Christmas Shortbread Cookies

Christmas shortbread cookies are a classic treat that is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. You'll want to add this easy-to-make cookie recipe to your holiday baking.

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Buttery and delicate, Christmas shortbread cookies are easy holiday cookies topped with festive sprinkles. This holiday classic is the perfect addition to your holiday cookie platter for parties or as a sweet treat whenever you’re feeling festive!

MORE RECIPES: Shortbread Cookies | Cherry Wink Cookies | Christmas Pinwheels

It’s cookie baking season! Melt-in-your-mouth Christmas shortbread cookies are a must-bake holiday delicacy. With only a few ingredients, these buttery, delicate, and delicious Christmas shortbread cookies will delight friends and family. 

Delicate Christmas shortbread cookies are perfect for a cookie exchange, easy to add to a cookie platter at a party, or ideal for enjoying as an afternoon snack by the tree. You can even wrap them up in a gift box for friends or neighbors! They are delicious when enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee, or a mug of homemade hot chocolate. 

This holiday season, add this easy-to-make cookie recipe to your holiday baking. With their buttery flavor and crumbly texture, you’ll want to enjoy these are bound to become a family favorite.

Christmas Shortbread Cookies Ingredients

• Butter - unsalted butter
• Sugar - powdered sugar, sifted
• Vanilla extract - clear vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• Flour - all-purpose flour
• Cornstarch
• Salt
• Sprinkles - holiday sprinkles, jimmies, or nonpareils

The nonpareils sprinkles work beautifully for these shortbread cookies. Their small size allows them to nestle into the indentations that are left from pressing the tines of the fork into the top of the cookie dough balls. Oftentimes the sprinkle blends can include larger sprinkles that do not want to stay on the cookie. 

Using clear vanilla extract, also known as clear vanilla flavoring, helps the shortbread cookies retain their player color, while darker vanilla extract brands will give the cookie dough a slightly tan color. Of course, they will both taste delicious! 

For the softened butter in this delicious cookie recipe, you want to make sure that it is just at room temperature, while not overly soft. You should be able to press your finger into the top of the butter and leave a slight impression, but not be able to press your finger all the way through the butter. If your butter is too soft, your cookies will spread too much when baking, and you will not get the desired results for the recipe.

How to Make Christmas Shortbread Cookies

FIRST STEP: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

SECOND STEP: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl before adding the remaining ingredients.

THIRD STEP: Add the vanilla and almond extract to the butter and beat for an additional 1 minute.

FOURTH STEP: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and salt in a separate bowl. This will ensure that you do not have any lumps of cornstarch in your cookie dough.

FIFTH STEP: With your mixer on low, spoon the flour mixture slowly into the mixing bowl. You will want to allow the flour to be incorporated after each addition before adding more to the mixing bowl.

SIXTH STEP: Once all your flour mixture has been added, you will want to increase the speed to medium and beat the dough for an additional 30-45 seconds to ensure that all the ingredients are fully incorporated and that your dough is light and fluffy.

SEVENTH STEP: Remove your paddle attachment and refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.

EIGHTH STEP: Using a 1½-inch cookie scoop (approximately 1½ tablespoons), scoop the dough and gently roll each dough ball in the palm of your hand.

NINTH STEP: Place the cookie dough balls onto the parchment-lined cookie sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart, and flatten the tops of each cookie with the tines of a dinner fork. Your flattened cookie should be about 1½ inches in diameter. You will get 8-10 cookies on each baking sheet.

TENTH STEP: Garnish each cookie with the holiday sprinkles.

ELEVENTH STEP: Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes. You can rotate your baking sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. You do not want your cookies to get golden brown. They should be a pale cream color.

TWELFTH STEP: Allow your cookies to cool on the baking tray for 10-15 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack to cool completely before serving them.

Can I use cookie cutters with these shortbread cookies? 

This shortbread cookie recipe will be too soft to create shapes with cookie cutters. Shortbread cookies are light, slightly dense, butter cookies. They are typically thicker and more crumbly than a sugar cookie. Our no-spread sugar cookies are perfect for cookie cutters.

Can I make shortbread cookies ahead of time? 

The best way to make these cookies ahead of time is to make the dough and then freeze it. You’ll want to flash-freeze the dough balls, then transfer them to a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Thaw and bake them when you are ready to enjoy them. 

Do I have to chill the dough? 

If the dough is too warm it can cause the cookies to spread and go flat while baking. To achieve soft cookies the dough needs a little bit of chilling time in the fridge.

How to Store Christmas Shortbread Cookies 

ON THE COUNTER: Leftover classic shortbread cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

IN THE FREEZER: These butter shortbread cookies can be frozen once baked for up to 2 months. Allow the baked cookies to cool completely, then flash-freeze them on the baking sheets for about 30 minutes to 1 hour before placing them into an airtight container.

You can also flash freeze the dough balls, then transfer them to a freezer-safe zip-top bag. You can bake from frozen, but you will need to add 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.

Christmas Shortbread Cookies

Christmas shortbread cookies are a classic treat that is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. You'll want to add this easy-to-make cookie recipe to your holiday baking.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 22 minutes mins

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 18

Calories 135 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• unsalted butter (softened) ¾ cup
• powdered sugar (sifted) ⅔ cup
• clear vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
• almond extract ¼ teaspoon
• all-purpose flour 1¾ cups
• cornstarch 3 tablespoons
• salt ¼ teaspoon
• Holiday sprinkles (jimmies, or nonpareils)

DIRECTIONS

 

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl before adding the remaining ingredients.
• Add the vanilla and almond extract to the butter and beat for an additional 1 minute.
• Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and salt in a separate bowl. This will ensure that you do not have any lumps of cornstarch in your cookie dough.
• With your mixer on low, spoon the flour mixture slowly into the mixing bowl. You will want to allow the flour to be incorporated after each addition before adding more to the mixing bowl.
• Once all your flour mixture has been added, you will want to increase the speed to medium and beat the dough for an additional 30 to 45 seconds to ensure that all the ingredients are fully incorporated and that your dough is light and fluffy.
• Remove your paddle attachment and refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.
• Using a 1½-inch cookie scoop (approximately 1½ tablespoons), scoop the dough and gently roll each dough ball in the palm of your hand.
• Place the cookie dough balls onto the parchment-lined cookie sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart, and flatten the tops of each cookie with the tines of a dinner fork. Your flattened cookie should be about 1½ inches in diameter. You will get 8-10 cookies on each baking sheet.
• Garnish each cookie with the holiday sprinkles.
• Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. You can rotate your baking sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. You do not want your cookies to get golden brown. They should be a pale cream color.
• Allow your cookies to cool on the baking tray for 10 to 15 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack to cool completely before serving them.

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 16mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

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