Christmas Shortbread Cookies
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Celebrate the holiday season with these buttery and delightful Christmas Shortbread Cookies! Perfectly tender and melt-in-your-mouth, these cookies are easy to make and fun to shape into festive designs. Whether you’re baking for a cozy family gathering or as edible gifts, this recipe is a holiday favorite!
Christmas Shortbread Cookies Recipe
These Christmas shortbread cookies bring a festive charm to any holiday table. With a buttery base and a delicate texture, they’re ideal for both beginner and seasoned bakers.
The dough is easy to work with, making it perfect for cutting into fun holiday shapes with your favorite cookie cutters. After a quick chill in the fridge to help maintain their shape, they bake to perfection with a light golden hue.
Decorate them as desired, or enjoy their classic simplicity!
What is the secret to good shortbread?
The secret to good shortbread is using high-quality ingredients like real butter and powdered sugar for a smooth, tender texture. Properly chilling the dough before baking helps maintain the cookie shapes and prevents spreading, ensuring crisp edges. Avoid overworking the dough to keep the cookies light and crumbly.
Can I add decorations to the Christmas shortbread?
Absolutely! These cut-out shortbread cookies are a versatile canvas for festive decorations. Before baking, you can sprinkle them with coarse sugar, colored sanding sugar, or even edible glitter for a sparkling touch. Once the cookies are fully cooled, you can get creative by decorating with royal icing, melted chocolate, or colorful sprinkles. This is a great opportunity to customize them for any holiday or occasion!
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Can kids help make these shortbread cookies?
Absolutely! This recipe is perfect for getting kids involved in the kitchen. They’ll love helping to roll out the dough, cutting out fun festive shapes with cookie cutters, and decorating the cookies once they’ve cooled. It’s a wonderful way to make holiday baking a fun family activity while creating cherished memories together. Just be sure to supervise when using the oven or any sharp tools.
How to shape Christmas shortbread cookies?
To shape shortbread cookies, roll the dough out evenly to your desired thickness (usually 3-4mm) on a floured surface. Use festive cookie cutters to cut out shapes, re-rolling the excess dough as needed. Chilling the cut-out cookies for about 15 minutes before baking helps them hold their shape in the oven.
What are common mistakes when making shortbread?
- Overworking the dough: This can result in tough cookies instead of the classic tender and crumbly texture.
- Skipping chilling time: This causes the cookies to spread and lose their shape while baking.
- Using warm butter: Always use softened, room-temperature butter, not melted, to ensure the right consistency for the dough.
- Overbaking: Shortbread should be pale with lightly golden edges, baking too long can make them hard and dry.
How to store Christmas shortbread cookies
Store: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Freeze: Arrange cooled cookies in a single layer in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
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Christmas Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 226 g (2 sticks / 1 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups (270g) all-purpose flour, (see note for gluten-free option), scoop & leveled
- 1/4 cup cornstarch / cornflour
Instructions
- Preheat Oven & Line Tray: Preheat your oven to 320ºF (160ºC) fan-forced and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Prepare Mixing Equipment: Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl with an electric hand beater.
- Cream Butter, Sugar & Vanilla: Add softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat on high speed for 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed until smooth and creamy.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Sift in the flour and cornstarch. Mix on low-medium speed until a crumbly dough forms. Use your hands to gently bring the dough together, kneading lightly into a smooth ball.
- Chill Dough: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Prepare for Rolling: Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften slightly.
- Roll Out Dough: Lightly flour your work surface or a sheet of baking paper. Roll the dough out to a thickness of 3-4mm (1/8 inch). Dust with additional flour if it starts to stick.
- Cut Out Shapes: Use festive cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking tray. Gather and re-roll any scraps to use up all the dough. You may need multiple trays.
- Chill Before Baking: Place the baking tray(s) with the cut-out cookies into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up the dough again.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are pale and just lightly golden. Avoid overbaking.
- Cool Cookies: Remove the tray from the oven and let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate if desired, enjoy!