Description
These Danish Butter Cookies are melt-in-your-mouth delights with a crisp yet tender texture. Made with a combination of all-purpose and cake flour for the perfect balance, they are piped into classic shapes, chilled to prevent spreading, and baked until just lightly golden. Perfect for festive occasions or anytime you crave a buttery, delicate 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 or more 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 Decorating
- Coarse sugar for decorating
Instructions
- Prepare the refrigerator and baking mats: Clear space in your refrigerator to accommodate the baking sheet for chilling the shaped cookies. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set them aside.
- Cream butter, sugar, and salt: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add granulated sugar and salt while mixing on low speed, then increase to medium speed and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolks, vanilla, and milk: With the mixer running on medium speed, add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and milk. Continue mixing until fully combined, scraping down the bowl sides to ensure even mixing.
- Mix dry ingredients and add to wet mixture: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and cake flour. Add the flour mixture to the mixer in two additions on low speed, mixing until fully incorporated. If the dough feels too stiff to pipe, add an additional tablespoon of milk.
- Pipe the cookies: Transfer the cookie dough into a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch open star tip. Pipe 2-inch shapes such as rosettes, pretzels, circles, or squares onto the prepared baking sheets. Space cookies at least 2 inches apart. Optionally, sprinkle coarse sugar or festive sprinkles on top. Chill the piped dough in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes to prevent spreading.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C), positioning the rack in the middle.
- Bake the cookies: Bake the chilled cookies for 15 minutes or until the edges are just lightly golden. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Notes
- Use room temperature butter for easier mixing and better texture; it should be slightly cool but soft enough to indent with a finger.
- Bring eggs to room temperature by placing them in warm water for 5 minutes to ensure even baking.
- Do not overmix the dough to prevent tough cookies due to gluten development.
- Watch your cookies closely during baking as times may vary with shapes and sizes.
- You can substitute all the flour with 260 grams of all-purpose flour if cake flour is unavailable; the texture will be slightly less tender.
- Measure flour accurately using a kitchen scale or spoon and level method to avoid dense cookies.
- If using unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon kosher salt to the dough.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- You can chill shaped cookies for up to 2 days before baking; cover if chilling longer than 30 minutes.
- Frozen unbaked-shaped dough can be kept for 2-3 months; bake from frozen with a couple of extra minutes baking time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 45 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
