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.
Mary B.
WOW!!! Ive been looking for the perfect shortbread recipe for years and when I tell you THIS IS IT! Words can’t describe how light, flaky, buttery and perfectly sweet these are. This will be my official go to Christmas cookie from now on, I topped them with a generous amount of powdered sugar instead of sprinkle’s because I didn’t have any like in the picture and honestly I think it’s the way to go. Best cookie EVER.
Patti
My hubby’s favourite Christmas treat. He says they are just as good as his Mom’s. I just put a 1/2 cherry on top, because she used to.
Anonymous
Easy to make and delicious!
Mattie
I just made mine, they came out perfect. My husband can't stop eating them. 👍👍
Jessica
Can I add food colouring to these to brighten them up? Or will that ruin the cookie?
GreedyEats
Hi Jessica! Sure you can add food colorings to this dough.
Beth
These cookies are delicious! I love shortbread cookies and now I have a recipe to make them. Yummy!
Jessica
Can I make the dough ahead of time? Was thinking of making the dough today and rolling and baking tomorrow.
Thanks 🙂
GreedyEats
Sure can Jessica! But I'd suggest to roll and store the dough balls instead of dough. It's much easier this way.
Kathy
I added almond flavoring, so they tasted like almond flavored flour. Waste of ingredients.
Anonymous
Have been looking for THE whipped shortbread for a few yrs.
Found THE ONE! These are the best!
Not sure if they will last until christmas dinner.
Jean
Made these tonight. Simple recipe and delicious. For flavoring I used 1 tsp vanilla and 1/4 tsp Fiori di Sicilia. So light.
Lorraine Barker
Can you substitute butter to make it non dairy?
Amanda
Just wondering what the weight of the flour should be? If measuring using a kitchen scale?
GreedyEats
Hi Amanda! If you use US Customary - Metric conversion in the recipe table, it will give you the values of each every ingredient in gms. Flour would be 281 gms.
Amber
These cookies are the worst. They may taste good, I don't know cuz they're still baking, but the "dough" was completely crumbly like sand and didn't want to. As stick together at all.
Sandy
Great recipe, these were my husband’s favorite out of all the Christmas cookies I made. However, converting to metric measurements was very confusing and I likely messed up. Clicking on the button in the recipe converted the cups to grams but I got a different result than when googling the different ingredients . Then using an actual measuring cup when baking, the amount in grams didn’t match google or the metric recipe 😅 Did you make them using the grams shown in the metric section of this recipe and did they turn out as “usual”?
GreedyEats
Hi Sandy! I am glad you both like these cookies, yay! I cross-checked online and found 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar is 75 gms, 2 1/4 cup flour is 281 gms and cornstarch 3/4 cup is 90 gms. My site's metric measurements give these same amounts. Hope you find this info useful while baking the next batch.
Anonymous
Totally disappointed
Made 2x. Threw out 1 batch. Used the double batch button, and it neglects to increase amount of butter so cookies didn't mix. i didn't catch that fact and should have.
Cookie not that great tasting.
Kathleen
These are the bomb. Like regular shortbread but more airy. Yum. I followed the recipe exactly, beat the butter and sugar together on speed 4, used a cookie scoop, and baked for 18 minutes in a gas oven. Turned out perfect.
Sandy Whitlock
Can you freeze or refrigerate the batter without making them into balls if you can't bake them the same day?
GreedyEats
Yes Sandy you can freeze/refrigerate the dough, but in this case you will have to thaw/bring the dough to room temp. prior to making balls.
Ayessa
After baking, how long will they last?
GreedyEats
For up to a week at room temperature. Enjoy!
Tracy
So delicious 😋. The storage information made me laugh. I made these and the plan was to give away to family and friends. That didn't happen. My husband and I ate them, now I'm making more. Yummy!
Sue
These are super yummy, the only thing is they came out more like crisp Scottish shortbread than whipped, any suggestions? I measured using a scale and the dough wasn’t too crumbly or anything after being in the fridge 🤔
Martha Jens
These are awesome!the best shortbread I’ve ever made!
Lynne
People who find the dough crumbly are not measuring flour correctly. Never scoop into the flour always spoon into the measuring cup then level with a flat knife. Never use your hand or just scoop the flour it compresses the flour and recipe will not work.
Glenda Barry
Not easy. Did all instructions but the dough was like sawdust. Added more butter, 1/2 cup and used pastry blender to mix. Cooled for 1 hr. And attempted to make the cookie. Not bad tasting but very difficult to work with.
Susan
Could I keep the batter in the fridge overnight (longer than 2 hours) before I make the balls/bake them? Or should I freeze the batter, thaw in the fridge, and then make?
GreedyEats
This dough can be kept in the fridge for a day or 2 Linda. But you will need to bring it to room temp, to be able to roll the balls. I suggest you roll the dough balls and put them in refrigerator for a day or 2 then. Enjoy!
Melissa
Hi. Are you able to roll and cookie cut this dough?
Thanks