Danish Butter Cookies

Ah, the holidays: that wonderful time of the year marked by an ubiquity of iconic blue tins filled with those delicate, buttery Danish shortbread cookies. Declare your love for the Dansk® by adding your personal twist to this homemade version! Cookies can be made 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container before dipping in chocolate. Yes, chocolate! Get excited.

• Preparation Time: 40 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 90 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 pound unsalted Danish butter (such as Lurpak® or Plugrá®), room temperature
• 1 (8 ounce) package semisweet chocolate bar (such as Ghirardelli®), chopped
• 2 tablespoons flaky sea salt

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C), with racks in the upper and lower third. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2

Whisk flour, sugar, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Set aside.

Step 3

Beat butter using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Gradually add flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just combined, about 2 minutes. Divide dough into quarters.

Step 4

Working with one quarter at a time, roll dough between 2 large sheets of parchment until 1/8-inch thick. Chill between the parchment on a baking sheet until firm, about 15 minutes.

Step 5

Cut out enough cookies to fill the 2 baking sheets with 2-by-1 1/2-inch rectangles or your desired shapes. Arrange 1 inch apart on the sheets. Brush tops of cookies with some of the egg and sprinkle evenly with a portion of turbinado sugar. Keep unused dough in the fridge.

Step 6

Bake cookies, 2 sheets at a time, until pale golden, 14 to 15 minutes, rotating pans after 7 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets for about 5 minutes, then carefully move them to a wire rack to cool completely before dipping. Cut, brush, and bake the remaining cookie dough in the meantime.

Step 7

Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30-second intervals until melted and smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes. Either dip cookies halfway in chocolate mixture and let excess drip off, or use a fork and drizzle chocolate Jackson Pollack-style over cookies over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle salt over chocolate. Let rest until chocolate sets, about 1 hour.