Homemade Danish Butter Cookies

Buttery, tender and unbelievably light these homemade Danish Butter Cookies are so much better than the tinned version. Loaded with flavor, they’ll literally melt in your mouth and are so easy to make. Just a few slight changes from my Melting Moments Cookies, you’re going to love these. Why not make up a batch to gift to those you love with some Peppermint Meltaways and Snow Kiss Cookies too.

Homemade Butter Cookies

Danish butter cookies are an absolute classic holiday cookie but why wait for the holidays when you can make them all year round? This recipe takes just 6 ingredients and a few minutes to put together. There are so, so many reasons to enjoy these cookies;

Soft and tender Melt in your mouth Buttery and flavourful Just 6 ingredients Easy to make Pipe or press them into pretty designs Decorate to your hearts content.

Ingredients in Butter Cookies:

With the buttery flavour of shortbread but with a soft melt-away texture, these cookies have definitely earned their name.

Butter – a large amount and since this is the most dominant flavour, use a quality brand. Sugar – regular white granulated sugar will do the trick here. Vanilla extra – make sure to use extract (not essence). You could even go the extra mile and use vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean seeds so you get that gorgeous little black speckles. Egg yolk and milk – both are used for richness and they also allow the dough to be soft enough to be piped. All purpose flour – of course you need some sort of flour to create cookies and these ones just need the regular all purpose variety.

How To Make Danish Butter Cookies:

This incredibly simple dough is the work of minutes using a stand mixer, definitely my prefer way to mix this thick dough.

Tips and Variations:

The dough: After adding the flour, you give it good beat for 30 seconds or so until it becomes a nice soft dough and everything is fully combined. Milk: You can add a little more milk if it’s not soft enough to pipe but don’t add too much or they will use their shape as they bake. It should take some pressure to pipe but should not break as you do so. The piping bag: Use a small piping bag. This is quite a thick dough and easier to pipe when you have a small amount to handle at a time. Piping: So they keep their shape, pipe them high with the piping bag completely vertical (not at an angle). Hold the tip ½ inch from the baking tray, use both hands on the bag and press firmly to pipe. Designs: Use a piping bag, cookie press or freeze in logs to make slice and bake cookies. When you pipe use an open star tip like an Ateco 829. Pipe in a small circle so it becomes a rosette. You can also pipe logs of dough or large stars (without making a circle) then add a glace cherry to the centre. Hold down the paper: Quick trick to hold that baking paper down, dot a little of the dough under the corners and it will assist in holding it in place while you pipe. When decorating: Be gentle with the cookies when you’re dipping them as they are very delicate.

How Long Will These Cookies Keep?

These homemade cookies are good at room temperature for up to 7 days. Keep them in an airtight container. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months – perfect for getting ahead if you’re gifting them. Again make sure they are in an airtight container.

One last tip: While they’re best known for their pale color, go ahead and ‘over-bake’ a few so they get quite golden – the nutty butter flavor this gives is absolutely amazing.

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All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.