Danish Butter Cookies
These are the butter cookies that taste like the ones from the blue tin — delicate, crumbly, and impossibly buttery, piped into beautiful swirls, stars, and figure-eights. They bake up golden and crisp, melt on your tongue, and disappear straight off the plate.
With ~3g of protein per cookie and no added sugar — the classic cookie that never goes out of style.
Why You'll Love This
Delicate, crumbly, impossibly buttery
~3g protein per cookie, only ~2g net carbs
One bowl, one piping bag, 12 minutes
The cookie that looks like it came from a bakery
Amazing Protein Recipes
Danish Butter Cookies
- Prep15 min
- Cook12 min
- Total27 min
- Servings24 cookies
- Calories123 kcal
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat the butter and powdered sugar substitute until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until smooth.
- Stir in the almond flour, protein powder, and salt until a soft dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- Pipe swirls, rings, stars, or figure-eights onto the baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart.
- Bake 10–12 minutes until the edges are golden.
- Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes & Tips
- Room temp butter is key: Cold butter won't pipe — let it soften fully, but not melted.
- Don't overfill the bag: Fill it halfway so you have control — a full bag is hard to squeeze.
- Steady pressure: Squeeze evenly and lift quickly for clean shapes — hesitation makes blobs.
- Chill if spreading: If the dough is too soft, chill it 15 minutes before piping.
- Nutrition: Per cookie (estimate): 110 calories, 10g fat.
- Room temp: Store airtight up to 1 week.
- Fridge: Keeps up to 2 weeks — let them warm to room temp before eating.
- Freezer: Freeze up to 3 months; thaw at room temp.
- Gift idea: Pack in a tin with tissue paper — they make beautiful homemade gifts.
- The Secret to Cookies That Hold Their Shape
- The secret is the soft butter and the cold sheet. Soft butter pipes smoothly into crisp shapes, and a cold baking sheet (not a warm one from the last batch) keeps the dough from spreading before it sets. Warm sheet plus soft dough is how you end up with flat blobs — cold sheet, soft butter, and the shapes stay perfect.
Variations & serving ideas
- Chocolate version: Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder to half the dough for chocolate swirls.
- Almond version: Swap vanilla for almond extract for a marzipan flavor.
- Dipped version: Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted sugar-free chocolate.
- Sprinkle version: Add sugar-free sprinkles on top before baking for a festive look.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving · recipe makes 24 cookies
| Nutrient | Amount per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 123 kcal |
| Total fat | 12 g |
| Saturated fat | 4.4 g |
| Cholesterol | 8 mg |
| Sodium | 25 mg |
| Total carbohydrate | 2 g |
| Fibre | 1 g |
| Sugars | 1.5 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
Nutrition values are approximate and vary with brands and portion sizes.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to make Danish Butter Cookies?
About 27 minutes in total: 15 minutes of prep and 12 minutes of cooking.
What ingredients do I need for Danish Butter Cookies?
You need egg yolk, almond flour, powdered sugar substitute, vanilla extract, vanilla protein powder and butter. The recipe card lists every ingredient with exact amounts.
How should I store leftovers?
Room temp: Store airtight up to 1 week. Fridge: Keeps up to 2 weeks — let them warm to room temp before eating.
Can I make substitutions in this recipe?
Beat the butter and powdered sugar substitute until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
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