Small Danish cookies are the perfect sidekick for afternoon tea. Little bites that pack the perfect balance between crunch and sweetness. There are dozens, probably hundreds of different types of these cookies, and it’s hard to choose one favorite. So I chose three. The classic almond, a traditional oatmeal, and the light as air dream-cookie with strawberry jam.
From my cookbook NORTH – Scandinavianish Cooking.
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Small Danish Cookies: Almond Shortbread for the Christmas Tin
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: Makes About 24 Cookies
Description
A classic Danish almond shortbread, thin and crisp, cut into two-inch rounds and baked just six minutes — the first of three small cookies from the cookbook.
Ingredients
- 5 oz (140 g) almonds
- 5 1/2 oz (155 g) flour
- 2 1/2 oz (70 g) sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 5 oz (140 g) unsalted butter
- 1 egg
Instructions
Finely chop the almonds in a food processor. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, and egg to the food processor. Blend until the dough comes together. Knead the dough with your hands until smooth, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass to cut 2-inch diameter rounds.
Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 6 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- This is the almond version — the cookbook has two more, a traditional oatmeal and a light dream-cookie with strawberry jam.
- The dough needs a full hour in the fridge; with 5 oz of butter in it, it is too soft to roll or cut a clean edge straight from the processor.
- Six minutes at 390°F (200°C) is correct even though it sounds short — pull them while the centers still look underdone, since they firm up as they cool.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Category: Recipes
- Cuisine: Danish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 113
- Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Protein: 2 g
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of the three Danish cookies is this one?
The classic almond. Kalle mentions three kinds in the introduction — the almond, a traditional oatmeal, and the light dream-cookie with strawberry jam — and this is the first of them.
Why does the dough need an hour in the fridge?
There is 5 oz (140 g) of butter in it, so straight from the food processor the dough is too soft to roll thin or hold a cut edge. An hour wrapped in the fridge firms it enough to roll to 1/4 inch and cut clean 2-inch rounds.
Six minutes sounds short. Is that right?
It is. At 390°F (200°C) these are thin and small, and they are done when the edges are lightly golden. They firm up as they cool on the rack, so take them out before the centers look finished.
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