
Impossible to get these out of a piping bag. The dough was way too thick, and I am pretty strong. It was a soft enough dough I could roll them in a ball and flatten them, but they were not as pretty. Taste is okay. I have the original cookies open to compare. Definitely a fair substitute but not as good.
I just came across my mother‘s recipe for Danish Royalties.
She used 2 egg yolks hardboiled and mashed I have never baked anything using precooked yolks of eggs. I remember using a cookie press.
Has anyone made cookies using hardboiled egg yolk?
Danish Royalties
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks hard cooked and mashed
1 tsp Almond extract
1 cup all purpose flour
Bake at 375 8-10 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet
Don’t know if you ever made this recipe but it looks to me like a classic sable Breton dough which is usually very good. I’ve made doughs with boiled egg yolks in culinary school and they were melt in your mouth delicious!
So light and airy! The buttery taste is delicious and they look so cute with Christmas sprinkles! I’ll be making these for our families for the holidays :) Thank you!🎄
Oh MY! These are beyond Amazing!! I even put the rest of the dough into a quart size baggie and rolled the dough to the bottom of the bag and put in the fridge for 4 days and it hardened into a log and I cut half inch slices that cooked up Beautiful in round slices! Easy!! BUTTERY!! I even added a hershey kiss on top of my batch!! Thank you for this recipe!! Its going to be a Tradition to make these now every chance I get!! Looks absolutely lovely in a festive Tin!!!
These are fabulous Michelle, and so pretty! Also, if you like a buttery cookie with chocolate, try Alison Roman’s salted chocolate chunk shortbread cookies! They are delicious with or without (my preference) salt on top!
If you make these by piping them, I recommend massaging the dough in the piping bag with your hands for a few minutes, and sort of flattening the dough in the bag. It’ll warm up the dough and make it much easier to squeeze out of the piping bag. Another thing is you can make them pretty much any shape you want. These came out good! Will be making them again.
Super simple recipe for the perfect butter cookie.
I’ve added sprinkles before cooking, red hots, as well as maraschino cherries chopped and rolled in sugar topped before baking for fun looks for the kids.
Simple cookie is still my favorite
Should I cool the cookies on the baking sheet they were cooked on or transfer them onto a cooling rack?
Hi Lauren, They can cool completely on the baking sheet. Enjoy!