Festive Christmas Danish Butter Cookies
Christmas is one of my favourite baking seasons — everything feels extra cosy and festive in the kitchen. This year, I put together a small collection of Christmas Danish Butter Cookies in four designs. They’re simple to pipe, fun to decorate, and perfect for gifting, cookie boxes, or enjoying with a cup of hot chocolate. If you’re a home baker looking for easy but beautiful Christmas treats, you’re going to love this set — keep reading to see how I made each one!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Simple to pipe: Perfect for home bakers of all skill levels.
- Fun to decorate: Each design gives you a festive touch without being complicated.
- Perfect for gifting: Great for cookie boxes, holiday treats, or sharing with loved ones.
- Perfect for cozy moments: Delicious buttery cookies to enjoy with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee.
- Festive and beautiful: A charming collection that adds sparkle to your holiday baking table.
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Ingredients in these Christmas Danish Butter Cookies
At a glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe. Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Unsalted butter: The base of the dough; provides richness, flavour, and a tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
- Double cream: Adds extra moisture and creaminess, helping the dough pipe smoothly.
- Egg yolks: Bind the dough together, enrich flavour, and give a slightly tender, soft texture.
- Caster sugar: Sweetens the dough and helps create a delicate, crisp texture.
- Vanilla extract: Adds aromatic flavour that complements the buttery dough.
- Cake flour: Provides a soft, fine crumb and helps make the cookies tender rather than dense.
- Cornflour: Lightens the dough and contributes to a delicate, crumbly texture.
- Cocoa powder: Adds chocolate flavour and colour for chocolate dough.
- Green tea powder (matcha) : Adds a subtle earthy flavour and natural green colour for festive cookies.
- Gel food colouring (Kelly Green, Forest Green, Christmas Red, Super Red): Enhances colour for Christmas-themed designs without changing the dough consistency.
- Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances the buttery flavour.
Colouring the Cookie Dough
To help you choose your colours with confidence, I’ve included a photo showing exactly what I use to tint my cookie dough. This way, you can see the colour results before you start mixing your own batch.
1. Gel Food Colouring
These are the gel food colourings I use to tint the vanilla dough. Gel colours are very concentrated, so they won’t change the consistency of your dough. A little goes a long way—use a toothpick to pick up the colour instead of squeezing it directly into the dough for better control.
2. Colour Variations You Can Create
a. Plain vanilla dough
b. Vanilla dough mixed with cocoa powder
c. Vanilla dough tinted with Super Red and Christmas Red
d. Vanilla dough mixed with matcha powder and tinted with Kelly Green and Forest Green
How to Make these Christmas Danish Butter Cookies
Here are some key tips for making these Christmas Danish Butter Cookies! Be sure to scroll down to the printable recipe card for the ingredient amounts for a complete guide to learn how to make these cookies.
- Cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer at medium speed.
- Beat them until pale and fluffy.
- Add in egg yolks, double cream, and vanilla extract.
- Continue to beat until smooth.
- Sift in the cake flour, cornflour, and salt.
- Beat on low speed.
- Until everything is just combined.
- Finish mixing it with a spatula to avoid over mixing the dough.
- Divide the dough into four equal portions.
- Sieve in green tea powder into one portion.
- Mix the dough with Kelly Green and Forest Green gel food colouring to make the dough look festive.
- Gradually adding the food colouring until you are happy with the shade,
- Sieve in cocoa powder in another portion.
- Mix well.
- Tint one portion red.
- Mix well.
- Leave the last portion plain.
- Transfer each dough to its own piping bag.
- Place the template in the baking pan.
- Line it with a sheet of parchment paper.Mix well.
- Cut a small hole in the piping bag filled with matcha dough.
- Place an open-star piping tip into a clean piping bag.
- Slip the matcha dough bag inside to create a double-bag setup.
- Pipe ring-shaped wreaths, following the circular template underneath.
- After piping, use your finger to smooth and finish the shape.
- Freeze the tray until the cookies are firm.
- Switch to the vanilla dough and, using the same piping tip, pipe along the triangle template to create Christmas trees.
- Again, use your finger to gently smooth and finish the design.
- Swap to the chocolate dough and pipe a small line
- Place each chocolate dough at the bottom of each tree to create the trunk. Freeze the tray until the cookies are firm.
