If you are a cookie lover, try my Chocolate Cookies with Cream Cheese next. Find all my other Cookie Recipes here!
These classic Christmas Cookies will literally melt in your mouth. Not too sweet, made with 4 simple ingredients and that light as air texture will keep you reaching for more!
Lets get straight away into how to bring these Holiday cookies together.
Whipped Shortbread ingredients:
- Butter: We are using room temperature softened butter. But we don't want it over greasy or we are risking the cookies to spread more then we'd like!
- Confectioners' Sugar: Powdered sugar helps in creating light textured shortbread.
- Flour: Measure flour using a kitchen scale or fluff the flour first, measure out in measuring cup and sweep it with a knife to level it off.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch makes the most light and puffy cookies that you will ever know!
How to make whipped shortbread:
These are just the easiest cookies to make! Just take care not to over measure your flour and cornstarch. And your cookies will bake all puffy and light! To make Shortbread:
- Beat Butter and confectioners' sugar together for 3-4 minutes
- Beat in sifted flour and cornstarch next:
- Chill the dough
- Make cookie dough balls
- Quickly chill in the freezer again while you preheat the oven
- Make a pattern using fork: Optional but super cute!
- Top with sprinkles and bake then
Since the list is so short for these cookies, take care to use quality ingredients. Using good quality butter as opposed to margarine, good quality sugar and flour results in best tasting cookies.
You can also add flavorings like vanilla, almond, mint, orange or lemon to this dough. Or top it with hershey's kisses, jam filling or even candy cane kisses after these come out of oven.
How is shortbread different from cookies?
Should you chill shortbread cookie dough?
Yes, and I can't stress this enough. Chilled cookie dough bakes so much better cookies. Shortbread is high in fat content, chilling the dough will help firming the butter up. This results in thick and puffy cookies!
What does cornstarch do in cookie dough?
- Helps the cookies to bake thick and . It reduces the risk of cookie spreading!
- Cornstarch in the cookie dough yields lighter textured cookies.
- Also cookies with cornstarch bake the softest.
Why did my whipped shortbread spread?
There can be a number of reasons for shortbread to spread. If the cookie dough had too much butter and/or less flour than recipe suggest. Or if you did not chill the dough enough. Or if the oven temperature was too high. Just follow the recipe as written and your cookies will bake just perfect!
Taste and texture of these Cookies:
- Not too sweet
- Buttery and melt in your mouth soft
- Slightly crumbly in a good way (not chewy at all!)
- Light and puffy
More Holiday Recipes for you to try!
If you liked these Cookies give it a star review. Do tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog Let's connect on Pinterest and Facebook too!
Recipe
Whipped Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- Hand/stand Mixer
- Parchment paper lined Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups Butter at Room Temperature , salted
- ¾ Cup Confectioners' Sugar
- 2 ¼ Cups All Purpose Flour
- ¾ Cup Cornstarch
Flavorings and Toppings: (optional but delish)
- 2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract or Lemon extract or Orange extract
- ¼ Cup Sprinkles (of choice) (I used non-pareils)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl beat butter and confectioners' sugar for 3-4 minutes. Don't skimp on the beating time for light textured cookies. Add flavorings at this point (if adding) and give it a whirl too.
- Next add in sifted flour and cornstarch in the bowl and beat only till combined.
- Scoop and roll into 36 equal sized cookie balls. Place cookie dough balls on a pre-lined baking tray or on a large plate (coated with little flour) to avoid the dough balls from sticking to the plate. Press their tops with a cornstarch/flour dipped fork and top with sprinkles.
- Now chill the dough balls for about 2 hours in fridge or till they are very firm to touch. Pro Tip: To speed up this process, you may chill the dough balls in freezer until firm.
- Let dough balls chill in the fridge/freezer till you preheat the oven. I usually bake 12 cookies on a tray at a time.
