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.
Chris
Do you add sprinkles when freezing or wait till baking
GreedyEats
Both ways would be fine Chris. I like to add them prior to freezing! That way sprinkles stick easily on the cookies. Enjoy!
Veronique Pendavingh
So this is the first time I have made this recipe and …WOW! Absolutely amazing!! I whipped rhe butter and sugar in my standing mixer till it was white and only then added the other ingredients. I also piped the mixture for baking. This will become a regular item my household. THANK YOU 🙏🏼
Francesca Aiello
Question- could I add mini chocolate chips to the dough? If so, what measurement would you recommend? Any change I would need to make the the cooking time?
GreedyEats
Hi! I don't see why not. I'd say about 3/4 - 1 cup. No other changes required, Happy Baking!
Jo-Ann
I just made these, I doubled the recipe (its an Italian thing lol) 20 to a tray an baked for 30 minutes. Should they have any browning at all? They are white but were set and I tasted, they were delish.
GreedyEats
Hey! No these cookies don't brown at all. Happy to hear you enjoyed them! 🙂
S.B
I've tried this recipe before and it was such a hit, however, I'm curious now after baking this a few times if it would be plausible to swap some of the flour for cocoa powder and achieve that same melt in your mouth texture but with a chocolate-y flavour?
GreedyEats
Hi! So happy to hear you are enjoying these cookies! I never tried adding cocoa powder in these cookies. But if I were to, I would replace some of the cornstarch (instead of replacing flour) with cocoa, since the texture of cocoa resembles to cornstarch. I'd begin with subbing 1/3 cup of cornstarch with cocoa and see if they are chocolatey enough. If you find the dough to be a little crumbly you can add a little milk to compensate for the dryness. Just add one tablespoon at a time. Let me know how it goes, if you give chocolate flavor a go! Enjoy!
Diane
Absolutely the best whipped shortbread recipe
Anissa
Is this dough freezable for longer than it takes to chill?
GreedyEats
Yes absolutely Anissa! I suggest making dough balls and freeze them instead of the dough though. You can bake the cookie balls directly without thawing in this case. If freezing the dough, you will need to thaw it first to be able to make cookie dough balls. Hope it helps!
Anonymous
Do you put the sprinkles on when freezing ?
Lorraine
Tasty, great texture, but tastes is more of flour and light on sweetness of sugar. Maybe just me, hubby enjoyed them for sure.
Christy Smith
Turned out perfect
Anonymous
Is it really 3/4c cornstarch?
GreedyEats
Yes.
Chelsea
I also question this, I used 3/4 a cup and my dough would not blend, and looking at the video, it does not look at all like that much cornstarch...
GreedyEats
Hi Chelsea! The cookie dough made in the video was 1/3 of the full batch you see in the recipe card. I reduced all the ingredients to 1/3 for shooting purposes. However, you will require 3/4 cup of cornstarch for a full batch of cookies. Make sure you are not over measuring your flours and sugar, plus the butter must be softened to room temp. too and your dough will definitely come together. Hope this helps!
Jan
Can you use powdered sugar icing on top these cookies? Thank you for the recipe.
Jan
GreedyEats
Sure can Jan!
Alli J
Roll into balls prior to refrigeration, if not it's a huge pain to roll.
Anonymous
Is it possible to use something else instead of cornstarch? My husband breaks out in a rash every time I use it 😒
Diedre Thurman
You could use rice or tapioca starch
M Cagle
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
GreedyEats
I use salted. But if you have unsalted on hand, add 1/8 tsp of salt to your dough.
Jackie Billiter
So easy and delicious!
Jovet
Love love love♥️♥️♥️
M
Can you add chocolate or toffee to this without affecting the recipe?
Anonymous
Hi. Are these pipeable?
Kathy Medlock
I’m wondering too if you can roll out and cut with a cookie cutter?
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E
How long can the uncooked dough be stored in the refrigerator?
Anonymous
So yummy and fund you bake with kids!
Rachel
Delicious! We added one tsp of peppermint extract to the dough. Delicious! And pretty, with red and green sprinkles. Thank you!
Kelvin Baker
Not Bad but not perfect.
These are definitely not your grandmother's brick type Scottish short bread.
Melt in your mouth
Sifting the measured flour and cornstarch together helps make them lighter and fluffier. Then when mixing with a hand mixer add to butter 1/4 cup at a time
Mix well, mix, mix, mix. When you think you've over mixed .... mix it some more.
I also finish the baking by turning the broiler on high. Once the element glows take the tray out immediately.
Makes for a beautiful golden tone (I don't care for the pasty white other wise)
Thanks for allowing me to share
Lulu
Do you think an all purpose gluten free flour would work? I don't bake much but these remind me of a cookie I had as a child.
GreedyEats
I have not tried baking these cookies with gluten free flour myself Lulu, but I don't see why not. Try half batch first I'd suggest. Let us know how these turn out for you, if you give them a go your way!
Sandie
I made these with a cup for cup gluten free flour and they were perfect!
Anonymous
Sounds like you didn’t read the description before you made these.