Danish Butter Cookies are crisp and buttery cookies made with butter, flour, sugar, eggs & vanilla. Perfect holiday cookies for gift giving & sharing with friends and neighbors.

The iconic Danish butter cookies, the ones that come in that blue round tin box (that later will contain the mandatory sewing kit), are incredibly flavorful, with the right amount of crunch and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Royal Dansk butter cookies are known for having an incredibly soft buttery and vanilla taste, and being the ultimate vanilla cookie treat for Christmas.  

Today I’m sharing with you the well-researched, tried, and true recipe for making your own blue tin cookies. They’re perfect to make during the holiday season and to have ready when guests come over. They’re also great to give as gifts to friends and family (incredibly delicious gifts if you ask me!)

Why you’ll love these Danish Cookies

• Classic bakery-style flavor – Crisp edges, rich buttery taste, and a hint of vanilla make these cookies taste just like the iconic Danish butter cookies everyone loves.
• Simple ingredients, impressive results – Made with pantry staples but piped into beautiful shapes that look festive and gift-worthy with very little effort.
• Perfect for holidays & sharing – These cookies hold their shape, store well, and are ideal for cookie tins, exchanges, and gifting to friends and neighbors.

Royal Danish Cookies Ingredients

Butter: You need 1 cup of room temperature butter, this is two sticks. 

Flour: Use all-purpose flour for the base of the dough.

Sugar: For sweet cookies, use ½ cup of sugar. You’ll also need additional sugar for sprinkling on top of the cookies before baking.

Eggs: An egg helps bind the dough together and give a nice rich taste.

Extract: Enhance the flavors in this dough by adding vanilla extract.

Salt: Balance the flavors with ½ tsp of salt.

How to Make Danish Butter Cookies

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Danish Butter Cookies

Danish Butter Cookies are crisp and buttery cookies made with butter, flour, sugar, eggs & vanilla. Perfect holiday cookies for gift giving & sharing with friends and neighbors.

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine Danish

Keyword Danish Butter Cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 40 cookies

Calories 64kcal

Author Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour (225 gr)
• 1 cup butter (225 gr) room temperature
• ½ cup white granulated sugar (115 gr)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp salt
• Vanilla sugar and star sprinkles for garnish on top.

Instructions

• Take the butter and the egg out of the fridge 30 minutes before making the cookies; we want them to be at room temperature. Then get the oven preheating to 350°F.
• In a bowl combine the butter and sugar, mix with the electric mixer, until a soft cream is achieved. It will become lighter in color and fluffier.
• Add the egg, salt, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
• Gradually add the flour, sifting it through a fine-mesh sieve to prevent lumps. Mix each addition with a spatula, scraping down the sides of the bowl to fully incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients. Continue mixing until all the flour is combined; the dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
• Scoop the dough into a piping bag endowed with the star tip.
• Prepare the baking tray with parchment paper. To prevent it from moving around while you are pipping the cookies, take a tiny amount of the cookie batter and put it in the corners of the baking tray, and then lay the oven paper on top. This will stick the oven paper to the baking tray.
• Pipe the cookies into circles, rosettes, and/or rectangles. Pipe all of them more or less the same size, so they cook evenly. Mine are around 2 inches. Sprinkle your cookies with vanilla sugar or sprinkles.
• Bake for 12 minutes until the edges are light golden brown. Let cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Cookies can be frozen in a similar manner for up to 2 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 148IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.2mg

How long are danish cookies good for?

These cookies will last for up to 5 days if they are kept properly stored. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also keep them stored in the fridge if desired but the shelf life remains about the same, the only difference is a chilled cookie.

Fun variation ideas

You can dip your cookies in milk, white or dark chocolate, also once they are out of the oven you can add some raspberry jam on the center for a classic cookie look. Do not add the jam before they go into the oven, otherwise, it will spread and make a mess. 

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?

You can, but reduce or skip adding extra salt in the recipe to avoid the cookies being too salty.

Can I make these cookies ahead of time?

Yes! You can bake them and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or freeze the baked cookies for longer storage.

Check out these other great butter cookie recipes

• These espresso butter cookies are buttery and tender with a bold espresso flavor, then dipped in rich chocolate for the perfect finish. They’re an elegant, crave-worthy addition to any Christmas cookie tray—especially for coffee lovers.
• Classic white chocolate butter cookies are dipped in white chocolate and finished with festive sprinkles. These delicate shortbread cookies have incredible flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• With their delicate shortbread texture and irresistible flavor, these holiday butter cookies are a must-have for any holiday cookie tray.
• Our recipe for peppermint butter cookies are made with simple ingredients, then dipped in chocolate and finished with a sprinkle of peppermint. A festive Christmas cookie everyone will love!
• Cherry butter cookies make an easy and delicious treat perfect for the holidays. Made with classic ingredients and topped with a sweet cherry for a simple, festive touch.

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