In our family recipe box, there are a few recipes that I have learned by heart. I memorized a few cookie recipes from Denmark. The sweet treat is the sweet, crumbly, golden Danish butter cookie. I like this cookie, because of its delicate texture, buttery rich flavor. This cookie recipe is world renown, and has traveled far beyond Scandinavia, and has become a global holiday tradition–none more than in my own home here in Golden, Colorado.
Origins in Danish Baking
The origin of butter cookies goes back to the 19th century. This was when Denmark’s dairy industry began to grow and with a surplus of high-quality butter from Danish cows, and bakeries began developing simple dairy-based recipes with flour, sugar, and butter. This is the beginning of Denmark’s love of sweet confections.
In Danish, Butter Cookies are called småkager. Culturally these cookies are traditionally baked during Christmas. Over the centuries families like decorating sugar cookies and gingerbread men, butter cookies were adorned with vanilla rings, peppernuts, and small spiced cookie flakes to give the butter cookie new flavors. These cookies are often frozen to enjoy throughout the year.
From Local Tradition to Global Icon
Today, Danish bakers in holiday themed tins began exporting butter cookies giving this recipe new life in a new era. Companies like Royal Dansk (1960s) have become the dominant brand with their blue tins, the Danish flag and seaside cottage, have become a cultural symbol. The tins have become recognizable worldwide and have gained second lives being reused to store sewing supplies, buttons, and other household items. Danish butter cookies have become a nostalgic holiday tradition. Lesser known, is it an enduring reminder of Denmark’s rich dairy culture, festive family traditions, as they have been passed onto other broader global holiday traditions.
Best Recipes
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
1 ½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Steps:
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla, mix until smooth.
Stir in flour and salt to form a soft dough.
Pipe or shape cookies onto a baking sheet.
Sprinkle with sugar if desired.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 minutes until edges are golden.
Cool and store in an airtight container.
If you something a bit softer and more delicate (similar flavor):
1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (90g) powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract (or almond extract for a twist)
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg white, room temperature
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
Optional topping: Coarse sea salt, sugar crystals, or melted chocolate
Steps:
Preheat oven and line baking trays.
Cream butter and powdered sugar until fluffy.
Add vanilla, salt, and egg white, mix until smooth.
Gradually add flour, mix until soft dough forms.
Pipe swirls using a star tip; sprinkle with sea salt or sugar crystals.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12–15 minutes until lightly golden.
Cool and optionally decorate with chocolate or powdered sugar.
Sources
Gastro Obscura. How Danish Cookies Became Hong Kong’s Favorite Lunar New Year Snack. Atlas Obscura, 2022. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/danish-cookies-hong-kong-lunar-new-year
Gambero Rosso International. History of Royal Dansk, the Danish Biscuits in the Blue Tin. Gambero Rosso, 2023. https://www.gamberorossointernational.com/news/history-of-royal-dansk-the-danish-biscuits-in-the-blue-tin
Royal Dansk. Our Danish Cookie Baking History. Royal Dansk Official Website. https://www.royaldansk.com/about-us/our-history
Brown Eyed Baker – Danish Butter Cookies Michelle. “Danish Butter Cookies.” Brown Eyed Baker, 6 Dec. 2018. https://www.browneyedbaker.com/danish-butter-cookies/
Yum Recipes – Melt-in-Your-Mouth Danish Butter Cookies: A Golden Classic Yum Recipes. “Melt-in-Your-Mouth Danish Butter Cookies: A Golden Classic.” Yum Recipes, 25 Apr. 2025. https://yum.familyfreshrecipes.com/wp/2025/04/25/melt-in-your-mouth-danish-butter-cookies-a-golden-classic/