These homemade Danish butter cookies are festive Christmas cookies! Unlike the store-bought version you may be used to, these are soft in the center with irresistible buttery vanilla and almond flavors. Make lovely designs with a large piping tip and dip in chocolate and sprinkles for a festive touch!
Welcome to Sally’s Cookie Palooza, my annual Christmas cookie countdown tradition. Tuck away your pie crust recipe and break out all your cookie baking tools!
These Butter Cookies Are:
- Not your regular butter cookies
- Mega flavorful with almond and vanilla
- Super buttery and soft like snowball cookies
- Crisp on the edges
- Piped with a piping tip like chocolate swirled meringue cookies
- Quick—only 30 minutes of chill time
- Extra festive with chocolate, cherries, and/or sprinkles
This butter cookie recipe is adapted from my spritz cookies and sugar cookies, both well-loved recipes on my website. You already know you’re in for something incredible!
Butter Cookies Video Tutorial
Let’s watch and learn how to make butter cookies. You’ll notice that this cookie dough comes together easily with only 8 ingredients. You need a mixer for the dough, plus a piping bag and large tip to pipe the cookie dough.
Aren’t they pretty?
Ingredients in Butter Cookies
This is a 1-bowl cookie recipe! There’s no leavening, so the texture is closer to a shortbread cookie. The dough is like my spritz cookies, but with a little milk to make it pipe-able.
- Butter: 1 cup of butter adds flavor, structure, and buttery goodness in each bite. Make sure it’s properly softened to room temperature before beginning.
- Sugar: Like many cookie recipes including these dreamy shortbread cookies, creamed butter and sugar is the base of today’s dough.
- Vanilla & Almond Extract: Flavor and more flavor! Almond extract is a welcome addition. If you’re not a fan of almond, see my recipe notes below.
- Egg: 1 egg adds structure, stability, and flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Add the flour directly to the wet ingredients. No need to mix it up in a separate bowl.
- Salt: By offsetting the sugar, salt adds flavor.
- Milk: I don’t usually add milk to cookies like this, but we need to thin out this cookie dough so it flows through the piping tip. You don’t need much, about 1–2 Tablespoons.
How to Pipe Butter Cookies
As you saw in this video tutorial above, this cookie dough is piped onto the baking sheet. That’s how the butter cookies get their lovely shape.
Line the cookie sheet? Some swear by using a PLAIN cookie sheet, but lining with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat is fine. (I use silicone baking mats for all my cookies and these are no different.) If you don’t line the pan, don’t grease it either.
2 Success Tips:
- Start Small: Place the cookie dough in the piping bag. Start with a little bit of dough so you can determine if it’s creamy enough to pipe. If it’s too thick, it’s impossible to pipe and you’ll have to put the dough back in the bowl and add a little more milk.
- Chill: I find it’s easiest to stick with simple designs like a swirl or even just a line. Whatever design you pipe, I highly recommend chilling the piped cookies on the baking sheet for at least 20–30 minutes before baking. Without this chill time, the cookies will likely lose their piped shape.
Best Piping Tips to Use
The cookie dough is thick, so it’s imperative to use a large piping tip with about a 1/2-inch opening. (That’s big!) The smaller the size, the harder it will be to pipe. I highly recommend an open star piping tip, but I actually use Ateco 849 which is a closed star tip. The opening is so large that it still works wonderfully!
Here are some options:
The popular Wilton 1M works too, but you may need to add more milk to the cookie dough to thin it out since the piping tip is smaller. Remember, the more milk you add, the longer you need to chill the shaped cookies or else they will over-spread in the oven.
Don’t forget your piping bags, too! (Disposable or Reusable)
By the way, these piping tips and a set of bags would be a great holiday gift for any baker. I always include them in my complete guide of Holiday Gifts for Bakers!
3 Butter Cookie Varieties!
Make 3 varieties from 1 batch. 🙂
- Dip baked cookies into melted chocolate and add sprinkles.
- Stick a maraschino cherry in the center before baking.
- Add sprinkles or coarse sugar before baking.
If you love chocolate, don’t miss these chocolate butter cookies. And for even more flavors of butter cookie dough, you’ll love these mint chocolate checkerboard cookies, pinwheel cookies, and neapolitan cookies.
