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My Easy Butter Cookies Recipe, also called Danish butter cookies, are a holiday classic. The dough is formed into a log, coated with coarse sugar, and then all you do is slice and bake the cookies. They’re simple but so delicious they literally melt in your mouth.
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Best Danish Butter Cookies Recipe
We love those tins of Royal Dansk Danish cookies but this year you can skip them and make your own homemade Danish butter cookies!
I hesitate to call these a copycat recipe because they are so much better than the store-bought ones. This is the best butter cookie recipe – they taste buttery, sweet, and every bite melts in your mouth. Plus, this easy recipe is for slice and bake butter cookies –make the dough, form it into a log, chill it, and then slice and bake.
What’s the difference between a butter cookie and a shortbread cookie or sugar cookie? Sugar cookies usually have equal parts sugar and butter, which creates a sweeter cookie. Shortbread cookies don’t have any baking powder, baking soda, or egg – they’re just butter with sugar and flour. Butter Cookies like these are kind of a cross between the two, and they’re SO delicious.
These are sure to become your favorite holiday cookie recipe!
Ingredients in Slice and Bake Cookies
- Butter: Start with softened unsalted butter. To substitute salted butter, reduced salt in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Granulated Sugar: Gives these just the right amount of sweetness and crunch.
- Egg: You just need one large egg yolk for this recipe.
- Baking Powder: Helps them get that delicate texture.
- All-Purpose Flour: Be sure to measure it correctly.
- Sanding sugar: For decoration, this is optional.
Tip: For the best cookies, use ingredients that are room temperature.
How to Make Butter Cookies
- Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl and hand mixer, cream room temperature butter and sugar together for one to two minutes.
- Mix in the egg yolk, baking powder, salt, and vanilla until the butter mixture is smooth. At low speed, mix in the flour until the dough forms.
- Divide the cookie dough in half and roll each into a six to seven-inch long log approximately one and a half inches wide. This is the size I prefer, but you can make them bigger or smaller just keep in mind the baking time will vary.
- Pour some sanding sugar on a large flat surface (a baking sheet works well) and roll each log in the sugar. Lightly press the sugar, so it adheres to the dough. This step is optional but adds a nice touch. When the cookies are baked, the edges will have a sweet, crunchy coating.
- Wrap the cookie dough logs in plastic wrap or parchment paper and chill them for at least two hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to slice the logs into ¼”-thick slices and place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 16 to 18 minutes, or until they’re lightly golden brown around the edges and no longer glossy. Cool them on the sheet and then store them in an airtight container.
The Secret to Round Cookies
When chilling slice and bake cookies, wrap them in plastic and place them verticalling in a tall drinking glass. This will prevent one side from getting flat!
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature for best results.
- Use a high quality butter (such as Challenge). I know butter is expensive but when making a cookie so dependent on butter flavor, it’s worth it to get a good brand, not generic.
- Check on your cookies halfway through the baking time and rotate the pans. This will help them bake and brown evenly.
- You can easily double the recipe! Just double all the ingredients and cut the dough into four parts when chilling.
- This old-fashioned butter cookie recipe stores well, making them an excellent option for cookie platters and gifting. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. You can freeze them for up to three months.
FAQ
No, I don’t recommend using shortening. It will completely change the flavor of the cookies.
There isn’t a substitution. Butter is the key to making the best Danish cookies.
Danish Butter Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup (134g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
- Sanding sugar for rolling, optional
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy in a large bowl using a hand or a stand mixer, about 1-2 minutes.
- Mix in egg yolk, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract until smooth, then mix in flour until dough forms.
- Divide dough into two sections. Roll each into a log that is about 6-7-inches long and approximately 1 ½-inches in diameter. (You can make these any size, larger or smaller, if you prefer.)
- Place sanding sugar on a large flat surface. Roll each log carefully in sugar and press lightly to adhere it, then wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours before slicing, or up to overnight. Tip: Place the logs standing up in drinking glasses so they stay circular.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Slice cookies desired thickness, no more than ¼-inches. Place on cookies sheets covered with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until they’re light golden around the edges and no longer glossy. You may want to check part way through baking to see if you need to rotate your pans in your oven, even if you normally don’t. These are delicate cookies and may brown in different areas quicker or slower.
- Cool on cookie sheets then store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature for best results.
- Use a high quality butter (such as Challenge). I know butter is expensive but when making a cookie so dependent on butter flavor, it’s worth it to get a good brand, not generic.
- You can easily double the recipe! Just double all the ingredients and cut the dough into four parts when chilling.
Recipe Nutrition
If you’re looking for a new go-to holiday cookie recipe – try these Easy Butter Cookies! The recipe needs just seven ingredients, and I bet you have them on hand already.
Favorite Holiday Cookies
Last Updated on December 5, 2023
Hi,
Would this dough keep for a couple of days wrapped in the fridge or best to freeze if not intending on cooking straight away?
Thanks 🙂
Yes – up to 4-5 days!
Can I freeze the log dough ahead of time?
Yes
One word “Delicious”.
I was excited to try this recipe. My cookies are brown 16 minutes is a long time. The first batch I didn’t know if I thought you said rotate the tray but that just made the bottom side very dark. So I flipped the cookies halfway through did not keep them in 16 minutes. They don’t even look like yours yours cookie looks like the whole batter rolled together and sliced larger?
All ovens bake differently – chances are yours runs hotter than mine. Bake time can be subjective. I’m not sure what you mean by looks like “the whole batter rolled together” – do you mean that it’s not a cohesive dough? If so you needed to mix it longer.
I want to try this very soon. Looks wonderful.
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