Light, crisp and delicate, my recipe for these classic Danish Butter cookies are absolute melt in your mouth deliciousness. Made using just 4 basic ingredients, this is a super easy bake.
If you like quick and easy bakes, then this is a great recipe for you. Using basic ingredients which you probably have in your kitchen right now makes these cookies the perfect any day treat.
What do you need to make Danish Butter Cookies
- Butter at room temperature. Take the butter out of the refrigerator at least an hour before baking. It should be soft to the touch, but not melted.
- Powdered/Icing sugar. This type of sugar is used because it dissolves quickly when mixed with the butter. It also is responsible for giving these cookies that amazing light, crisp, melt in your mouth texture.
- Vanilla extract
- Cake Flour or all-purpose flour
Create the perfect Danish Butter Cookies
Although this is a really easy recipe, the following helpful tips will ensure the perfect bake :
Cream the butter and sugar WELL. This means that it should be beaten for at least 5 to 8 minutes. An electric handheld or stand bowl mixer is helpful to aid in the creaming process. The creamed butter and sugar should be light in color and fluffy in texture. This will result in lighter cookies as opposed to a dense heavy batch of cookies.
Do not overfill the piping bag with the dough. Rather divide the dough in half, this will make the piping easier to manage.
Refrigerate the piped dough before baking. This is an important step and should not be left out. Refrigerating the piped dough for about 30 minutes before baking. This prevents the dough from spreading while baking ensuring that the cookies keep their beautiful piped shape.
The sugar in the dough becomes more pronounced as it chills creating a better-flavored bake. It also promotes light texture and golden brown color.
Avoid overbaking the cookies. Bake until the edges turn a golden brown color.
Can I press out the dough instead of piping?
Absolutely. If you do not want to go through the process of piping out the dough, then simply roll out small portions of dough and press down using a fork. Refrigerate the shaped dough for 30 minutes before baking.
Prepare and pipe cookies in advance
The best part of these cookies (besides the yummy taste 🙂 is that it can be prepared and piped in advance. The piped or shaped dough can be frozen overnight or up to 1 month before baking. The cookies can be baked from frozen, but might just require an extra 5 minutes of baking time.
Making the Danish butter cookies
Get the butter out of the refrigerator at least an hour before baking. It should be soft to the touch, but not melted.
Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract with a handheld or stand mixer for 5 to 8 minutes. The creamed butter and sugar should be light in color and fluffy in texture.
Use a spatula to scrape the dough of the side of the bowl. Sift the flour, 1/3 cup ( 40g) at a time folding it gently into the creamed butter mixture, until you have used up all the flour.
Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and roll it to form a log. Cut a hole in one end of the plastic wrap and place it into a piping bag fitted with a flower tipped nozzle.
Pipe the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment/baking paper. If you feeling that the dough is too stiff or hard to pipe, then just add a tablespoon of warm milk to the dough. This will make the dough softer and easier for you to pipe
Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up the piped cookies. This prevents the dough from spreading while baking ensuring that the cookies keep their beautiful piped shape.
Bake in a preheated oven of 300°F/ 150°C for 15 minutes or until the edges begin to turn a golden color.
Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the baking sheet to cool for 10 minutes before serving or store in an airtight container.
Enjoy ♥
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out my other amazing cookie and slice recipes
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- ½ cup/120g butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup/25g powdered/icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup/120g all-purpose/ cake flour
-
Get the butter out of the refrigerator at least an hour before baking. It should be soft to the touch, but not melted.
-
Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract with a handheld or stand mixer for 5 to 8 minutes. The creamed butter and sugar should be light in color and fluffy in texture. SEE NOTE 1
-
Use a spatula to scrape the dough of the side of the bowl. Sift the flour, 1/3 cup ( 40g at a time folding it gently into the creamed butter mixture, until you have used up all the flour.
-
Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and roll it to form a log. Cut a hole in one end of the plastic wrap and place it into a piping bag fitted with a flower tipped nozzle. SEE NOTE 2
-
Pipe the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment/baking paper. If you feeling that the dough is too stiff or hard to pipe, then just add a tablespoon of warm milk to the dough. This will make the dough softer and easier for you to pipe.) SEE NOTE 3
-
Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up the piped cookies. This prevents the dough from spreading while baking ensuring that the cookies keep their beautiful piped shape.
