These vegan butter cookies are a classic buttery treat made into a pretty design with a large piping tip. I love to dip these Danish butter cookies into melted chocolate and decorate them with sprinkles for a festive look for the holidays.

A blue plate filled with vegan butter cookies with one side dipped in chocolate and covered in sprinkles.

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These Danish butter cookies are very similar to my vegan spritz cookies, yet they are a little bigger since they are piped and not pressed. You can keep them simple and decorate them with sanding sugars, but I love the flavor, texture, and decorative feel that a little chocolate brings to these cookies.

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Vegan Butter – use a high-quality vegan stick butter. I find that Country Crock brand plant butter or Earth Balance Sticks work well. You can also use the stick version of my vegan butter recipe.
  • Sugar – any type of granulated vegan sugar will work.
  • Flour – all-purpose white flour works best.
  • Corn Starch – this is to make the cookies slightly soft and chewy. You omit it if you want a crunchier cookie.
  • Salt – for flavor. You can omit it if you choose.
  • Vanilla Extract – for flavor. You can also use almond extract for a different flavor.
  • Vegan Chocolate Chips – (optional for melting) with a little additional butter or refined coconut oil to help the chocolate melt. If you’re a fan of chocolate in cookies, you can also check out my Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies or Double Chocolate Cookies.
  • Vegan Sprinkles – to decorate the cookies. Many brands of sprinkles have confectioners’ glaze in them which is not vegan. Be sure to look for sprinkles or sanding sugars that don’t contain confectioners’ glaze.

Helpful tools

Electric Mixer – this can be a hand mixer or a stand mixer. You can use a wooden spoon and stir a lot if you don’t have a mixer.

Piping Bag – You will need a strong silicone piping bag. Don’t use the thin plastic type that you would normally use for frosting. It won’t be strong enough.

Large Piping Tip – You will need a very large piping tip like the Wilton 8B. You can also use the Ateco 849 or Wilton 1M tips.

A close up of a pile of vegan danish butter cookies.

How to make vegan butter cookies

Step 1 – Take butter out of the fridge about 45 minutes before baking to allow it to come to room temperature.

Step 2 – Preheat your oven to 375° F (190° C).

Step 3 – Add 1 cup of softened vegan butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until the butter and sugar are light and fluffy.

Step 4 – Slowly add 1 3/4 cups of spoon-measured flour, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp salt to the butter and sugar mixture and beat on low until combined.

Baking the cookies

Step 5 – Fill your piping bag with about 1 cup of dough at a time and pipe the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Someone piping a vegan butter cookie onto a cookie sheet.

Step 6 – Bake the cookies at 375°F (190° C) for 9 -10 minutes. (They will still look doughy on the top but will be slightly brown on the bottom. If you start to notice the edges turning brown, take them out of the oven immediately.)

Step 7 – Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a flat surface to cool completely.

Decorating the cookies

Step 8 – Once the cookies are cooled, melt 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of vegan butter. Melt the chocolate by putting it in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes stirring well and microwaving it again in 30-second increments until it’s completely melted. You can also melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

Someone dipping part of a danish butter cookie into melted chocolate.

Step 9 – Dip a side of the cooled cookies into the melted chocolate, scrape off any drips, and set them on parchment paper. While the chocolate is still melty add sprinkles or crushed candy canes, then allow them to cool until the chocolate hardens completely.

Pro Tips

  • If your cookie dough is too soft and your cookies flatten when cooked, add 1 tablespoon more flour to the dough.
  • If your dough is too firm to press through your piping bag, you will need to add an additional tablespoon or two of vegan butter to the dough.
  • Be sure to spoon-measure the flour so that you have the proper flour-to-butter ratio.

Choosing a butter for vegan cookies

  • Vegan butter cookies can be a little tricky since there is a big variation in the quality of vegan butter. Depending on the type of butter you use, the cookies will come out a little differently. I highly recommend a stick version like Country Crock Plant Butter, Mikayo Vegan Butter, or Earth Balance sticks. Tub butter has a higher water content and can make the dough too soft to hold its shape.
  • Since the butter can change the dough a lot, I recommend piping 2-3 cookies and baking them to test and make sure that they hold their shape before piping out a whole batch.
Vegan butter cookies with the sides dipped in chocolate and covered with sprinkles.

Decorating the cookies

I like to dip a corner of these vegan butter cookies into some melted chocolate and decorate the chocolate with sprinkles.

How to store vegan butter cookies

Countertop: These vegan spritz cookies will keep well on the countertop for 1 week in a sealed container.

Freeze:  These cookies freeze well and can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Vegan butter cookies with a side of them dipped in chocolate.

More vegan cookies

A blue plate filled with vegan butter cookies.
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5 from 3 rating

Vegan Butter Cookies

A buttery sugar cookie piped into a pretty shape. Also known as Danish butter cookies.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup vegan butter, (2 sticks)
  • 1 cup vegan sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups flour, (240 grams by weight)
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

To decorate the cookies

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Take butter out of the fridge about 45 minutes before baking to allow it to come to room temperature.
  • Preheat your oven to 375° F (190° C).
  • Add 1 cup softened vegan butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until the butter and sugar are light and fluffy.
  • Slowly add 1 3/4 cups of spoon-measured flour, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp salt to the butter and sugar mixture and beat on low until combined.
  • Fill your piping bag with about 1 cup of dough at a time and pipe the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
  • Bake the cookies at 375°F (190° C) for 9 -10 minutes. (They will still look doughy on the top but will be slightly brown on the bottom. If you start to notice the edges turning brown, take them out of the oven immediately.)
  • Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a flat surface to cool completely.
  • Once the cookies are cooled, melt 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of vegan butter. Melt the chocolate by putting it in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes stirring well and microwaving it again in 30-second increments until it’s completely melted. You can also melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
  • Dip a side of the cooled cookies into the melted chocolate, scrape off any drips, and set them on parchment paper. While the chocolate is still melty add sprinkles or crushed candy canes, then allow them to cool until the chocolate hardens completely.

Notes

  • Vegan butter cookies can be a little tricky since there is a big variation in the quality of vegan butter. Depending on the type of butter you use, the cookies will come out a little differently. I highly recommend a stick version like Country Crock Plant Butter, Mikayo vegan butter, or Earth Balance sticks. Tub butter has higher water content and can make the dough too soft to hold its shape.
  • Since the butter can change the dough a lot, I recommend piping 2-3 cookies and baking them to test and make sure that they hold their shape before piping out a whole batch.
  • If your cookie dough is too soft and your cookies flatten when cooked, add 1 tablespoon more flour to the dough.
  • If your dough is too firm to press through your piping bag, you will need to add an additional tablespoon or two of vegan butter to the dough.
  • Be sure to spoon measure the flour so that you have the proper flour to butter ratio.
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 105kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 118mg, Potassium: 17mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 218IU, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 1mg
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