There’s nothing quite like the buttery crumb of homemade shortbread to bring the holidays to life. With their melt-in-your-mouth texture and simple sweetness, these classic cookies are the kind that disappear quickly from any cookie tray. Whether you’re baking for a holiday party, gifting to friends, or simply enjoying with a cup of tea by the tree, this Christmas shortbread recipe is sure to become a festive favorite.
Shortbread cookies never last long in our house – probably because they are my husband’s ultimate favorite. True to form he gravitates toward the simplest treat, the one without fancy decorations or bold flavors. This is the same man who can walk into an ice cream shop overflowing with options and still order vanilla. I wonder what this says about me 😮?
So Christmas isn’t Christmas without shortbread cookies, and I wanted to share my easy shortbread recipe with you.
Why You Will Love This Shortbread Cookie Recipe
- Buttery and melt-in-your-mouth – that classic shortbread texture everyone craves.
- Simple ingredients – no fancy add-ins, just pantry staples you likely already have.
- Perfectly sweet (but not too sweet) – the ideal balance for pairing with tea, coffee, or cocoa.
- Holiday tradition in every bite – a timeless cookie that feels like Christmas.
- Easy to make – just a few steps for bakery-quality results.
- Versatile – enjoy them plain, dip in chocolate, or sprinkle with festive sugar.
- Great for gifting – they package beautifully for cookie exchanges and holiday tins.
Equipment Needed
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This recipe uses basic baking tools, but if you’re stocking up or upgrading your kitchen gear, these items will come in handy:
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Stand Mixer with mixing bowls or hand mixer with a large mixing bowl.
- Cooling Rack
- Plastic Wrap
- Rolling Pin
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients for this Shortbread Cookie Recipe
All-purpose Flour – adds structure to the cookies, and balances out the richness of the butter and sugar.
Cornstarch – makes the cookies extra delicate and melt-in-your-mouth, it also reduces gluten development keeping the cookies from turning tough or chewy.
Butter (salted) – the star of the show. It brings rich flavor, and its high fat content creates that tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Butter also binds the dough without the need for extra liquids which gives the cookies their dense but tender bite.
Confectioner’s Sugar – also known as icing sugar, and powdered sugar. Adds sweetness to the cookie.
How To Make Shortbread Cookies
Full ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Combine the all-purpose flour and cornstarch together in a bowl and set aside.
With a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter for about 1.5 minutes, until it becomes light and fluffy. Add in the confectioners sugar and beat for another minute until they are well creamed together.
Slowly add the flour/cornstarch mixture in ½ cup increments until the dough comes together.
Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a thick disc. Enclose it in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill or 30 minutes in the freezer.
Remove the dough from the fridge or freezer and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to about a 1/3 to 1/2” thick (see tips). For rectangular cookies, roll the dough into a 9×9 inch square. Along one edge, mark every inch; repeat on the opposite edge. On the other two edges, mark every 3 inches. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut straight lines from mark to mark to form 27 3″x1″ cookies. Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about a half inch apart. Dock the cookies with a toothpick (I did 6 little holes per cookie).
If using cookie cutters you can roll out the dough to any shape but keep a thickness of about 1/3”, then use cookie cutters to cut out decorative shapes and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet about ½” apart.
If decorating with sprinkles alone you, can sprinkle them on top of the uncooked cookies and give the sprinkles a little press to help them attach to the cookie. See FAQs for other decorating ideas.
Once the pan is filled, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Once the oven reaches temperature and the cookie shapes have finished chilling, place the baking sheet into the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-23 minutes. The cookies will just barely take on a golden hue.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes and then remove them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Pro Tips and Tricks
- If you prefer to bake with unsalted butter that is no problem. Substitute salted butter for unsalted and just add 1/2 teaspoon of salt in with the dry ingredients.
- When forming the dough into a disc, it will chill faster if the disc isn’t too thick. It will also be easier to roll out if the disc isn’t too thick.
- You can alter the thickness of your cookies by changing the thickness of the dough you roll out to. I used between a 1/3 and 1/2″ thickness. The thicker the cookie the longer the baking time and vice versa.
