I made these cookies about four years ago, so it is time for a redo on the photos and the post. These were originally made for a baby shower but I want to compare them with a new piping tip. I will give you both tips and the way the cookies will look after baking.
I put sparkling sugar on both types of cookies simply because I am not a cookie decorator. My skill set is more like a down-to-earth home baker.
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Piping Tips
This tip is an Open Star Ateco 826 (Amazon links for all). The piping bags you want to get a brand that is sturdy. The coupling I get the Ateco 3-Piece Medium Plastic Coupler.
This gives you an idea of what the final cookies will look like using the open star tip. Plenty of room in the ridges for the sparkling sugar.
This is a French open star tip Ateco 869 (Amazon link for all). You can see it has more spikes than the open star tip. The coupling is Ateco coupling from Amazon.
So you can see that the French star gives you closer together ridges and even more places to put sparkling sugar.
There are so many types of tip and these are only 2 of the more common types. I will say that the open style I think is easier to pipe this type of cookie dough. The closed style tip you have to squeeze the piping bag harder to get the cookie dough to come out. The draw back is the piping bag could split.
Ingredients for Butter Cookies
- Butter unsalted
- Powdered sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Vanilla bean paste
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Sparkling sugar
Making Butter Cookies
There is no place to hide when making these cookies. There are few ingredients, so getting quality vanilla and butter you trust for good taste is prominent.
Prep
Weigh or measure the powdered sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour into another bowl and then add the salt. I take a whisk and blend the flour and salt together.
Mixing the Cookie Dough
Cube the butter into a mixer bowl.
Take the powdered sugar and sift it right onto the cubed butter. Now, what I use is an old fashion sifter, but it works great.
The sifter takes out all the lumps and makes it easy to mix with the butter. Turn the mixer onto a low speed and increase the speed as the sugar and butter mixes. Mix at a medium speed for 3 minutes.
The butter and sugar now looked whipped. Add the egg and the vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste. Blend for a minute on a medium mixer speed.
Now don't panic. When the egg coats the butter, it separates it into small clumps. It will all come together after the flour is mixed in. Add about a third of the flour at a time on a low mixer speed until it is incorporated.
I use a spatula to make sure all the flour is mixed into the cookie dough. Then I transfer the cookie dough to a microwavable dish.
Pipe and Bake
The first thing I do is get my piping bag set up. There are so many ways to do this and mine may not be what you want to use. For bakers that are new to piping the white coupling is a safe way to pipe your cookies.
But many bakers cut off the end and slide just the tip into the bag and forgo the coupling. The choice is up to you. I will say that using the coupling, you lose about 1 cookie because the cookie dough stays inside the coupling and it is hard to get out at the very end of the piping.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper or a silicone mat. If using parchment paper, I take a heavy knife and weight down the end where you are going to add the 1st piped cookie. If you don't weigh it down when you lift the tip from the rosette cookie, it will lift the parchment paper.
I put the cookie dough in the microwavable dish into the microwave for 8-10 seconds. Do not do over 10 seconds. You do not want the butter to separate from the cookie dough. This is only to soften the cookie dough to make it easier to pipe your cookies.
Add about half of the cookie dough into your piping bag. Squeeze from the top of the bag so you are pushing the cookie dough to the tip. You want some of the dough to show that it is coming through the tip.
I create rosette style by going in a circle and then meeting in the middle. I like my cookie to look organic (another phrase for I try hard with my piping). These do not have to be perfect. Taste is the most important part of any cookie.
I then sprinkle the sparkling sugar (whatever color you want) on top of each cookie. I put the whole pan into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to cool down the butter before adding them to the oven. Fill the bag back up with the rest of the cookie dough and follow the same steps for the second pan of cookies.
Bake for 11-13 minutes until there is a light browning around the bottom edge of the cookies. Move to a cooling rack once out of the oven.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
I store mine in an air-tight container for 5- 8 days.
The best butter is unsalted European-style butter. The reason is that European-style butter is around 82% fat content. Whereas the US butter is around 80% fat content. The European-style butter is also more expensive, so the choice is up to you.
Other Buttery Cookies
Recipe
Danish Butter Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- ¾ cup (90 g) Powdered sugar
- 1 (1) Egg
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Vanilla bean paste
- 2 cups (250 g) All-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Sparkling sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, weigh or measure the powdered sugar and set aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour and salt running a whisk through to blend.
- Add the butter to your mixing bowl. Take the powdered sugar and sift it right over the butter. Turn the mixer to a low speed to get the powdered sugar incorporated into the butter, then turn the mixer to a medium speed for 3 minutes. The butter will be lighter in color and have soft peaks. Next, I stop the mixer, scrape down the sides, and add vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract. Crack the egg into a small bowl to make sure there are no eggshells, then add the egg. Mix until incorporated. Turn the mixer to a medium-low and add the flour mixture about a third at a time. Transfer the cookie dough to a microwave-safe bowl.
- Line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper and set them aside. For piping my cookies, I used a large French open star piping tip. I heat the cookie dough for 8-10 seconds in the microwave for easier piping. I filled the piping bag twice to pipe to fill both sheet pans. If you are adding sparkling sugar to the tops of the cookies, add it now. Put the 2 pans into the refrigerator for 15 minutes (do 1 pan at a time if you do not have room in your fridge). This helps to cool down the butter and helps to keep the shape of the cookie when they bake.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Bake each pan for 11-13 minutes. Keep an eye on them after 11 minutes. You want them to be a light colored golden brown along the bottom edges. After pulling the pan from the oven, move them to a cooling rack.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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