These slightly sweet, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth Christmas Shortbread Cookies are quick and easy to bake for a delicious holiday treat! And they are Santa's favorite!
If holiday baking feels like a chore, you have to try these super simple and incredibly delicious Shortbread Christmas Cookies! With just 6 ingredients and a few simple steps, you'll have traditional, buttery cookies that look as festive as they taste! Just like my Christmas Anise cookies, this Homemade Chocolate Pie, and these Almond Spritz Cookies, these are super easy to make!
One of my favorite features of these cookies is that they keep their shape when baking. They won't rise, meaning that the shape you cut is the shape you'll get. So, when you're looking for a festive presentation on a holiday table, these are a sure bet.
For perfectly shaped shortbread cookies that have the perfect buttery crumble, make sure you follow the instructions exactly. While these couldn't be easier to make, a few crucial steps, like using room temperature butter and measuring your flour accurately, are key!
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Why This Recipe Works
1. It only takes 6 ingredients to make these Christmas shortbread cookies (that are probably already in your pantry)!
2. Just like my Apple Cinnamon Bread, these cookies make the perfect holiday gift as they hold their festive shapes and keep well at room temperature for up to a week.
3. This recipe is super versatile, perfect for any holiday or occasion by switching up the cookie cutter and sprinkle colors!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Flour - use a good quality all-purpose flour.
- Powdered sugar - instead of granulated sugar, like most cookies, shortbread cookies use powdered sugar for that melt-in-your-mouth texture and sweetness.
- Butter - both salted or unsalted butter will work, but it must be room temperature.
- Vanilla extract - use pure vanilla extract (not imitation) for a light vanilla flavor.
- Almond extract - provides a slight almond flavor that comes from a small amount of almond extract.
- Sprinkles - red and green sprinkles are super festive!
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
📋 Variations
- Try substituting regular flour with gluten-free flour using a 1:1 ratio.
- Use any shape cookie cutters or colored sprinkles to adapt these for any holiday: Halloween, Valentine's Day, St. Patty's Day, Thanksgiving, or Birthdays!
- Pipe icing on top! For an even more festive cookie, let them cool and pipe icing on top with sprinkles.
- Chocolate dipped - dip half (or all) of the cookie into melted chocolate and let cool for a more decadent cookie. Use white, milk or dark chocolate!
- Other add-ins - instead of sprinkles, try using mini chocolate chips, orange or lemon zest, or chopped dried cranberries. Nuts also taste amazing!
🥣 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1-2: Start by adding all of the ingredients: butter, powdered sugar, flour, almond extract, vanilla extract, and sprinkles to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Step 3-4: Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Note that the dough will be crumbly at this point.
Step 5-6: Place the crumbled shortbread dough onto a sheet of parchment paper on a generously sized work surface. Use your hands to carefully shape the dough into a large dough ball, turning it several times to ensure an even shape.
Step 7-8: Roll the dough into a rectangle shape that's around ¼ to ½ inch thick using a rolling pin.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's Note: This thickness ensures a deliciously crumbly and buttery texture when baked!
From there, pick up the parchment paper and put it in a 9x13 pyrex dish or cookie sheet.
Step 9: Place the dish or cookie sheet in the refrigerator, letting the shortbread dough chill for 1 hour. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and place the dish on the counter.
Step 10: Using your favorite cookie cutters, press them into the dough. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and place each cut-out on the cookie sheet.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's Note: When using cookie cutters, avoid wiggling them while lifting the cutter to maintain the exact shape. For a smoother cut, lightly dip the cookie cutter in flour.
Step 11: Preheat the oven to 350℉. Bake the cookies for 14-15 minutes until slightly golden on the bottoms. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Using a spatula, move the shortbread cookies to a cooling rack.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's Note: The shortbread will not turn golden brown on top, but they will on the bottom of each cookie.
Freeze these beautiful cookies for later, gift them to your loved ones, or enjoy them on your holiday table and watch them disappear! These Christmas Shortbread Cookies are the perfect Christmas dessert that everyone will love!
🙋🏼♀️ Recipe FAQs
Use high quality, room temperature butter, avoid over mixing the dough, and make sure to chill the dough at least an hour before cutting shapes and baking!
Yes! To freeze baked shortbread cookies, wait for them to cool completely, then place each cookie in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature when you're ready to enjoy!
Once your shortbread cookies are cooled, add them to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
💭 Expert Tips
- Make sure your bag of all-purpose flour is fresh and new. Old flour that has been sitting in the pantry unused for many months won't result with a good flavor.
- I use a standing mixer for this recipe, but an electric hand mixer or a food processor will also work to combine the dough.
- Do not skip the chilling step. Chilling the dough before you cut and bake them will keep it from spreading and help the cookies hold their shape. This step is key.
- Sprinkles are a festive way to dress these cookies up, but you don't have to use them. They're just as delicious sprinkle-free!
- If you don't have cookie cutters, don't worry! You can just as easily use a chef's knife to cut a simple shape of diamonds, squares, or rectangles.
🎄 More Festive Recipes You'll Love!
If you tried this Christmas Shortbread Recipe or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Christmas Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- In the mixing bowl of a standing mixer, add the 18 Tablespoons of butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of almond extract, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 Tablespoons of sprinkles.
- Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Note: The dough will be crumbly at this point.
- Place the crumbled shortbread dough onto a sheet of parchment paper on a generously sized work surface. Use your hands to carefully shape the dough into a large dough ball, turning it several times to ensure an even shape.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle shape ensuring it is around ¼ to ½ inch thick.
- From there, pick up the parchment paper and put it in a 13x9 pyrex dish or on a cookie sheet.
- Place the dish/cookie sheet in the refrigerator and allow the shortbread dough to chill for 1 hour. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and place the dish on the counter.
- Using you favorite cookie cutters, press into the dough. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and place each cut out on the cookie sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Bake the cookies for 14-15 minutes until slightly golden on the bottoms.
- Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Using a spatula, move the shortbread cookies to a cooling rack.
Notes
-
- Make sure your bag of all-purpose flour is fresh and new. Old flour that has been sitting in the pantry unused for many months won't result with a good flavor.
- I use a standing mixer for this recipe, but an electric hand mixer or a food processor will also work to combine the dough.
- Do not skip the chilling step. Chilling the dough before you cut and bake them will keep it from spreading and help the cookies hold their shape. This step is key.
- Sprinkles are a festive way to dress these cookies up, but you don't have to use them. They're just as delicious sprinkle-free!
- If you don't have cookie cutters, don't worry! You can just as easily use a chef's knife to cut a simple shape of diamonds, squares, or rectangles.
- Pipe icing on top! For an even more festive cookie, let them cool and pipe icing on top with sprinkles.
- Chocolate dipped - dip half (or all) of the cookie into melted chocolate and let cool for a more decadent cookie. Use white, milk or dark chocolate!
Yu
These cookies are simple and delicious! I love their buttery taste. It's always one of my favorite cookies! Bookmarked. 🙂
Amanda Mason
So glad you loved them! They are a classic, for sure!