Danish Wedding Cookies – Keebler Copycat Recipe

This Keebler Danish Wedding Cookie copycat recipe tastes just like the ones that came in the bright pink box! Light shortbread cookies with a hint of coconut and chocolate, nestled in a powdered sugar coating!

Danish Wedding Cookies on silver tray.

If you’ve lived long enough, you might remember these from your childhood! They’re similar to a Mexican wedding cookie in texture, but differ slightly in ingredients.

Boxed Danish Wedding Cookies.
What’s the difference between a Mexican wedding cookie and a Danish wedding cookie?

Both are shortbread cookies made with butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Mexican wedding cookies are round balls and typically contain chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts. Danish wedding cookies are flattened into small disks and don’t typically include nuts, but include a little shredded coconut and chocolate chips. Both versions often use vanilla extract or almond extract and are often called “snowball cookies.”

The Keebler elves produced these powdered sugar cookies back in the 60’s, but discontinued them in 2024. Loyal fans and homecooks were disappointed and began experimenting with different recipes. Some of the recipes used almond extract and included chopped nuts. Some fans were not pleased, as almond extract and chopped nuts are not native to the original Keebler Danish wedding cookie. This recipe uses the same ingredients as the Keebler pink boxed version.

Love almond flavor? You might like Scandinavian Almond Cake or Italian Almond Cookies.

Powdered sugar, granulated sugar, butter, shredded sweetened coconut, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, vanilla extract, heavy cream and mini chocolate chips.

Danish Wedding Cookies on pink platter.

Danish Wedding Cookies – A Keebler Copycat Recipe

Light powdered sugar shortbread cookies with mini chocolate chips and a hint of coconut- just like the Danish wedding cookies Keebler used to make!
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 40 cookies
Author: Anecia Hero

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • Food Processor
  • Parchment paper
  • Small ice cream scoop

Ingredients 

  • 2 sticks salted butter (1 cup), softened , if using unsalted butter, add 1 teaspoon of salt to the dough mixture
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
  • ½ cup finely shredded sweetened coconut
  • ¾ cup mini milk chocolate chips
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Powdered Sugar Coating

  • 1 cup confectioner's sugar , (see recipe notes)
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions 

  • Pulse coconut in food processor 3-4 times; set aside
    ½ cup finely shredded sweetened coconut
  • Add the following ingredients to a stand mixer and combine on medium speed until well blended
    2 sticks salted butter (1 cup), softened, ½ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar), ¾ cup mini milk chocolate chips, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, ½ cup finely shredded sweetened coconut
  • Scoop dough into a tablespoon or small ice cream scooper, form a small ball, place on parchment paper and gently flatten; place dough balls about 1" inch from one another; bake @ 300℉ on the middle oven rack for 25-30 minutes. The cookies will not brown while baking; take a peek at the bottom to see if its slightly browned- that's how you know they're done.
  • Transfer to a cooling rack for 5-6 minutes; pour confectioner' sugar and cornstarch into a large plastic bag; working in small batches, put a few cookies in the sugar mixture and toss until well-coated and place on cooling rack. Allow to cookies to cool complete, then toss them in the sugar mixture a second time.
    1 cup confectioner's sugar, 4 teaspoons cornstarch

Notes

Coating the cookies with powdered sugar mixture:
The first coat goes on the cookies when they’re slightly warm; the second coat goes on the cookies when they’re completely cooled. 
You may need a little more of the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture. The ratio is 1 teaspoon cornstarch per ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
Store cookies in an airtight container; you can refrigerate them, but they harden. If you decide to refrigerate them, let them sit at room temperature before serving.

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1 cookieCalories: 125kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 40mgPotassium: 42mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 160IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg
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  • The best way to coat the cookies in the powdered sugar mixture is to place the mixture in a large zip bag; drop a few cookies in at a time, shake the bag and coat the cookies well, than place them on a cooling rack.
  • Don’t skip the cornstarch-it absorbs moisture, ensuring a crisp cookie

You can make these delicious Danish cookies up to a week in advance. Store them in a dry, airtight container.

Danish Wedding Cookies on silver tray.

Danish Wedding Cookies are perfect for bridal showers, baby showers or holiday dessert tables. They’re also a favorite Christmas cookie because of the “snow-like” powdered sugar coating.

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