See Your Homemade Butter Cookies!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
Butter Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Danish
Description
Using just 8 basic ingredients and a large piping tip, make these soft vanilla-almond-flavored butter cookies. There’s no leavening, so the texture is similar to shortbread cookies. I recommend chilling the piped cookies for at least 20–30 minutes before baking.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1–2 Tablespoons (15–30ml) milk
Optional Toppings
- 4 ounces (113) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped*
- maraschino cherries
- sprinkles or coarse sugar
Instructions
- Read through the recipe and recipe Notes before beginning. Make room in your refrigerator for a baking sheet so the shaped cookies can chill for 20–30 minutes. Without chilling, the piped cookies will over-spread. If you chill the dough prior to shaping, the dough will be too cold/stiff to pipe.
- Line 2–3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, or leave unlined. If unlined, do not grease the pan.
- In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- On low speed, beat in the flour and salt. Turn up to high speed and beat until completely combined. On medium speed, beat in 1.5 Tablespoons of milk. You want a dough that’s creamy and pipe-able (but still thick), so you may need up to 2–2.5 Tablespoons of milk. The more milk you add, the more the cookies will spread, so chilling in step 6 is imperative. I recommend keeping the amount of milk small and using a large enough piping tip, like the ones I suggest in the post above.
- Add your large piping tip to the piping bag. Spoon a little bit of dough into the piping bag and pipe a 1–2-inch swirl or line on the prepared baking sheet. The reason I suggest only a little bit of dough to start is because the dough may still be too thick to pipe. If it’s too thick, transfer that dough back to the mixing bowl and add another 1/2 Tablespoon of milk. If the dough is creamy enough to pipe, continue piping the dough in 1–2-inch swirls or lines, 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. See video for a visual if needed. If desired, place a maraschino cherry in the center of the swirl or sprinkle the dough with sprinkles and/or coarse sugar.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator and chill the shaped cookies for 20–30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake the chilled cookies for 12–15 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The cookies will spread like all cookies do, but not completely lose their shape, especially if you chilled the shaped dough. If the cookies are smaller, they will take closer to 12 minutes. Keep your eye on them. They’re done when the edges lightly brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Optional Chocolate: You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave: place the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Melt in 20-second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Dip the cookies in chocolate and top with sprinkles, if desired. Allow the chocolate to set completely at room temperature for about 1 hour or in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Plain cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Cookies with chocolate or cherries stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can chill the shaped cookies on the baking sheet in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before baking. If chilling for longer than 30 minutes, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Sometimes I pipe all the swirls close together on 1 baking sheet, then refrigerate for up to 2 days. (Since my refrigerator can’t fit 2-3 sheets at once.) After chilling, the shaped dough is cold, so you can use a flat spatula to pick up the cold shaped dough and arrange on 2-3 baking sheets. You can also freeze the un-baked shaped dough for up to 2-3 months. Bake the frozen shaped dough (no need to thaw) for an extra couple minutes. Baked cookies, with or without chocolate/cherries/sprinkles, freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Large Piping Tip (such as Ateco 849 (pictured), Wilton 8B, Ateco 826, or Ateco 827) | Cooling Rack | Double Boiler (optional for melting chocolate)
- Almond Extract: Almond extract adds such a wonderful flavor and I don’t recommend skipping it. If desired, you can leave it out completely or add another 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract in its place. You can also substitute with 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, 1 teaspoon lemon extract, or another flavor extract you enjoy. (Some are more potent than others.) Adding 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon is delicious too!
- No Piping Tip & Using a Cookie Press: This recipe is similar to my spritz cookies where I use a cookie press. If you don’t have a large piping tip and/or you want to use a cookie press, make the spritz cookies (they do not need the milk). If you don’t have a cookie press or large piping tip, snip a 1/2 inch corner off the end of a plastic bag and pipe lines/flat swirls.
- Optional Chocolate: For the best results, use a 4 ounce “baking chocolate” bar found in the baking aisle. I prefer Bakers or Ghirardelli brands. You can use semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or even white chocolate. Candy melts or almond bark work too. Do not use chocolate chips, as they contain stabilizers preventing them from melting into the proper consistency. After you melt it, if the chocolate is too thick for dipping, stir in 1 teaspoon of canola oil to help thin it out.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Could this recipe also be used on the Wilton Cookie shapes pan? https://a.co/d/8jGDaqL
I can’t see why not!
Is it necessary to use unsalted butter?
Hi Karen, we recommend using unsalted butter as you can then control the amount of added salt. If using salted butter, feel free to omit the added 1/2 teaspoon of salt called for in the recipe.
This recipe worked great for me! I could see the piping lines just fine. I froze the piped dough for 2 days and added a few minutes to the baking time, about 4 mins. I also only used 1 Tbsp of milk, and actually might have only needed 1/2 of that. The dough was easy enough to get through the pastry bag, plastic disposable. I also used Ateco # 827 with no coupler. Happy baking!
Will be trying this recipe for the first time this year!