- Switch to the red dough (with the same piping tip) and pipe bows using the bow template.
- Fit a small 2D closed-star tip onto the reserve matcha dough and pipe tiny stars. for bow knots.
- Place each star in the middle to create the bow knots.
- Freeze the tray until the cookies are firm.
- Fit a French star tip into a clean piping bag.
- Pipe thick chocolate rings using the chocolate dough.
- After piping, use your finger to smooth and finish the shape.
- Freeze the tray until the cookies are firm.
- If you still have any leftover dough, pipe small rings or stars for a few extra festive bites. Freeze the tray until the cookies are firm. Once all the cookies are in the freezer, preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Before baking, remove the templates from underneath. Since the cookies are frozen and firm, you can also adjust the spacing if needed.
- Bake for 13–18 minutes or until the edges are turning lightly golden.
- Let them cool on the tray for 5–10 minutes
- Carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- You can enjoy them as they are, or check out my Christmas Butter Cookie Decorations! I share how to add a little extra magic to these holiday treats. It’s full of ideas to spark your creativity this season!
Tips for Success
- Store properly: Keep in an airtight container once fully cooled to maintain freshness.
- Use room temperature butter: Softened butter ensures the dough is easy to pipe and gives a tender texture.
- Don’t over mix: Combine ingredients just until incorporated to keep cookies light and delicate.
- Sift your dry ingredients: Cake flour, cornflour, cocoa, and matcha should be sifted to prevent lumps and ensure a smooth dough.
- Pipe evenly: For consistent cookies, try to keep the pressure steady and portion sizes similar.
- Use quality cocoa and matcha: Good quality cocoa and matcha powder make a big difference in flavour and colour.
- Decorate lightly: Pipe or drizzle chocolate and add sprinkles carefully — too much can weigh down the cookies.
- Bake at the right temperature: Danish butter cookies bake quickly; watch carefully so they don’t brown too much.
- Brush with gold dust last: Add shimmer after baking and cooling for the best festive effect.
Tip for Evenly Sized Cookies
To make sure all my cookies came out the same size and shape, I created three simple templates:
- Christmas Wreath Template: This circular template is used for piping the matcha wreaths and the chocolate rings.
- Christmas Trees Template: This triangle template helps you pipe perfectly shaped Christmas tree cookies.
- Christmas Bows Template: This bow-shaped template ensures the red dough bows come out even and consistent.
I designed these templates using Canva, which made it easy to create perfectly sized shapes. When piping the cookies, I placed the templates under my parchment paper to guide the dough, ensuring every cookie was uniform and looked neat.
If you’d like, you can click the buttons below to download the templates and use them for your own cookies.
How to Serve Christmas Danish Butter Cookies
These Christmas Danish Butter Cookies are meant to be enjoyed slowly and warmly — the kind of treats that make December feel extra cozy. Here are my favourite ways to serve them:
- Share them over a warm drink: Enjoy them with a cup of hot chocolate, a festive latte, or a pot of black tea on a quiet winter evening.
- Add them to a Christmas cookie box: Their colours and shapes make them look beautifully festive, and they hold up well for gifting.
- Give them as homemade presents: Pack a few of each design into clear bags or small tins, tie with a ribbon, and gift them to friends, neighbours, or teachers.
- Serve after a holiday meal: They’re the perfect “just one more bite” treat after Christmas dinner.
- Bring them to a cozy gathering: Whether it’s a movie night, game night, or catching up with family, these cookies bring the warm, nostalgic feel of homemade Christmas baking.
These cookies are simple, sweet, and special — perfect for sharing with the people you love.
How to Store Christmas Danish Butter Cookies
To keep your Christmas Danish Butter Cookies fresh and crisp:
- Airtight container: Once completely cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Layer with parchment: If stacking cookies, place parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking or smudging the decorations.
- Keep away from heat: Store in a cool, dry spot — avoid direct sunlight or warm areas that could soften the butter.
- Shelf life: Properly stored, these cookies stay fresh for up to 2 weeks — perfect for preparing ahead for gifting or holiday gatherings.
These cookies are sturdy enough for cookie boxes, and the decorations will stay beautiful until they’re enjoyed or gifted.
