Danish cookies

I can guide you in preparing the classic Danish cookies, the ones we often find inside those colorful metal tins and that many times are reused to store other things once the cookies are finished. I’ll suggest a version that we can Italianize with a touch of vanilla, very common in Italian pastry.

Ingredients

• 250 g of soft butter
• 100 g of icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 300 g of type 00 flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• Granulated sugar as needed for decoration

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, work the soft butter with the icing sugar until you get a creamy and homogeneous consistency.
2. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and continue to mix.
3. Incorporate the flour and the pinch of salt, knead until a smooth and even dough is formed.
4. Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin, until it is about half a centimeter thick.
7. With a round or flower-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
8. Sprinkle some granulated sugar over each cookie.
9. Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden.
10. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack before serving.

Traditional Danish cookies can come in various shapes and often have braided patterns or sugar decorations on top. Adding vanilla to the preparation is a way to give an Italian touch of sweetness and make these cookies even more delicious.

Curiosity

Danish cookies are associated by many with the concept of “hygge,” a Danish word indicating a feeling of comfort, conviviality, and well-being. Savoring Danish cookies, perhaps accompanied by a cup of tea or coffee, is considered a small hygge ritual much appreciated in Denmark and beyond.