These Butter Cookies are a classic Christmas Cookie, adding an elegant touch to your holiday cookie tray. Decadent Nutella ganache, adds contrast in both color and texture. With their crisp, buttery exterior and melt-in-your-mouth interior, these cookies are a perfect holiday treat.
You’ll need a large star piping tip, like Ateco #829, to pipe these cookies. Using a smaller tip will make piping much more difficult.
Also known as Danish butter cookies, these classic cookies are one of the simplest to make and are known for their rich, buttery flavor and crisp texture.
Although made with simple ingredients, butter cookies are renowned for their elegant spiral shape, making them a stunning addition to any Christmas cookie tray.
The best part is their versatility—these cookies can easily be customized into any pattern you desire. We've included a variety of design ideas and filling suggestions to inspire your own creative twists.
👩🍳 The key tip to remember is that you'll need a large star tip, specifically the Ateco #828. Using a standard star tip will make it difficult to pipe the cookies properly.
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Why you'll love it?
- Beautifull, elegant holiday cookie for Christmas
- A plethora of customize options
- Make ahead, freeze, fill before holidays
- Nutella ganache adds decadence
- Ideal for Christmas, Mother's day, Spring or valentine's day
Shape ideas
- Flower pattern - Make flowers as given.
- Spiral cookies - Pipe into tight spirals using a large star tip (like Ateco #828), for signature shape for Danish butter cookies.
- Thumbprint cookies - Skip the piping and simply roll the dough into 1 ½-inch balls. Use your thumb to create an indentation in the center, just like we did for the raspberry thumbprint cookies. Chill the dough, bake it, and once cooled, fill the indentation with creamy Nutella chocolate ganache.
- Shape the dough into a log, as we did in the brown sugar shortbread cookies, chill, slice into ¼ inch thick slices and bake.
How to make butter cookies?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
👩🍳 Important note 👉 The consistency of the butter is crucial! If it's too firm, it will be difficult to pipe. Ideally, you want the butter to be at room temperature—soft enough that when you gently press it with a finger or spoon, it leaves an indentation easily. In other words, the butter should be soft and pliable but not melted, making it easy to pipe.
If you're baking these butter cookies during the colder holiday months, the butter may be firmer than in the warmer summer months. In this case, microwave the butter for 5 to 9 seconds to soften it. Just be sure to remove it promptly to prevent it from starting to melt.
👩🍳 Pro tip - You’ll need a large star piping tip, like Ateco #829, to pipe these cookies. Using a smaller tip will make piping much more difficult.
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Step 11 - Spoon about ½ to 1 teaspoon of Nutella chocolate ganache into each indentation. Gently tap the sheet pan on the counter once or twice to help the ganache settle evenly. Allow the cookies to cool and firm up before serving.
Alternatives for Nutella ganache
Skip the Nutella chocolate ganache filling use any of the following ideas:
- Skip the indentation and instead press a halved candied red or green cherry into the center of the piped butter cookie dough. This creates a festive, holiday-ready look that’s perfect for Christmas cookies.
- Spoon raspberry or strawberry jam into the indentation just before baking to create classic Danish thumbprint butter cookies.
For a nut-free option, skip the Nutella and make chocolate ganache (2 ounces semi sweet chocolate and ¼ cup heavy cream).
Troubleshooting
- Dough is too firm to pipe! Gently knead the dough with your hands a few times. This will soften the butter slightly, making the dough more pliable and easier to pipe.
- If the cookies spread and don’t hold their indent for the ganache, simply prepare the Nutella ganache and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes until it thickens slightly. Then, spread a bit of ganache between two cookies to make delicious butter sandwich cookies.
More unique cookie ideas
Butter Cookies with Nutella Ganache
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113 gm) softened but not melting
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg yolk large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Nutella ganache
- ¼ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup Nutella
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Cookies
- It is crucial to begin with soft butter, to make it easier to pipe. Refer to notes before proceeding. Add butter and sugar into a medium bowl and beat using a hand held electric beater until smooth and creamy (1 to 2 minutes).
- Add the egg yolk, vanilla and salt, continue beating until thoroughly combined. Add the flour and beat to combine.
- Dough consistency - The consistency of the dough is crucial for these butter cookies! If it feels too firm, piping will be difficult, while a dough that's too soft will be easier to pipe but may spread during baking and lose its shape. Pro tip - If the dough feels firm, gently knead it with your hands a few times. The warmth from your hands will soften the butter slightly, making the dough more pliable without the need to add any milk.
- Fit a large piping bag with Ateco #828 piping tip and add the cookie dough into the bag and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Hold the piping bag straight at a 90-degree angle, just above the parchment paper. Apply steady pressure to pipe a circle about an inch in diameter, then gently release pressure and lift the bag away to create a clean finish.
- Pipe the remaining dough onto the baking sheet, spacing the cookies about an inch apart. Dip a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon in water, then gently press it into the center of each star to create a deep indentation. The dough will expand slightly as you press. Tip - Be sure to create a deeper indent than you would for traditional thumbprint cookies.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the fridge for a few hours to firm up the dough.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and bake the cookies for 12 to 16 minutes or the edges get a deep golden color. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutella ganache
- Place the chocolate chips, Nutella, and heavy cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second intervals, for 50 to 80 seconds, stirring well after each, until the mixture is fully melted and smooth.
- Pour about ½ to 1 teaspoon ganache into the middle of each cookie. Gently tap the sheet pan on the counter once or twice to help the ganache settle evenly. Let it set for a few hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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