Description
Danish Butter Cookies are classic melt-in-your-mouth treats made from a rich blend of European butter, sugar, and a combination of all-purpose and cake flour. These delicate cookies are piped into beautiful shapes and baked until just lightly golden, creating a crisp yet tender texture perfect for holiday celebrations or any time you crave a buttery, elegant cookie.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) European salted butter, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) whole milk, plus more if needed to soften
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (50 g) cake flour
For Decoration
- Coarse sugar for decorating
Instructions
- Prepare for chilling: Make room in your refrigerator for a baking sheet to chill the shaped cookies for 20-30 minutes. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Cream butter, sugar, and salt: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the European salted butter on medium speed until smooth. Slowly add granulated sugar and salt while mixing on low, then increase to medium speed and whip until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolks, vanilla, and milk: While mixing on medium speed, incorporate the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and milk. Scrape down the bowl edges to ensure thorough mixing.
- Mix in dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour and cake flour. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in two batches, mixing on low speed until fully combined and no flour streaks remain. If dough is too stiff for piping, add an additional tablespoon of milk to soften.
- Pipe the cookies: Transfer dough to a large piping bag fitted with a ½-inch open star tip. Pipe 2-inch rosettes, pretzels, circles, or squares on the prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies at least 2 inches apart. Optionally, sprinkle with coarse sugar or festive sprinkles. Chill the shaped cookies in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to prevent over-spreading during baking.
- Preheat oven: Set the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake: Bake the chilled cookies for 10-15 minutes until the edges are just lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to reach room temperature.
Notes
- Use room temperature butter, around 67°F (19°C), for easier mixing and better texture.
- Use room temperature eggs for even baking; warm cold eggs in slightly warm water for 5 minutes if needed.
- Do not overmix the batter to prevent tough cookies—overdeveloping gluten makes dough difficult to pipe and leads to a rough texture.
- Watch baking times carefully, as cookie size and shape affect how quickly they brown.
- You can substitute all-purpose flour for the cake flour by using 260 grams of all-purpose flour total for a slightly different texture.
- Measure flour accurately with a kitchen scale or use the spoon and level method to avoid adding too much flour.
- If using unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon kosher salt to the dough.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Chill shaped cookies on baking sheets for up to 2 days before baking (cover if longer than 30 minutes) or freeze unbaked shapes for 2-3 months; bake frozen dough adding extra cooking time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
