High Altitude Danish Butter Cookies
These classic Danish butter cookies are tender and buttery, with a delicate, crumbly, melt in your mouth texture.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 16-inch Disposable Piping Bag plus a large open star piping tip (preferably tip 8B)
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted European butter (such as Kerrygold), softened to room temperature
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- ¾ tsp (scant) coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 cups (9 oz) all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1-2 tbsp whole milk
- granulated sugar or sanding sugar, for decorating
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar for 10 minutes on medium speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl 2-3 times.
- Add the egg yolks, vanilla, salt and melted coconut oil, and mix for 1 minute, until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour, mixing on low just until combined. If the dough seems at all dry or crumbly, add the milk, 1/2 tbsp at a time, until the dough smooths out.
Piping the Dough
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a disposable 16-inch piping bag with a large open star tip. I used tips 8B and 1M, and preferred the appearance of the cookies piped with tip 8B.
- Scoop half the dough into the piping bag, filling it no more than half full. A full piping bag is much more difficult to manage than one that's only half full, so it's best to refill it as needed.
- Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets, by piping a swirl, starting at the center, and swirling towards the outer edge and then tapering off, just like you'd pipe a buttercream rosette. Pipe each cookie about two inches in diameter, and leave two inches in between each.
- Place the pans in the refrigerator to chill the piped cookies for 45 minutes. This will help to firm up the butter so the cookies hold their shape and don't spread too much in the oven.
Baking the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake the cookies one pan at a time, keeping the other pan refrigerated until needed.
- Bake for about 12-17 minutes, until the cookies have slightly spread and they are light golden brown in color.
- Cool on the baking sheet for several minutes, then gently transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. These cookies are extremely delicate, so handle them with care.
- Decorate the cooled cookies with sanding sugar or granulated sugar.
Notes
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
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