How much longer would you bake these for if they’re going into the oven straight from the freezer?
Also, can you freeze them after baking..if they’re dipped in chocolate?
Thank you!
Hi Klaudia, additional time will vary by oven, but should be just a minute or two. Keep a close eye on them. Yes, you can freeze these cookies once dipped in chocolate. Enjoy!
I’m so excited to make this cookie this year. I am curious about using maraschino cherries on some. What is the best way to add them? Dab, halve, then add before baking? Or would dried/candied maraschino cherries work better? What are your thoughts?
Hi Kristen! You can simply dab and place the cherry in the middle. No need to halve, unless your cherries are particularly large. Hope you love these cookies!
I made these cookies last Christmas and they were my absolute favorite, I am so excited to make them again this year! The flavors of vanilla and almond are perfection! I actually skip the chocolate, I’m a purest 🙂
I am going to use this recipe very soon for my class christmas cookie baking contest. I want to make a chocolate variation as well as the regular. How much cocoa powder should I substitute in to make a chocolate kind?
Hi Harley, We haven’t tried making a chocolate version ourselves, but we would start as you mention by replacing some of the flour with cocoa. It may take a bit of experimenting, because cocoa is not always a 1:1 swap with flour. Let us know what you try!
I am very allergic to almonds and usually avoid recipes with almond flour or almond extract but I really want to try this recipe. How do you feel about substituting orange extract? Is it stronger so I should use less or is it a 1:1 ratio with almond?
Hi Joanna, We have not tested this recipe with orange extract but you absolutely can for orange flavored cookies. Anywhere from .5 – 1 tsp should be fine depending on how strong you would like the flavor.
I’ve not made these before, but I feel like a small amount of lemon extract may add good flavor, alternatively.
They look great…
Can you place them into a cookie press instead of piping them out? Would they come out ok?
I just thought that would be easier!
Thanks
Hi Cam, For a cookie press we recommend using the recipe for these spritz cookies.
I wanted to ask that can I use salted butter and skip the salt.
Because I have by mistake bought salted butter ?
Hi Marium, yes, you can use salted butter and omit the salt.
Hi Sally, can these be made with a chocolate base by subbing out some flour for cocoa powder? If so, how much? Thank you.
Hi Lenore, We haven’t tried making a chocolate version ourselves, but we would start as you mention by replacing some of the flour with cocoa. It may take a bit of experimenting, because cocoa is not always a 1:1 swap with flour. Let us know what you try!
So I made these cookies and yes they spread a little and I used only 1.5 tbsp of milk, next time I will pipe the dough higher up a bit. I do however have a question
Are you baking your recipes on convection or regular and the temperatures are they regular or convection?
Thanks Angel
Hi Angel, we’re so glad you enjoyed these cookies! We always recommend conventional settings for baking (not convection/fan). The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection/fan settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
Hiii Sally i must say this is the only butter cookie recipe i use i added a bit more of the almond essence and we like to add a whole lot of different things to them… Amazing recipe my children loveee them
… Alsooo i kinda mention your recipes to everyone who ask how i made them or anything of yours that i try. Kudos to you
Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes, LaDonna!
Can you roll this dough out and use cookie cutters?
Also, when measuring flour, do you just pour it in a cup or pack tightly into the cup?
Hi Crystal, I do not recommend this recipe for cookie cutters. Instead, use this sugar cookies recipe. For measuring flour, spoon it into your measuring cup and then level it off with a knife. Here’s my page all about How to Measure Baking Ingredients if you’d like to read about this further.
Made them today and they are delicious! Next time I will add just a little more milk and a larger piping tip for easier piping. My husband even helped with the piping!
I really wanted to use my cookie cutters and decided to try them with this butter cookie recipe. I substituted half of the granulated sugar with confectioner’s sugar so it wouldn’t be as sweet and only added a tiny splash of milk. Rolled out the dough with flour, cut out my cookies, chilled them and they came out wonderful! Spread some dark chocolate on the backs and they are my new favorites! Wish I could share the photo with you, they held their shapes very well! Thanks Sally!
Tastes great! But they spread… Like a lot. I refrigerated them for 30 min, followed the recipe exactly, made sure the butter wasn’t too soft, but they still spread out like chocolate chip cookies. What could I have done wrong?
Hi Sarah, I’m happy to help. Sorry these cookies spread for you – while spreading is inevitable with all cookies, they shouldn’t completely lose their shape. If you decide to try the recipe again, you may want to reduce the milk to only 1 Tablespoon. Make sure the butter you are using is cool at room temperature and not overly soft. Bake only 1 sheet at a time and try freezing the piped/shaped cookies for 1 hour, then transferring them to a room temperature baking sheet. I hope this helps!
