Although butter cookies in general originated in Europe (with Scottish and British influences) centuries ago, the Danish version became established as its own specialty during the 19th century.
Mass production of these cookies began to grow in the 1930s, and in 1933 the Kelsen group was formed, which would become the world leader in sales of this product.
The brand Royal Dansk, founded in 1966, popularized the use of metal tins for exporting the cookies. These tins were designed to keep them fresh and prevent them from breaking, eventually becoming an icon.
In Denmark, they are considered a traditional dessert, especially during the Christmas holidays, and in Danish they are known as smørkager, which literally means “butter cookie.”
Today I’m sharing with you the original recipe for these cookies. You can shape them just like the ones from the “Royal Dansk” brand, but you’ll need a piping bag. Since I had some trouble with mine, I ended up making them in a simpler way.
Ingredients:
- 225 g unsalted butter.
- 115 g granulated white sugar.
- 1 egg at room temperature.
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt.
- Half a vanilla beam.
- 284 g all-purpose flour.
- 2 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling.
Preparation:
1- Use butter that has been out of the fridge for a couple of hours so it’s slightly soft.
2- In a bowl, add the butter, sugar, vanilla, and the room‑temperature egg. Mix well until you get a fluffy texture. I ended up using a hand mixer. If you have a stand mixer, it will be even easier.
3- Add the salt and sifted flour. Mix until the dough becomes fluffy again; you can use the mixer to help.
4- To shape the cookies, you can use a piping bag, but to make it easier you can simply form them by hand. Make them small, as they expand in the oven. Place them on parchment paper, sprinkle a little sugar on each cookie, and refrigerate them for 30 minutes so they don’t spread too much in the oven.
5- Preheat the oven for 5 minutes, then bake the cookies at 150°C for 15 minutes with heat from top and bottom. If you see the edges turning golden sooner, take them out.
6- Let them cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!, They keep for 4 days in a tin, but you can also freeze them. When you want one, just pop it in the microwave and it will taste freshly baked.
You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:
Here you have my favourite cooking tools: https://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2023/05/shop.html
 |
| Denmark |
No comments:
Post a Comment