This butter cookie recipe tastes just like the Danish cookies in the iconic blue tin

Danish butter cookies are iconic thanks to baking company Royal Dansk. First established in 1966, Royal Dansk packaged their crisp butter cookies in a blue tin package as a way to preserve freshness, and over the decades, the blue tin has become a staple of culinary pop culture.

But, though the recognizable blue tins are beloved for both their yummy contents and their usefulness and reusability, you have to try this awesome recipe from Brown-Eyed Baker for making these delicious Danish butter cookies at home. You can refill your blue tin yourself!

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

One of the best parts of baking these cookies is that the recipe ingredients are so humble and unassuming. You don’t need to run to the grocery store to find a bunch of complicated or expensive ingredients that you will only use one time. Instead, Danish butter cookies only need flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and, of course, butter!

As you might have noticed, this recipe does not call for baking soda or baking powder. That is because Danish butter cookies are unleavened, meaning they do not use any leavening agents to make them rise.

Instead, as Michelle at the Brown-Eyed Baker explains in the full recipe, you pipe the dough onto your prepared baking sheets with the help of a pastry bag (or a plastic bag) fitted with a star-shaped piping top to give your cookie that beautiful swirled shape.

Brown-Eyed Baker

You can then sprinkle them with granulated sugar or raw sugar to give them the sparkly, crunchy exterior we know and love.

Rather than using a pastry bag, you can also use a cookie press, like this Wilton cookie press at Walmart for $9.99. It comes with 12 interchangeable plates to help you create cookie shapes with a simple press of the button, whether you are making butter cookies, spritz cookies or sugar cookies.

Amazon

The best part of making your own Danish butter cookies is you can decorate them however you wish. Use food coloring to create rainbow-hues or pink or blue food dye for baby showers. Or add cocoa powder to make chocolate butter cookies! Now you can make sure that your favorite reusable blue tins are always filled with yummy cookies.

If you decide to forego the baking and enjoy the original, you can pick up a tin at your local Target store for $6.50.

Desserts, Food, Recipes
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About the Author
Bridget Sharkey
Bridget Sharkey is a freelance writer covering pop culture, beauty, food, health and nature.

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