Danish butter cookies are lightly sweet, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies that so much tastier than anything from a store-bought tin. Made with simple ingredients and ready in about an hour, they’re perfect for Christmas cookie trays and holiday gifting.
These Danish Butter Cookies are a homemade version of the iconic cookies everyone loves during the holidays but fresher, softer, and richer in flavor. Made with just a handful of simple ingredients, the dough comes together quickly and pipes beautifully into classic swirls, ridges, or simple rounds.
The cookies bake up tender and buttery with a delicate sweetness that pairs perfectly with coffee, hot cocoa, or an afternoon treat. Best of all, they taste far better than the store-bought versions and are ready in about an hour, making them ideal for Christmas cookie trays, festive tins, or gifting to neighbors and friends.
If you’re looking for a simple yet elegant Christmas cookie, these Danish Butter Cookies are a timeless favorite.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Butter: You can use salted butter if you prefer. If using salted butter, omit the kosher salt.
- Almond extract: The almond extract adds a nice depth of flavor, but you can use additional vanilla extract if you prefer.
- Flour: To properly measure the flour weigh it (click “metric” immediately above the ingredients for the weights) or sift/stir it to break it up. The lightly spoon into a measuring cup and level without packing. Too much flour will give you a dry, crumbly dough.
- Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt or sea salt, use half the amount of table salt.
How to make Danish butter cookies
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Prepare three baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Step 2: To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
Step 3: Add vanilla and almond extract. Beat again to fully combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 4: In a large bowl, add flour, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Step 5: Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the butter. Beat again until just combined.
Step 6: Add milk. Mix again just until combined.
Step 7: Transfer cookie dough to a piping bag with a large star tip.
Step 8: Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each one. If the dough is too hard to pipe, you can add a little more milk at a time to make it more pipeable.
Step 9: Place the baking trays with the piped cookie dough into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Step 10: Preheat oven to 325F.
Step 11: Sprinkle raw sugar on top of the cookies.
Step 12: Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn golden brown. Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet.
Recipe Tips!
- Mixer: You can use a hand mixer if you prefer. If using a hand mixer, double check on maximum flour capacity.
- Decorations: You can use nonpareils, colored sugar, or other similar decorations on the cookies in place of the raw sugar.
- Chilling: It’s important to chill the dough before baking. This helps to prevent the cookies from baking out.
- Sweetness: Danish butter cookies are mildly sweet cookies. If you would like to add more sweetness, you can dip half of the cookie in milk or semisweet melted chocolate.
Storage
Store any leftover butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. The cookies will keep for about 3 days when properly stored.
More Christmas cookie recipes!
If you’ve tried this Danish butter cookie recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
You can subscribe to receive my latest recipe newsletters for even more delicious food.
Danish Butter Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at cool room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour properly measured
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup milk plus more as needed
- Raw sugar for decorating
Instructions
- Prepare three baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup powdered sugar
- Add vanilla and almond extract. Beat again to fully combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- In a large bowl, add flour, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk to combine.2 ¼ cups all purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the butter. Beat again until just combined.
- Add milk. Mix again.½ cup milk
- Transfer cookie dough to a piping bag with a large star tip.
- Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each one. If the dough is too hard to pipe, you can add a little more milk at a time to make it more pipeable.
- Place the baking trays with the piped cookie dough into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Sprinkle raw sugar on top of the cookies.Raw sugar
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn golden brown.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet.
Notes
- Butter: You can use salted butter if you prefer. If using salted butter, omit the kosher salt.
- Almond extract: The almond extract adds a nice depth of flavor, but you can use additional vanilla extract if you prefer.
- Flour: To properly measure the flour weigh it (click “metric” immediately above the ingredients for the weights) or sift/stir it to break it up. The lightly spoon into a measuring cup and level without packing. Too much flour will give you a dry, crumbly dough.
- Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt or sea salt, use half the amount of table salt.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Share it with me on Instagram @i_heart_eating and follow on Youtube @katedean and Pinterest @katedean for more!
Reader Interactions
Leave A Reply!
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Love this recipe?
Share your thoughts below and let’s chat! Make sure to connect with me on your favorite social platform below and show me what you made!