Go Back Email Link
+ servings
Up close of danish butter cookies piled onto a plate.
Print

Danish Butter Cookies (Melt in your mouth)

These melt-in-your-mouth Danish butter cookies are synonymous with nostalgia and the holiday season. These simple and delicious butter cookies are perfect for gifting this year!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 374kcal
Author Takes Two Eggs

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (227 g) European salted butter room temperature
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons (10 g) vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon (15 g) whole milk or more to soften
  • 2 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (50 g) cake flour
  • coarse sugar for decorating

Instructions

  • Make space in the refrigerator and prep the baking mats. Make room in your refrigerator for a baking sheet so the shaped cookies can chill for 20-30 minutes. Without chilling, the piped cookies may over-spread. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
  • Cream butter, sugar salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer still running on low, slowly add in sugar and salt. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
  • Incorporate egg yolks, vanilla, and milk. While mixing, add egg yolks, vanilla, and milk. Continue to mix on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl for thorough mixing.
  • Mix dry ingredients and add into mixture. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the flour, and cake flour. Add flour mixture to mixer in two additions, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix on low speed until combined and no traces of flour. If the batter is too thick to pipe, add another tablespoon of milk to soften.
  • Pipe the cookies. Transfer cookie batter to a large piping bag with fitted a ½-inch open star tip. Pipe 2-inch cookies (rosettes, pretzels, circles, squares) on a prepared baking sheet. Space cookies at least 2-inches apart. If desired, sprinkle the dough with festive sprinkles and/or coarse sugar. Chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
  • Prepare the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make sure the baking rack is in the middle of the oven.
  • Bake. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are JUST lightly golden brown. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

Notes

  • Use room temperature butter. Leave your butter out of the refrigerator for about 45 minutes. Having room temperature butter allows for easy mixing and allows all the ingredients to incorporate seamlessly. The butter should be slightly cool (about 67°F or 19°C), but your finger should leave an indentation when you press the butter.
  • Use room temperature eggs. You want the eggs to be at room temperature so that the cookies will bake evenly. To quickly bring cold eggs to room temperature, place eggs in slightly warm water for 5 minutes.
  • Don’t over mix the batter. The more you mix the more gluten develops in the batter. It will cause the batter to toughen up and be difficult to manage.
  • Watch your cookies in the oven! The baking times will vary depending on the sizes and shapes of the cookies.
  • You can alternatively just use all-purpose flour. The combination of all-purpose flour and cake flour provides a nice crisp yet melt in your mouth consistency. However, you can always omit the cake flour and use 260 grams of all-purpose flour instead.
  • Measure your flour correctly! I like to use a kitchen scale for the most accurate measurements. Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. If you don’t have one then fluff the flour with a spoon and lightly sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
  • If you use unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
  • Storage Instructions: You can store these butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can store these cookies in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
  • Make-Ahead Instructions: You can chill the shaped cookies on the baking sheet in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil if chilling for longer than 30 minutes. OR You can also freeze the un-baked-shaped dough for up to 2-3 months. Bake the frozen-shaped dough for an extra couple of minutes. You do not need to thaw the dough.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 178mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g