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.Â
- 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.
Jacqueline Debono
These shortbread cookies are the easiest cookies I've ever made and so delicious! Just one problem! They disappeared fast so next time I'll make more!
Erin
These bring back such great childhood memories! I need to give them a try. I had to check out those snow globe cookies and they look absolutely amazing. What a fun treat for kids and adults, too!
Jenny
These came out delicious, a melt in your mouth, goodness. I love shortbread cookies, and these were a treat. Not difficult to make at all, I followed your tips and all went smooth. I will make them again, for sure. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Debbie
These whipped shortbread cookies are such a delight. They are melt in your mouth good and super easy to make .
Jen
I love that this is a small batch recipe. Perfect for our house, just two of us. And highly recommend freezing the dough balls so you can make them any time. They are so good.
Eva
Cornstarch works like a charm! These shortbread cookies are delicious as they are, and really addictive. Gonna double up the ingredients next time!
Alice | SkinnySpatula
I absolutely love how these cookies look, I'm going to give them a try for New Year's!
Erica
These cookies are AMAZING. My dough was also very hard and crumbly when I took it out of the fridge (I thought I messed something up, too), but it was almost already in little balls so I just slapped those on the baking sheet and the cookies turned out perfectly! Melt-in-your-mouth shortbread! I added 1/4 tsp almond extract and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and the flavor was beautiful. I may try adding the sprinkles after baking next time as the red ones bled a bit and turned pink in areas. Otherwise, absolute perfection. THANK YOU!! <3
Amy Liu Dong
These Whipped Shortbread Cookies look really good and tasty. A perfect treat to make for everyone this Christmas.
Brandi Wilson
If adding the almond/vanilla extract combo you previously mentioned, when would we add it. Unfortunately I just whipped together the butter/sugar mixture and added the flour/cornstarch to it and realized I forgot to add in the extracts because I was following the recipe as written. I'm assuming it's too late to add it now or the dough will be overbeaten?
GreedyEats
Hi! So ideally it should be added after you add sugar. But I'd say add it to the dough now and give it a quick mix and you will be fine.
Joy
My cookies turned out flat, and I’m not sure what I did wrong! Any feedback for that? I chilled the dough for almost 2 hrs before and then put them in the freezer while the oven preheated.
GreedyEats
You might have added less flour/cornstarch to the dough. That's the only reason cookies flatten. Hope you give them a go again!
Amanda
Is the 1/2 c flour measured before or after sifting?
GreedyEats
Before sifting.
Nancy
Is sifting always necessary? New baker here. Thank you.
GreedyEats
It's best to get rid of any lumps before beginning. 🙂 Happy Baking!
Anonymous
These are delicious. I will double the batch next time.
Feliz
I just took my dough out of the fridge and it's very crumbly and hard to form balls... what did I do wrong?
GreedyEats
Sounds like you have added too much flour. Try adding some milk to bring it together.
Carmelle
The same thing happened to me. I found out it was because the butter wasn’t soft enough so I put the mix in the microwave for 15 seconds and it worked like a charm.
Melissa
My "dough" is more like crumbs.....is that what its supposed to be like?! HELP
GreedyEats
Hi Melissa! It's more like a soft buttery dough as seen in pictures and video for your reference. Make sure you have not added too much flour. Try adding a tsp or two of milk to bring the dough together.
M
Thank you for sharing! Delicious and heavenly.
Sarah
I don’t know what happened to mine. I chilled them overnight and once baked they turned into flatted crumbled mess 😔
Caroline
Just made these and they turned out delicious. I accidentally added all dry ingredients together but they still came out delicious. I did not chill for 2 hours only about 30 minutes. I definitely will make them for Christmas. I wanted to test before I make them for family and they are definitely on the Christmas cookie list. What’s one more cookie to make!
Vicki Pfeifer
Can you use margarine instead of butter?
GreedyEats
I have not tried these with margarine, let me know how these turn out if you do!
Gabriella
I wanted to make these tonight but I don’t have cornstarch, is there anyway I could leave it out or possibly substitute it for something else?
Tammy
If I only have unsalted butter how much salt would I have to add?
GreedyEats
Just a good pinch would do if you are making a small batch.
Anonymous
I used to make shortbread as a child. There are many delicious recipes without cornstarch, but it makes the cookies softer and fluffier. I would try to find another recipe if you don’t have it!
Anonymous
what's wrong with cornstarch? who doesn't love soft and fluffy cookies?