Christmas Shortbread Cookies
Christmas shortbread cookies are a delicate treat with a buttery flavor and crumbly texture. This true holiday classic is light, fluffy, and practically melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Holiday sprinkles jimmies, or nonpareils
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Add the vanilla and almond extract to the butter and beat for an additional 1 minute.
- Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and salt in a separate bowl. This will ensure that you do not have any lumps of cornstarch in your cookie dough.
- With your mixer on low, spoon the flour mixture slowly into the mixing bowl. You will want to allow the flour to be incorporated after each addition before adding more to the mixing bowl.
- Once all your flour mixture has been added, you will want to increase the speed to medium and beat the dough for an additional 30 to 45 seconds to ensure that all the ingredients are fully incorporated and that your dough is light and fluffy.
- Remove your paddle attachment and refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.
- Using a 1½-inch cookie scoop (approximately 1½ tablespoons), scoop the dough and gently roll each dough ball in the palm of your hand.
- Place the cookie dough balls onto the parchment-lined cookie sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart, and flatten the tops of each cookie with the tines of a dinner fork. Your flattened cookie should be about 1½ inches in diameter. You will get 8-10 cookies on each baking sheet.
- Garnish each cookie with the holiday sprinkles.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. You can rotate your baking sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. You do not want your cookies to get golden brown. They should be a pale cream color.
- Allow your cookies to cool on the baking tray for 10 to 15 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack to cool completely before serving them.
Notes
There is no substitute for the added cornstarch in this classic recipe. It is what gives these shortbread cookies their delicate, soft texture. This, along with the whipped butter and powdered sugar, are what makes these easy cookies so tasty.
For the softened butter in this delicious recipe, you will want to make sure that it is just at room temperature and not overly soft. You should be able to press your finger into the top of the butter and leave a slight impression, but NOT be able to press your finger all the way through the butter. If your butter is too soft, your cookies will spread too much when baking, and you will not get the desired results for the recipe.
When beating powdered sugar into a recipe, I suggest always starting on low speed to allow the majority of the powdered sugar to mix in before increasing the speed. This will help ensure you don’t create a powdered sugar mess all over your kitchen counters.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your shortbread Christmas cookies at the lower end of the recommended baking time.