-
Bake in a preheated oven of 300°F/ 150°C for 15 minutes or until the edges begin to turn a golden color.
-
Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the baking sheet to cool for 10 minutes before serving or store in an airtight container.
1. The butter should be beaten for at least 5 to 8 minutes. An electric handheld or stand bowl mixer is helpful to aid in the creaming process. The creamed butter and sugar should be light in color and fluffy in texture. This will result in lighter cookies as opposed to a dense heavy batch of cookies.
2. Do not overfill the piping bag with the dough. Rather divide the dough in half, this will make the piping easier to manage.
3. If you do not want to go through the process of piping out the dough, then simply roll out small portions of dough and press down using a fork. Refrigerate the shaped dough for 30 minutes before baking.
Ashika, these look so light and delicate and I just can almost taste that buttery flavor! So lovely!
I have always wanted to make these! They look so buttery and delicious! Will definitely have to add this to my baking list!
Honestly, this is one of my favorite store bought cookies that I really love to eat. I do not love the sugar loaded ones. But, never realized that they are so easy to be baked at home. Gonna try this soon:) Thank you Ashika for this amazing recipe.
Absolutely delicious keeper for holidays dear ! Thank you so much -)
These cookies are excellent! I make them a couple of times a month. Great recipe!
Hi Deb, thank you, I am so glad that you love these cookies too 🙂
How many cookies do you get out of this recipe
Hi Nancy, this recipe makes approximately 12 cookies. The number it makes will also depend on the size you are shaping or piping the cookies.
I hope that this helps answer your question 🙂
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
Hi Jeanette, I used salted butter for this recipe. If you are going to use unsalted, then just mix a 1/4 teaspoon of salt or salt to taste to the flour 🙂
Hi! I just made these like an hour ago, and they are DIVINE. I don’t usually comment on sites but had to let you know and thank you since these were my first butter cookies and were unbelievably awesome😠After leaving them to cool, they crisped up like the cookies we get at the store and I’m so amazed how easy this recipe is 😠My family LOVED them. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
Hi Hafsa 🙂 Awww Thank you so much for your kind words. Your comment really made my day 🙂
I am happy that this recipe turned out well for you and glad that you and your family enjoyed it too 🙂
It came out well and soo yummy too. How come it doesn’t require baking soda?
Hi Natasha, Thank you, I am glad that these cookies turned out well for you 🙂
To answer your question: I do not use baking soda in this recipe because I want the cookies to have a chewy slightly dense inside with a golden crisp outside edges.
I hope that this helps answer your question 🙂
How many cookies can you make with these measurements?
Hi Stacy, This recipe makes approximately 12 to 15 cookies. It also depends on the size of the piped or cut cookies.
I hope that this helps answer your question 🙂
The cookies were so yumm and buttery. My entire family loved them. They have already requested another batch this weekend 😀 Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
My query was with the baking time and temp. My cookies didn’t get golden brown in the mentioned time and temp. I had to keep increasing the time and also the temp and finally after few rounds they turned brown. (25-30 mins) For my next batch, can I use a higher temperature? Is the mentioned temperature 150 C for any reason?
Hi Sejal, thank you and you are welcome 🙂 I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed these cookies.
To answer your question: I use a thermal fan oven, so prefer to bake at a lower temperature. If you are using a conventional oven then just increase the temperature to 350°F(180°C) and bake for between 15 to 17 minutes. But please keep an eye on the cookies as they bake because all ovens are different and temperature and times specified are just a guideline. Make a note of the perfect time and temperature the next time you bake these cookies and use that whenever you use this recipe.
I hope that this helps answer your question and happy baking this weekend 🙂
Hi. I have two questions.
1. Which rack of the oven should be used? Middle or lower?
2. Which rods to be used ? Lower or both? With fan or without fan?
Thanks in advance
Hi Madhurima,
To answer your questions: 1. I use the middle rack to bake these cookies
2. To bake these cookies, I use a fan oven just with the lower rod.
I hope that this helps answer your question 🙂