- Docking the cookies with a toothpick helps to prevent the cookies from puffing up when baking.
FAQs
How should I decorate my shortbread cookies? Traditional shortbread cookies are not decorated, they only have the docking pricks. But the sky is the limit as to how you COULD decorate them. Add sprinkles to the tops before baking (you may want to press the sprinkles in slightly to help them adhere like I did). Or after baking, dip them in melted chocolate and sprinkle them with sprinkles or chopped nuts. Dip them in white chocolate and then crushed candy cane. Dip them in a glaze, or pipe royal icing on them. I myself, like to add a bit of a decoration, but I try to keep it minimal, saving the royal icing for gingerbread or sugar cookies. My mom always decorated shortbread cookies with half a glace cherry (maraschino cherry).
What do you serve with shortbread cookies? I think shortbread cookies go great with tea, but you could serve them with a mug of coffee or hot chocolate too, and of course, I think all cookies go great with a cool glass of milk.
How come we aren’t adding vanilla extract? Traditional shortbread cookies don’t have vanilla extract. But that’s not to say you couldn’t add it for a little extra something special. If you want you can add 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract after the butter and sugar have been creamed together. I myself don’t add vanilla extract, as it then begins to taste a bit like a sugar cookie. I often gift both sugar cookies and shortbread cookies, so I don’t want them to taste too similar.
What is the best way to store shortbread cookies? These cookies should be stored in an airtight container and they will stay good for up to two weeks on the counter. But if you want to keep them longer you can freeze them in an airtight container or zipper top bag for up to three months. A frozen cookie can thaw on a plate on the counter in about 15-20 minutes.
Can the cookie dough be frozen? Yes, this dough freezes well. When you make the dough disc, you can wrap it in plastic wrap and then place in a zipper top bag. When ready to use thaw the disc overnight in the fridge and then continue with the recipe.
Shortbread Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Salted Butter 226g
- ¾ cup Confectioners Sugar (spooned and levelled) 78g
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour (spooned and levelled) 244g
- ¼ cup Cornstarch (spooned and levelled) 35g
Decorations (optional)
- sprinkles
- melted chocolate
- glace cherries
- chopped nuts
Instructions
- Combine the all-purpose flour and cornstarch together in a bowl and set aside.
- With a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter for about 1.5 minutes, until it becomes light and fluffy. Add in the confectioners sugar and beat for another minute until they are well creamed together.
- Slowly add the flour/cornstarch mixture in ½ cup increments until the dough comes together.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a thick disc. Enclose it in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill or 30 minutes in the freezer.
- Remove the dough from the fridge or freezer and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to about a 1/3 to 1/2” thick (see tips). For rectangular cookies, roll the dough into a 9×9 inch square. Along one edge, mark every inch; repeat on the opposite edge. On the other two edges, mark every 3 inches. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut straight lines from mark to mark to form 27 3"x1" cookies. Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about a half inch apart. Dock the cookies with a toothpick (I did 6 little holes per cookie).
- If using cookie cutters you can roll out the dough to any shape but keep a thickness of about 1/3”, then use cookie cutters to cut out decorative shapes and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet about ½” apart.
- If decorating with sprinkles alone you, can sprinkle them on top of the uncooked cookies and give the sprinkles a little press to help them attach to the cookie.
- Once the pan is filled, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Once the oven reaches temperature and the cookie shapes have finished chilling, place the baking sheet into the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-23 minutes. The cookies will just barely take on a golden hue.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes and then remove them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- If you prefer to bake with unsalted butter that is no problem. Substitute salted butter for unsalted and just add 1/2 teaspoon of salt in with the dry ingredients.
- When forming the dough into a disc, it will chill faster if the disc isn’t too thick. It will also be easier to roll out if the disc isn’t too thick.
- You can alter the thickness of your cookies by changing the thickness of the dough you roll out to. I used between a 1/3 and 1/2″ thickness. The thicker the cookie the longer the baking time and vice versa.
- Docking the cookies with a toothpick helps to prevent the cookies from puffing up when baking.
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