Danish Wedding Cookies (2024)

Danish wedding cookies are a buttery, bite-sized delight made with finely chopped pecans and cinnamon, then generously coated in powdered sugar. They have a super tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture and make a delicious addition to any holiday cookie plate.

For more holiday cookies, try these all-butter snickerdoodles, ginger cookies, and condensed milk snowballs.

Homemade Danish wedding cookies

These Danish wedding cookies are just as good as they look. They’re super tender, with crunchy pieces of pecans and a mild cinnamon flavor.

The best part? You’ll only need 5 ingredients and 15 minutes prep to make them!

Danish wedding cookies have been a Christmas cookie staple in my family for years, and I always bring them to holiday cookie swaps.

But hand to heart, I love these buttery, nutty cookies so much that I’ll have them throughout the year, not just on special occasions.

I love cookies that are made with just 5 simple ingredients, which is far less than the packaged original Danish wedding cookies:

• Butter holds the dough together. I like salted butter for my baked goods to cut the sweetness from the sugar. However, if you prefer to control how much salt goes into your cookies, use unsalted butter plus a 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt.
• Powdered sugar makes Danish wedding cookies extra tender and not gritty at all. You need powdered sugar for the cookie dough and then roll the warm cookies after baking. If you don’t have powdered sugar handy, make your own by blitzing granulated sugar in a blender a few times.
• Pecans introduce a warm, nutty aroma and subtle crunch to the wedding cookies. You can either chop the pecans by hand or process them in a food processor. To save a few bucks, buy pecan pieces instead of whole pecans.
• All-purpose flour gives the cookies a soft crumb and tender texture. You can use cake flour in this recipe for super silky and slightly cakey wedding cookies.
• Cinnamon is a staple in wedding cookie recipes. You’ll need just a hint to highlight the pecans and add warmth.

Let me show you the easy steps for this Danish wedding cookie recipe:

1. Prep work

• Preheat the oven to 300°F and position a baking rack in the center of the oven.
• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Make the cookie dough

• Add the butter, powdered sugar, ground pecans, and cinnamon into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Add the flour and incorporated on low speed until the dough just comes together.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.

3. Form cookies

• Using a 1-tbsp cookie scoop, divide the dough into individual portions. Roll each piece into a ball between the palms of your hands. If the dough is sticky, lightly dust your hands with flour.
• Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 in apart.

4. Bake

• Bake the Danish wedding cookies until slightly browned around the edges, for 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking.

5. Cool

• Take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
• Then transfer the cookies on a wire rack and let them sit until the cookies are cool enough to handle.

6. Coat in powdered sugar

• Add powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. While the cookies are still warm, roll each cookie in the bowl until completely covered in sugar.

Here are a few useful tips for making Danish wedding cookies:

• Cold butter is the key to making the best Danish wedding cookies. “Cold butter” means I take the butter out of the fridge and cut it into cubes. Then I measure out the other ingredients, chop the pecans, and gather my baking supplies. By the time you’re done, the butter is still cold but just soft enough to mix the cookie dough.
• Make sure the pecans are fresh. Pecans contain a lot of fat and expire quickly – and no one likes the taste of rancid nuts in their cookies. If you store your pecans in the freezer like me, let them come to room temp before making the cookies.
• Toast the pecans for super aromatic wedding cookies. I used my pecans as is, but you could toast them for 10 minutes in a 350°F. Let them cool before making the Danish wedding cookie dough.
• Bake your cookies on aluminum cookie sheets. Dark non-stick cookie sheets absorb more heat and can burn the delicate wedding cookies.
• Keep an eye on the baking time. Overbaked pecan wedding cookies are dry and crumbly, which we don’t want.
• Skip the powdered sugar. I know, I know. Rolling the cookies in powdered sugar is an integral part of wedding cookies. But I actually love the modest sweetness these cookies have and often enjoy them without the extra dusting of powdered sugar.

How to store Danish wedding cookies

Pop your Danish wedding cookies into an airtight container and keep them at room temperature.

How long do Danish wedding cookies last?

Stored airtight, Danish wedding cookies can be kept for 7 days on the counter.

Can you freeze Danish wedding cookies?

Yes, you can freeze Danish wedding cookies for 3 months. If you think you’ll have too many Danish wedding cookies leftover, feel free to freeze a few cookies before rolling them in powdered sugar.

Since these cookies are so delicate, avoid placing them into zip lock bags, but put them into a freezer-safe container and lay pieces of wax (greaseproof) paper between each layer.

When you’re ready to eat your pecan wedding cookies, simply let them taw on the counter and then roll in powdered sugar.

Can you freeze the cookie dough?

Of course! Simple prepare the cookie dough according to the recipe instructions and portion it into balls. Place the dough balls on a lined cookie sheet and freeze for 2 hours. Transfer the frozen cookie balls into a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

You can bake the cookies straight from frozen, just add a few minutes to the baking time.

Danish Wedding Cookies Recipe

Yield: 36 cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Danish wedding cookies are a buttery, bite-sized delight made with finely chopped pecans and cinnamon, then generously coated in powdered sugar. They have a super tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture and make a delicious addition to any holiday cookie plate.

Ingredients

• 2 cups / 270 g / 9.5 oz all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 cup / 60 g / 2 oz powdered (confectioners’/icing) sugar, plus some more for coating
• 1 cup / 2 sticks / 225 g / 8 oz salted butter (or unsalted butter + 1/4 tsp fine sea salt)
• 1/2 cup / 110 g / 3.8 oz ground pecans (can sub for other nuts)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Prep work. Preheat the oven to 300°F / 150°C / gas mark 2 and position a baking rack in the center of the oven. Line 2 cookie sheets with baking (parchment) paper.
2. Make the cookie dough. Add the butter, powdered sugar, ground pecans, and cinnamon into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and incorporated on low speed until the dough just comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
3. Form cookies. Using a 1-tbsp cookie scoop, divide the dough into individual portions. Roll each piece into a ball between the palms of your hands. If the dough is sticky, lightly dust your hands with flour. Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 in / 5 cm apart.
4. Bake. Bake the Danish wedding cookies until slightly browned around the edges, for 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking.
5. Cool. Take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Then transfer the cookies on a wire rack and let them sit until the cookies are cool enough to handle.
6. Coat in powdered sugar. Add powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. While the cookies are still warm, roll each cookie in the bowl until completely covered in sugar.

See Also

Quick and Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 36Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 93Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 41mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g