Serious Eats
Holiday Butter Cookies, Reviewed
Who knew? Our officemate Marco is seriously into holiday butter cookies. After chatting with him about them just now, he sent us to his review of Royal Dansk butter cookies. His favorites:
The Pretzel Ones: These are always the first to go. It's not hard to see why - these have all of the benefits of a fused-sugar top, but with about two-thirds of the mass of the heavy Square Ones. These are the pinnacle of butter cookie development, and need to be kept exactly as they are.
The Swirly Ones: As far as I can tell, these are just the Round Ones with a more interesting shape that results in a better texture. The complex shape crumbles more smoothly for some reason, making these the most pleasant to eat. It seems like the flavor is slightly lighter as well, although this could simply be a psychological effect of the better shape. These are also a crucial element of the butter cookie lineup.
Click over for his take on the "Round Ones," the "Square Ones," and the "Crappy Ones."