Danish Butter Cookies

Danish Butter Cookies

One of my favourite childhood snacks is the danish butter cookies that come in assorted shapes and flavours packed in a round blue tin, which I'm sure many are familiar with. I recalled my brother, sisters and I would always snatched up those coated with sugar while leaving the ones that contains raisins, which are the least favourite to the last. Although I have been eating these cookies for years, I have little clue as to why they are called the danish butter cookies, except that the association is probably due to the famous butter cookies brand originating from Denmark. 

Ever since I got into baking, I have always like to try out recipes of every favourites that I enjoy, or as many as possible, in my home-made ways. While not every recipes could replicate the taste of store-bought ones, these danish butter cookies recipe which I've found is definitely a must-try recipe. It is simple yet versatile. It takes almost just one step or at most two to combine all the ingredients together to form the batter before turning them into yummy cookies. And it is versatile because the batter can be pressed (piped) out into shapes for baking immediately without first chilling the batter. At the same time, the batter can also be chilled to harden, before rolling out and cutting up into shapes for baking. This is definitely a must-try recipe for all danish butter cookies lover and beginner bakers.

I am sharing this post with the event, Little Thumbs Up (June 2014: Butter) organised by Bake For Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY hosted by Jozelyn of Spice Up My Kitchen.

I am also sharing this post to the event, AlphaBakes (June 2014: Letter "D") hosted by Caroline of Caroline Makes and Ros of The More than Occasional Baker. The name of this recipe says it all. The letter "D" represents Danish Butter Cookies. ^_^

Last but not least, I am submitting this post to Treat Petite June 2014 theme, Childhood Memories hosted by Stuart of Cakeyboi and Kat of The Baking Explorer.

Danish Butter Cookies

Recipe referenced and modified from: Travelling Foodies

Ingredients Required

320 grams all-purpose flour, sifted
130 grams confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 large egg (60 grams), lightly beaten
200 grams unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Bakeware Used

Large baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Preparation Steps

1. Preheat oven to 390 degrees F (or 200 degrees C).
2. Combine and whisk together flour and confectioners' sugar until evenly combined.
3. Add the rest of wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix using an electric mixer or stand mixer on the lowest speed until well combined.
4. Transfer batter into a piping bag fitted with a piping tip (of any desired shaped) and pipe batter in the shape of a wreath or pretzel-form on the parchment paper. (Note: Sprinkle some sugar on top as desired).
5. Bake in preheated oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
6. Remove cookies from oven and leave to cool on the baking sheet till room temperature. (Note: Do not attempt to remove the cookies while they are still hot because they are still soft and crumbly. The cooling process helps the cookies to firm up and harden slightly to become crisp. Hence, do not over bake.)
7. Store cookies in an airtight container immediately once they have cooled.

The Dream Baker's Experiment

1. The original source recipe did not specify if the egg of 60 grams used was measured with or without shell. This is one I find confusing in most recipes. For my experiment, I used a large egg weighing approximately 60 grams (with shell on). The net weight of the lightly beaten egg added to the rest of the ingredients was approximately 53 grams. 
2. I baked the cookies in the middle rack of the oven, one tray at a time, since they don't take long to bake.
3. I baked each tray of cookies for 9 minutes instead because the cookies still looks white (not brown) after 8 minutes (baking time varies across different oven). It is important to keep an eye on the cookies as they can brown very quickly.

Happy baking!

Dare to dream.

The Dream Baker