I love those cookies that come in the blue tin package.  You know the ones…. we see them during the Holiday season and we eat all of them because they are so so good.  This is the best copycat Royal Dansk Danish butter cookies recipe ever!  Only using simple ingredients, you will be amazed at how quick and easy these cookies are to make.  The danger is you will want to make these all of the time.

This easy recipe will make the best homemade danish butter cookies ever. They will be your go to recipe after the Christmas Season and well into the new year. Unlike shortbread cookies and sugar cookies, danish cookies are more crunchy because of the amount of butter and sugar. As you will see in the full recipe below, I tend to shorten my cooking time to make my cookies a bit softer, but feel free to bake yours a bit longer to get that great crunch that gives Royal Dansk cookies their character.

Unlike the store bought version, I don’t make mine in different shapes. Just the standard round cookie shape. But, it all tastes amazing.

Step 1:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and creamy on medium-high speed with the paddle attachment.

Step 2:

Add the egg and vanilla.  Mix until combined.

Step 3:

Mix together the dry ingredients.

Step 4:

Add the dry ingredients slowly to the butter mixture.  I add in three small batches, making sure to mix until just combined.

Step 5:

Using a small cookie scoop I roll the cookie dough into small balls and drop onto a lightly greased cookie sheet or you could line your sheet pans with parchment paper.

Step 6:

Dipping a fork into a little bit of powdered sugar; to keep it from sticking to the dough; crosshatch the cookies (like you would a peanut butter cookie).  Then sprinkle with decorating coarse sugar.  I use the King Arthur version, but any coarse sugar intended to not melt while cooking will work.  The idea is to have the sugary crunch remain on top of the cookies even after they are baked.

Step 7:

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  I cook until the cookies are very lightly browned.  If you want them more crispy then cook a few minutes longer until they are golden. Store in an airtight container.

Next time try this variation:

Sprinkle the top of the cookies with a cinnamon and sugar mixture for a Snickerdoodle tasting cookie.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter; softened (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter

Coarse decorating sugar (enough to sprinkle on top of the cookies)

Powdered Sugar (about a tablespoon – enough to dip the fork into to keep from sticking)

If you wanted to recreate the traditional look of these Royal Dansk Butter cookies, feel free to put the dough into a piping bag and use a star tip to get those unique cookie shapes. Or, if you have a Wilton cookie press or another kind of cookie press, that would work as well.

Happy Baking!