What type of salt are you using? This is often overlooked but, there’s a giant difference between types & brands and the amount of saltiness they bring by volume.
Hi Ben, unless otherwise mentioned, we use regular table salt in our recipes.
Hello! We don’t have normal all purpose flour. Can we use cake flour instead?
Hi Olivia, We fear that cake flour would produce a flimsy dough for these already delicate cookies. Best to wait until you can get all purpose flour.
hello can i roll these into log and refrigerate them. then cut into slices thank you joanne
Hi Joanne! We wouldn’t choose this recipe for a slice and bake cookie. Instead, we would try these sprinkle slice and bake cookies. Feel free to skip the sprinkles.
Hello, if you chill overnight do you need to let these sit at room temp before baking or can they go right from fridge to oven?
Straight from fridge to oven! The cold dough will help keep the cookies from spreading while baking.
Theses were so delicious! I followed all your tips and it came out delicious
How do you remove the cookies after the chocolate solidifies without the chocolate coming off?
Hi Jenn! Using a non-stick silicone baking mat or parchment paper will keep the chocolate from sticking. Enjoy!
Love these beautiful cookies thank you Sally.
I’ve made them 3 times now. I have needed a little extra milk and a strong piping bag.
I also used less milk and my young daughters rolled out shapes.
The flavour is incredibly beautiful. They far exceed the ones you buy in tins.
New family tradition!
Do I use unsalted butter for the buttery cookie that you use the pastry bag to make? Or do you use salted butter?
Is it to be room temp on any of the ingredients?
Hi Charlene, We use unsalted butter at room temperature for this recipe. Enjoy!
I loved this recipe. They taste very delicious. Didn’t have too much trouble piping them, but I also was using a smaller tip as that was all I had available. They still turned out cute! Can these be frozen for a couple of days once baked?
So glad you enjoyed these, Emily! See recipe notes for make ahead and freezing instructions 🙂
Can’t wait to try these! Can i freeze with the cherry in the middle?
Sure can!
So disappointed that my first sheet of cookies SPREAD!! What did I do wrong? Yes I chilled them, used the Silpats. … followed the instructions. HELP! I’m about to make another batch.
Hi Kris! I’m happy to help. Sorry these cookies spread for you – while spreading is inevitable with all cookies, they shouldn’t completely lose their shape. If you decide to try the recipe again, you may want to reduce the milk to only 1 Tablespoon. Make sure the butter you are using is cool at room temperature and not overly soft. Bake only 1 sheet at a time and try freezing the piped/shaped cookies for 1 hour, then transferring them to a room temperature baking sheet. I hope this helps!
I made another batch and used just one tablespoon of milk, I found a reply to another poster’s comment and your reply. I have 3 sheets of these cookies in my refrigerator. I don’t have room in my freezer. I also switched to another big open star tip, and made smaller cookies. I really hope these come out looking more like Sally’s cookies. Fingers crossed, I’m going to give them a good chill before baking them off tonight. I appreciate the speedy reply. Thank you. PS – they are a good tasting cookie! Merry Christmas to All!
Let us know how it goes!
Sorry to say, even after freezing the cookie dough it did not make a difference, still spread. Two batches of flat cookies….beyond disappointed and frustrated.
I have made these cookies several times, they also spread on me. Very soon i am trying a butter cookie the has cornstarch in it
Hi can you leave the piped cookies in the refrigerator for longer than 30 minutes?
Hi Jamie, you can leave them in the refrigerator a bit longer if needed.
These remind me of my favorite bakery cookies growing up from Buskin’s in Cincinnati. They use a dollop of thicker icing in the middle that holds its shape. What icing would you suggest I use to try to replicate those cookies? I would love to try to make them as a gift for my family. TIA!
Hi Rachel! Perhaps a buttercream frosting would work piped in the middle? Yum! Let us know if you give it a try.
Hi Sally – doing this with a group of young girls and the piping is out of the question (for my own sanity). Can these be done as a slice and bake cookie?
Hi Laurian, I wouldn’t choose this recipe for a slice and bake cookie. Instead, I would try these shortbread cookies and all of the bakers can add their own toppings or add-ins (see the post for ideas) or try these sprinkle slice and bake cookies. Feel free to skip the sprinkles.
This recipe is the only one I have been successful piping out cookies. I go to your recipes only when I need sweets. Never disappoint. I have been looking for an Italian butter cookie like
I remember in bakery . Are they the same? All the recipes I tried, never can I get dough through piping bag. Thanks.