Description
Classic Danish Butter Cookies that are light, crisp, and delicate with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Made with just four simple ingredients, these buttery treats are piped into charming shapes and baked to golden perfection, perfect for any occasion or simply enjoying with a cup of tea.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (at room temperature)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cake flour OR all-purpose flour
Optional Topping
- Granulated sugar for sprinkling (optional)
- 1 tablespoon warm milk (only if dough is too stiff to pipe)
Instructions
- Prepare the Butter: Take the butter out of the refrigerator at least an hour before baking so it becomes soft to the touch but not melted, enabling easier creaming with sugar.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a handheld or stand mixer, cream the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract for 5 to 8 minutes until the mixture is light in color and fluffy in texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula during mixing to ensure even incorporation.
- Incorporate Flour: Sift the flour to remove lumps. Add the flour in thirds (about 40g at a time) to the creamed butter mixture, gently folding each portion in with a spatula until fully combined to form the cookie dough.
- Prepare Dough for Piping: Transfer the dough onto plastic wrap and roll it into a log. Cut an opening at one end of the plastic wrap and fit this end into a piping bag fitted with an open star (1M) piping tip.
- Pipe the Cookies: Pipe the dough onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper, creating flower-shaped cookies. If the dough feels too stiff to pipe, add a tablespoon of warm milk to soften it slightly and improve pipeability.
- Chill the Cookies: Place the baking sheet with piped cookies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up the dough. This step helps maintain the beautiful piped shapes during baking by preventing spreading.
- Optional Sugar Topping: Before baking, sprinkle granulated sugar over the cookies if desired for added sweetness and texture.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C or 148°C fan). Bake the cookies for approximately 15 minutes, or until the edges start to turn a golden color.
- Cool and Store: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Once cooled, serve immediately or store them in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
Notes
- This recipe yields light, crisp, and delicate butter cookies that melt in your mouth.
- Only four basic ingredients are required, making it a super easy and quick bake.
- If the dough is too stiff for piping, add a tablespoon of warm milk to soften it without altering the texture.
- Chilling the piped cookies ensures they keep their intricate shapes while baking.
- Sprinkling granulated sugar on top before baking is optional but adds a nice crunch and sweetness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 47 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 9 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 1 mg
