With this Danish Butter Cookies recipe you’ll get tender, buttery, crisp cookies that rival the ones in the iconic blue tin. They’re simple to make and use just four basic ingredients, with vanilla and a pinch of salt to enhance the flavor.
These classic cookies are perfect for the holidays, gifting, or an afternoon treat with tea or coffee. They don’t need icing—the butter flavor is enough—but you can dip them in melted chocolate or add sprinkles if you like.
I make these with my kids often; they’re easy and fun to pipe, and they freeze well for having a stash of homemade cookies on hand.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- What Are Danish Butter Cookies?
- Ingredients for Danish Butter Cookies
- How To Make Danish Butter Cookies
- Variations
- Important Tools For This Recipe
- Expert Tips
- Piping Tips For Butter Cookies
- Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- More Cookie Recipes You Will Love
- Watch How To Make Butter Cookies
- Danish Butter Cookies Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for gifting: These Danish butter cookies are a lovely homemade gift for neighbors and friends and make a pretty addition to any dessert plate.
- Shortbread-like texture with a twist: They are similar to shortbread but include an egg for a slightly softer, pipeable dough and use granulated sugar for a bit of texture.
- Kid-friendly baking: The recipe is easy to make with children and piping the classic swirls is great fun.
What Are Danish Butter Cookies?
Danish Butter Cookies are rich, buttery cookies commonly associated with the blue Royal Dansk tin. The key to their flavor is good butter: these cookies are simple, buttery, and crisp. They’re often enjoyed during the holiday season in North America and Europe.
Ingredients for Danish Butter Cookies
The base recipe uses four core ingredients: butter, sugar, egg, and flour. Adding vanilla extract and a small amount of salt brings out the flavor. Notes on ingredients:
Butter: Use high-quality butter for the best flavor. Softened (not melted) butter is important so the dough pipes well.
Sugar: Granulated sugar gives slight texture; powdered sugar will yield a different texture.
Egg: One egg adds richness and makes the dough easier to pipe.
Vanilla extract: A little vanilla or vanilla bean paste enhances the buttery flavor.
Flour: All-purpose flour is recommended; do not substitute with cake flour.
Salt: A pinch balances sweetness, especially when using unsalted butter.
For exact measurements see the recipe card below.
How To Make Danish Butter Cookies
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream room-temperature butter and granulated sugar until fluffy—about 2 minutes with a hand mixer.
3. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.
4. Add flour and salt, mixing until the dough just comes together. Scrape the bowl as needed.
5. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large open or closed star tip and pipe 1–2 inch swirled circles or rose shapes onto the prepared sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between cookies.
6. Bake one sheet at a time in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, or until the edges are just turning golden. Check at 12 minutes if your cookies are small.
7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet until set, then transfer to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chef’s tip: Use softened butter—not melted—so the dough is pliable enough to pipe easily.
Variations
- Sugar garnish: Sprinkle coarse sugar on top before baking for a crunchy coating.
- Chocolate or sprinkles: Drizzle melted chocolate over cooled cookies or add festive sprinkles for color.
- Flavor extracts: Try almond or lemon extract in place of vanilla for a different twist.
Also try Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies for another cozy treat.
Important Tools For This Recipe
- Open-star or closed-star piping tips give the classic swirled shape; a Wilton 1M also works well.
- Disposable or reusable piping bags make shaping quick and tidy.
- A hand mixer or stand mixer speeds creaming, but this can be done by hand if needed.
Expert Tips
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days or freeze for up to a month. Freeze cooled cookies in a freezer-safe bag or wrap piped unbaked cookies on a tray, freeze until firm, then transfer to a bag and bake from frozen with a couple extra minutes.
- You can double the recipe for larger batches and vary shapes by using different piping tips or a cookie press. If using a scoop, press dough balls slightly for a flatter result.
Piping Tips For Butter Cookies
For best results: make sure the butter is at room temperature, double up disposable bags to prevent tearing, pipe circles for simple cookies, or start in the center and swirl outward to create rose-like shapes.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
They are similar: both are very buttery and lack chemical leaveners. Shortbread tends to be crumblier because it usually contains no whole egg, while Danish butter cookies include an egg for a softer texture.
Use a Ziploc bag: fill one corner, push dough toward the tip, snip the corner, and pipe circles. The cookies won’t have defined ridges but will still be delicious.
Yes. Chill the dough for an hour, roll it between parchment to 1/4-inch thickness, cut shapes, then bake.
The name reflects their Danish origins.
More Cookie Recipes You Will Love
If you enjoy this recipe, consider trying chocolate chip, shortbread, coconut chocolate chip, peanut butter, or lemon shortbread cookies.
Watch How To Make Butter Cookies
Watch the video for a step-by-step demonstration of piping and baking these cookies.
If you try this Danish Butter Cookies recipe, please leave a comment or rating — feedback is appreciated!
Danish Butter Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (16 tablespoons or 230g), softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g), spooned and leveled
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes with a mixer.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
- Add flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together.
- Pipe dough with a large star tip into 1–2 inch swirls, leaving space between cookies.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 12–15 minutes, until edges are lightly golden.
- Cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack and store in an airtight container.
Notes
To keep parchment from shifting, press a small dab of dough at the corners to hold it in place.