Butter Cookies

Whenever we buy a tin of the K brand Danish butter cookies, the most coveted cookie is the round one with currants. That one always goes first, followed closely by the pretzel shaped sugar one, then the rectangle sugar one. The rest will be left languishing in the tin, reserved for a day when… Ok, the rest never get eaten. 😕 We have been waiting for the day when they make only the currant ones and the pretzel shaped ones.  So far it hasn’t happened yet. Sigh. As usual, if nobody will make it, then I guess I’ll just have to do it until somebody else does.

It’s not difficult to figure out the recipe. Looking at the ingredient list on the tin, it states desiccated coconut and currants. Only the round one tastes like it has coconut. So bingo. Just use a butter cookie recipe that gives you crunchy cookies, add in some desiccated coconut and currants and there you have it.

I have had this recipe since around the time internet was invented. That long ago. I am not even sure of the origin of the recipe. But along the way, it has evolved several times according to our taste buds.

Butter Cookies

125 g butter

125 g sugar

1 cup plain flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbsp desiccated coconut

pinch of salt

*Cream butter and sugar together just until well mixed. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients.

Variations: currants, nuts, crushed cornflakes, sprinkles, chocolate chips.

Refrigerate the dough for about half an hour. Scoop teaspoonfuls of dough onto a lined cookie sheet. Press lightly at the top to flatten them a bit. Bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 15 min. Then turn off the oven and leave them inside to dry out for another 15 min. This makes them a bit more crunchy.

This is a very buttery butter cookie. If you use a nice European style butter, you will be able to taste the lovely fragrance of it in every bite.  Needless to say, WAY better than the commercial ones.

*It is not necessary to use an electric mixer when creaming butter and sugar for cookies.  You only need to cream it till the butter and sugar are well mixed (like 10sec?).  I usually just use a wooden spoon because it is easier to wash a wooden spoon than a wire whisk. heh.