- When ready to bake preheat oven at 300 deg F and bake cookies for 19-20 minutes. Or till their tops look set.
- Allow to cool on the baking tray.
Video
Notes
- Both baked and unbaked cookies can be stored in the freezer.
- To freeze unbaked cookie balls, keep the balls on a tray in freezer till they firm up. Store them in ziploc bag then. No need to thaw before baking. Just add a minute more to the baking time.
- Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight freezer friendly container for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookies before serving.
- Top the cookies off with melted chocolate or a Hershey's Kiss on every cookie or even Candy cane Kisses taste so good with these. To top cookies with kiss candy, freeze the candies first. This will prevent kisses from melting when they are put on those warm cookies. Place a candy kiss on the top of a slightly warm cookie and press the candy just so it sticks to the shortbread.
- Place a cherry in their center.
- Make a dent in the center of cookies and fill it with jams and preserves of your choice before baking.
EL
Can I add a little bit of condensed milk, say maybe bout 200g in? if so, what should i reduce?
GreedyEats
Hi Elena! I have never added condensed milk to this cookie dough, so can't comment on how that will turn out, sorry!
Tracie
My family loves the smell/taste of almond extract like in spritz cookies. Would that be a good addition to these cookies?
GreedyEats
Yes absolutely Tracey! Enjoy!!
Rosalind
Absolutely the best shortbread recipe!!! Perfect every time.
Added essence to heighten the flavour, so delicious.
Thank you.
Irene Lakhiani
Salted or unsalted butter?
Anonymous
salted
Darlene
Absolutely loved this recipe & it’s a keeper. The only problem
I had was that I couldn’t get the sprinkles to stop falling off. Any suggestions?
Darlene Smith
My sprinkles (the same as you used) wouldn’t stay on the shortbread. What’s the secret to keep them on?
GreedyEats
Hi Darlene! Non-pareils have a reputation for not sticking around. Allow the cookies to sit for a while at a place where it's slightly hot. The top of cookies will get slightly sticky in this case and will stick better. Alternately, you can apply just a thin layer of melted butter/water with your fingertip and then apply and press non-pareils on the cookies. Hope these tricks help.
Darlene
Many thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely try this idea. Happy Holidays!
Darlene Smith
I couldn’t get the sprinkles to stay on the cookies. What’s the secret?
Doug
No trick, just sprinkle liberally. I use a wet fork to flatten the dough out and coupled with dipping in water between balls, the surface takes to sprinkles just fine.
Anonymous
10 outta 10!
Darlene
Delicate and delicious whipped shortbread cookies!! Easy to make and even easier to eat, this is in my Christmas baking book now.
SANDRA
why do the cookies fall apart after baking?
GreedyEats
Hi Sandra! Sounds like your cookies turned out crumbly. This could be from too much flour in the dough. Make sure you are measuring your flour correctly. Hope this helps!
Lyne
This is it!!!!l have been searching for this recipe for decades. Thank you.
Tamsyn
I've always loved melt- in- your mouth, buttery soft, delicate shortbread cookies... this recipe is now the ONLY one I will use. No toppings for me. I just added 2 tsp vanilla extract to the butter and sugar after its initial 4 minute whipping. These are positively delightful!
Collette
I have been searching forever for not just a good but a great shortbread….something reminiscent of my Scottish Nana’s which were the cookies of the Gods…These are it!! I made them this morning and they are outstanding !!! Truly the best shortbread I’ve made… and I’ve been trying for years to get it right. They came out perfect… rich and buttery, soft insides with that light crisp exterior texture. I will keep this recipe forever!!
Thank you 😊
Julia Borisenko
Great recipe ! Because it's shortbread, measure 120gms. of flour, to make the perfect 1 CUP, then you should have good results. I like that it's a large recipe, so tender and delicious. I did some with cherries, some with sprinkles , and some with chololate chips. I added some lemon rind and vanilla to the batter. Thank you for this recipe.