Shortbread Butter Cookies

What better way to get in the holiday spirit than with decorative shortbread cookies!? These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are so much better than what you buy at the store or get from the package, and even better, they’re so straightforward to make! Even if you’re just making these for Santa, these are great cookies to have the little ones in your life help you with. They can have fun mixing the dough, sprinkling the toppings on, and squeezing the piping bag.

What stands out

We make this recipe every single year around the holidays and it’s always the first cookie to disappear from the table. Unlike the traditional shortbread cookies, these are a bit more “modern” as we don’t refrigerate the batter, we bake these right away which is a bonus as it cuts down on the wait time, and we are able to enjoy them quicker.

How to Prepare Shortbread Butter Cookies

Use a mixer to cream together butter, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract until smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes).

Gradually add flour to the mixture, stirring with a spatula until it forms a slightly sticky dough. Add the preferred type of milk and mix well.

⭐ Then, prepare a piping bag by inserting a large star-shaped piping tip at one end and cutting the bag for the tip to fit through.

Fill the piping bag with the cookie batter securing it at the top to prevent the batter from moving upwards when squeezed. Alternatively, shape the dough into balls and flatten them with a sugared fork.

Pipe the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a circular shape. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes until the edges turn golden. Now you can enjoy your cookies!

Kitchen tip

There are two methods for shaping the cookies – piping them with a bag and tip or rolling them into balls and pressing them with a fork before baking. Both ways create cookies!

Shortbread Butter Cookies Variations and Substitutions

These classic cookies are so flexible. Feel free to make them your own and let us know in the comments what you try!

• You could certainly incorporate some lemon or orange zest to the batter for a citrus twist.
• Feel free to experiment with various piping tips to make some fun shapes with your cookies.
• After cooking and cooling, you could put two cookies together with a filling such as jamNutella or peanut butter.
• After baking, roll the cookies in powdered sugar or decorate them with icing.
• If you need to make these cookies gluten-free, you can use a 1-1 gluten-free flour substitute.

Questions

Can we Make these cookies gluten-free?

Yes, you can feel free to use 1-1 baking gluten-free flour for this recipe if you are gluten-free.

Can we use cold butter?

The butter must be softened, not melted and not hard.

Can we use salted butter?

Yes, you can certainly you use salted butter; if you do, you can leave out the added salt.

What type of salt do you use?

We use mark Redmond Real Salt, please note that depending on the salt you use, your dish may be less or more salty. Salt is always to taste. Always taste and adjust as you cook.

Can we make these cookies dairy-Free?

Yes, you can try a vegan butter instead of regular butter.

How do You shape the cookies?

We use a large star tip and a piping bag, but you are more than welcome to roll the cookies into a ball and press them down with a fork that was dipped in powdered sugar.

What’s the best way to mix the dough?

Doing this in a stand mixer will be easier and less messy, you are more than welcome to use an electric mixer if you don’t have a stand mixer.

Do we need to store these cookies in the fridge?

No, these cookies can be stored and room temperature and will last at least a week, but we can’t guarantee it as ours disappear off the table the same day!

Can we add any flavors to the cookies?

Yes, you can definitely make these your own and add lemon or orange zest to the batter to brighten them up.

Why are the metric weights of your ingredients different than the results of Google and our kitchen scale?

While 1 cup of flour weighs 160g in our kitchen, it might weigh anywhere from 120 to 180g in your kitchen and there’s a few reasons for that. The weight of ingredients may vary due to the brand of ingredients, the brand and style (wet vs dry) of measuring cups and spoons, and the technique for measuring into cups: scooping and leveling versus spooning the ingredients into the cup measure. For best results, go by the weight listed in the recipe.

Ingredients

Makes 24 Cookies

• ½ cup softened butter, 1 stick
• ½ cup powdered sugar, also known as confectioners' sugar or icing sugar
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, or use 1-1 gluten-free flour
• ½ tablespoon almond milk, any milk works
• sprinkles for decoration, Christmas sprinkles are also beautiful

Equipment

• Measuring Cups + Spoons
• Parchment Paper
• Baking Sheet
• Stand Mixer
• Christmas Sprinkles
• Vanilla Bean Paste
• Piping Bag

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. With a stand mixer (or electric mixer in a bowl), start creaming the butter, powdered sugar, salt, and pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste). This should take 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Gradually add the flour a little bit at a time and stir it with a spatula until you have a tacky dough. Add the milk of choice and give it a mix.
4. Insert a large star shaped piping tip to the bottom corner of the piping bag and cut it from the from the outside corner with scissors so that the piping tip fits through.
5. Add the cookie batter to the piping bag or Ziplock bag, squeeze the batter down and secure it on top by holding the bag with your hand as you don't want the batter to move upwards as you squeeze.
6. If you want to skip the previous step, you can roll the cookies into balls and press down with a fork that you dipped in powdered sugar.
7. Pipe the cookies into a circle onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes or until golden edges. Enjoy!