Frequently Asked Questions
No! This Danish butter cookie dough is soft and pipeable straight away, so you can start piping immediately.
Yes! You can pipe the cookies onto a baking tray and freeze them until firm. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. When you’re ready to bake, simply bake them straight from frozen — just add a minute or two to the baking time. This method is perfect for preparing cookies ahead of the holiday rush.
Absolutely! You can experiment with flavours like cinnamon, coffee, or even a tiny bit of orange zest for festive variations.
These cookies have a low spread formula. Make sure your butter is softened, not melted, and avoid over mixing the dough.
Let cookies cool completely before decorating. Brush with gold dust only after chocolate or icing has set.
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Tried this Recipe
Let me know if you give this recipe a go – I absolutely love seeing your creations! Tag me on Instagram @bakabeecom and be sure to leave me a comment / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below so I can cheer you on!
Christmas Danish Butter Cookies
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Chill Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 18 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 33 minutes
- Yield: 26 servings 1x
- Category: Biscuits, Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Western
Description
These Christmas Danish Butter Cookies are buttery, crisp, and piped into festive shapes using vanilla, matcha, and cocoa dough. Each cookie looks beautifully seasonal, from wreaths to bows and Christmas trees. Perfect for Christmas gifting, cookie boxes, and holiday snacking.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 282 g unsalted butter, softened
- 125 g caster sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 40 ml double cream
- 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 312 g cake flour
- 40 g cornflour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 6 g cocoa powder
- 6 g green tea powder
- gel food colouring, Kelly Green, Forest Green, Christmas Red and Super Red
For the Decorations
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 100g white chocolate
- Christmas sprinkles
- Gold dust
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line three baking trays with parchment paper and place your templates underneath (see my companion blog post for templates, these are not essential for making great cookies).
- Cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer until pale and fluffy.
- Mix in egg yolks, double cream, and vanilla until smooth.
- Sift in the cake flour, cornflour, and salt. Mix with a spatula first, then a mixer until just combined.
- Divide the dough into four equal portions.
- Mix one portion with cocoa powder, another with matcha. Colour the matcha dough to a darker shade if desired.
- Tint one portion red. Leave the last portion plain.
-
Transfer each dough to its own piping bag.
Pipe the Cookies
- Cut a small hole in the piping bag filled with matcha dough.
- Fit an open star piping tip into a clean piping bag. Insert the matcha dough bag inside.
- Pipe ring-shaped wreaths following the circular template, smoothing the shape with your finger as you go. Save a small amount of matcha dough for the bow knots, then freeze the cookies until firm.
- Switch to the vanilla dough and (with the same piping tip) pipe along the triangle templates to create Christmas trees.
- Swap to the chocolate dough and pipe a small line at the bottom of each tree to create the trunk.
- Switch to the red dough (with the same piping tip) and pipe bows using the bow template.
- Fit a small 2D closed-star tip onto the reserve matcha dough and pipe tiny stars for bow knots.
- Fit a French star tip and pipe thick chocolate rings using the chocolate dough.
- Freeze all piped cookies until firm.
Bake and Cool
- Before baking, remove the template underneath. The cookies are frozen and firm. You can adjust the spacing if needed.
- Bake for 13–18 minutes or until the edges are turning lightly golden.
- Cool on the tray for 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate
- Melt white chocolate and milk/dark chocolate separately in the microwave, stirring between each burst.
- Dip or drizzle cookies with melted chocolate.
- Finish with Christmas sprinkles.
- (Optional) Lightly brush with edible gold dust for a festive sparkle.
Notes
- The links of the templates are in the blog, using them to help you pipe evenly sized cookies. They make shaping so much easier—just remember to remove the templates before baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 140kcal
- Sugar: 3.2g
- Sodium: 70mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
Final Thoughts
These Christmas Danish Butter Cookies are simple, festive, and full of holiday cheer. Piping them is fun, decorating them adds a touch of sparkle, and they make the perfect gift for friends, family, or anyone who loves homemade treats. Whether you’re enjoying them with a cup of hot chocolate or sharing them in a beautifully wrapped cookie box, these cookies are sure to bring warmth and joy to your holiday season.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a peaceful, joyful year ahead! May your holiday season be filled with love, laughter, and plenty of delicious cookies. 🎄🎅
