Some refer to these as butter cookies (like the ones sold in the blue tin state) others refer to them a shortbread cookies. Difference between the two cookies lies in the sugar used. I grew up learning shortbread cookies as butter, powder sugar, and flour. Nothing more, nothing less. Butter cookies follow the same line as other cookies with butter, white sugar, flour, egg, vanilla, etc.... Like these or these.
Not knowing what sugar is used in the Royal Dansk butter cookies as the ingredients literally just say sugar, I went with a 3-Ingredient Buttery Shortbread Cookies. What fun, not!
Modifications Made:
None, with exception to the addition of sprinkles for the teen counterpart and chocolate chips for myself.
Scaled for Likability: Good
Were they the best shortbread/butter cookies? Don't know as the only person I have ever known to actually make and enjoy these was my grandmother and she was boring. Were the good enough to make again? Yes, if they were the sprinkle version and smaller. The chocolate chips clashed with the butter flavor which I found odd since all cookies are made with butter. The plain were boring to look at at but tasted exactly the same as the sprinkle version, however, the sprinkles did add some crunch to the dullness of the cookie. Shortbread/butter cookies are meant to enjoy over a warm glass of coffee or tea neither of which are drank at this table. Milk would have been great with these cookies but only the teen still dunks his milk in cookies. I'd rather not waste the calories on the milk and would prefer the extra cookie instead. If anything, this debate over what is a butter/shortbread cookies has caused me to want to try my own variations and experiments.
Next time butter cookies are gonna be made, a taste test will compare the two using Joy of Baking Shortbread Cookies (powdered sugar) to Jo Cooks Classic Shortbread Cookies to this same recipe with brown sugar.