butter cookie

{{distinguish|Cookie butter}}

{{Short description|Cookie originating in Denmark}}

{{more footnotes|date=February 2013}}

{{Infobox prepared food

| name = Butter cookie/ sugar cookie

| image = File:2019-11-29 14 52 43 The interior of a tin of McKenzie & Lloyds Danish Style Butter Cookies in the Dulles section of Sterling, Loudoun County, Virginia.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption =

| alternate_name = sablés, Danish butter cookies

| country = Denmark

| region =

| creator =

| course =

| type = Cookie

| served =

| main_ingredient = Butter, flour, sugar

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

Butter cookies, also known as Danish butter cookies, are cookies originating in Denmark consisting of butter, flour, and sugar.{{cite web | last=Clark | first=Melissa | title=Cultured Butter Cookies Recipe | website=NYT Cooking | date=October 9, 2013 | url=https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015209-cultured-butter-cookies | access-date=June 24, 2018}} They are similar to shortbread cookies.

The butter cookie is often categorized as a "crisp cookie" due to its texture, caused in part by the quantity of butter and sugar. It is generally necessary to chill its dough to enable proper manipulation and handling.

Butter cookies at their most basic have no flavoring, but they are often flavored with vanilla, chocolate, and coconut, and/or topped with sugar crystals. They also come in a variety of shapes such as circles, squares, ovals, rings, and pretzel-like forms, and with a variety of appearances, including marbled, checkered or plain.{{cite web | title=These buttery cookies are the perfect canvas for holiday decorations | website=Today | date=December 12, 2017 | url=https://www.today.com/recipes/german-butter-cookies-recipe-t119872 | access-date=June 24, 2018}} Using piping bags, twisted shapes can be made. In some parts of the world, such as Europe and North America, butter cookies are often served around Christmas time.{{Cite web |last=Kaloski |first=Patricia |title=The Christmas cookie |url=https://www.thetideofmoriches.com/stories/the-christmas-cookie,89458 |access-date=2022-11-19 |website=The Tide of Moriches & Manorville |date=2 December 2021 |language=en}} Butter cookies are also a very popular gift in Hong Kong, especially during Lunar New Year.{{cite web | title=Chinese New Year in Hong Kong | website=Hong Kong FastFacts | url=https://www.hkfastfacts.com/chinese-festivals/chinese_new_year/#traditions-and-practises-at-cny | access-date=January 14, 2020}}{{cite book |last=Wright |first=Rachel |date=May 15, 2008 |title=Living and Working in Hong Kong: The Complete Practical Guide to Expatriate Life in China's Gateway |url=https://archive.org/details/livingworkinghon00wrig|url-access=limited |publisher=How to Books Ltd |page=[https://archive.org/details/livingworkinghon00wrig/page/n116 96] |isbn=978-1845281953 }}