Whipped Shortbread Cookies are so festive! They are super easy to make, positively delicious, and are beautiful for the holidays.
This time of year cookies are made in abundance in our house. Seems every single week I have several batches of various types of cookies being baked at any given time. No one around here is complaining about that.
One cookie that is a holiday classic, but is often overlooked are these whipped shortbread cookies. They are so simple to make.
These require only a small handful of ingredients, are egg-free and if you don’t add the additional dipped chocolate, they can be done and ready to enjoy in under 30 minutes. Pretty good if you ask me!
Now – I love these cookies because they can be decorated in so many ways – and they always look so pretty. This makes them perfect for just about any holiday.
The hubs, he loves these cookies with his coffee. I think it’s because they aren’t too sweet, with most of the sweetness coming from the decorations. These are more buttery and just sort of melt in your mouth.
Cookie Recipe Shortbread
Here are some commonly asked questions
What is whipped shortbread?
Whipped Shortbread is a shortbread that has been whipped using a mixer to add lightness to the dough and then decorated with some sugar or sprinkles for decoration. Whipping the dough gives it an airier texture than a traditional rolled and cut shortbread cookie.
Whipped shortbread is often used on holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, New Year’s Eve, etc. These Shortbread Cookies can be decorated with sprinkles or candies on top to make them look amazing.
What is the best way to store decorated shortbread cookies?
Once the melted chocolate hardens again, you can place the cookies in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature.
Can this recipe be cut in half?
This recipe works best when made in full. However, you can make the full batch of dough and then divide it – freezing the other half for a later time.
Christmas Cookies Shortbread
How to soften the butter to room temperature?
First
There are a couple of ways to do this. The first being that you can take the butter (& any other ingredients that need to be at room temperature) out, leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes while you prep for baking.
I usually start with all my chilled ingredients and pull everything I need out onto the counter before getting started – so I know for sure I have everything before I’m mid-way through I realize I’m out of something.
But sometimes it’s winter and that isn’t enough time to get the ingredients warmed up – OR – I’m just not that organized to plan ahead. It happens. So I have another couple of tricks.
Second
I place the butter in the microwave – wrapped in the paper. (don’t do this if it is wrapped in foil) Then I microwave for 2 seconds – flip – go another 2 seconds – flip again – and continue for 2 seconds on each side.
This is usually enough to get it perfect – sometimes stopping before if it feels soft enough. Take care when doing this method – overly softened butter from the microwave WILL ALTER the end result of the recipe. Don’t over-do it.
Third
My third method is to place the wrapped butter sticks in a zip-top bag and place it in a bowl of warm water. I do this with the eggs too. If the water isn’t too hot it can be THE PERFECT way to get “room-temperature” ingredients.
What do you mean by soft butter?
You will need to take your butter out of the fridge about an hour before you would like to make the recipe for the butter to soften but not get too soft.
Don’t miss these other great shortbread recipes that can be adapted for any holiday
Why do my cookies go flat?
Cookies typically go flat when the dough isn’t the right temperature at the time of baking OR when they are missing the right ingredients that help them to rise- such as eggs, baking soda, and baking powder.
Normally I would tell you to make sure you are measuring those ingredients correctly, but these particular cookies don’t call for those ingredients.
But just make sure the butter is at room temperature when you start the mixing. If the cookies are flat- your room could just be too warm, making the butter too soft. If that is the case, you might need to chill the dough for a few minutes.
Whipped Shortbread
Ingredients for Whipped Shortbread Cookies
- butter – softened
- all-purpose flour
- confectioner’s sugar
- cornstarch
- vanilla extract
- sprinkles of choice
- chocolate melting wafers – if dipping
How do I properly measure the flour?
The official way is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup & level off. This makes sure the flour isn’t packed tightly into your measuring cup, adding more than you need, as that will make your cookies too dry.
Because shortbread can get quite crumbly very easily with too much flour – please be sure to measure the flour for these cookies as described above.
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
This is really a personal preference. If you are happy with just a little salt to cut the sweetness, then use salted butter.
I usually use whatever I have on hand & I really don’t pay too close attention to what butter I have. But I typically keep salted butter on hand & I love that little bit of extra salt with the sweet in this recipe.
These days with groceries being more difficult to find – I basically get whatever the store has available at the time and make it work.
Do I need to chill the dough?
Nope – that is what I love about these cookies. No chill time is required – which makes them super fast when the cookie craving strikes.
Best Shortbread Recipe
How to Make Whipped Shortbread Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
- Whip the soft butter in the mixer using the paddle attachment.
- Slowly stir in the flour, confectioner’s sugar, cornstarch and vanilla until the dough pulls together.
- Use a 4 tsp cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Press a fork gently into the tops of the cookies.
- Add sprinkles – if desired.
- Bake for 14 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely before decorating with chocolate.
- To decorate, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl according to package directions.
- Dip each cookie halfway into the chocolate, place back on the parchment lined sheet and immediately add sprinkles before the chocolate solidifies again.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
This recipe calls for a stand mixer. Can I also make this recipe by hand?
Because this recipe requires whipping the butter and then the dough at a high speed to create the whipped texture, this will require some sort of mixer to achieve the final end product of a whipped cookie. However, you don’t need to use a stand mixer, these can be made using a hand mixer too.
Can you freeze whipped shortbread cookies?
Yes, these can be frozen – but are best when frozen before decorating. To freeze, just roll the cookie dough into balls & then place the dough balls on a plate or cookie sheet & flash freeze them.
Once they’ve been flash-frozen, transfer them to a zip-top bag & freeze for up to 1 month. When you want to make the cookies, just thaw the dough for 20-30 minutes, place it on the baking sheet, add the decorations, and bake!
Christmas Shortbread Cookies
Products I love when making whipped shortbread…
This shortbread cookie recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me this time of year, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made shortbread before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love these cookies. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this cookie recipe.
- all-purpose flour
- confectioner’s sugar
- cornstarch
- vanilla extract
- sprinkles of choice
- chocolate melting wafers – if dipping
- 4 tsp cookie scoop
- baking sheets
- mixer
- parchment paper
- red hots
- tree sprinkles to use as holly leaves
If you love this Easy Shortbread Cookie recipe, you’re going to love these other treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
More Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Peppermint Shortbread Kiss Cookies
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Whipped Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces butter – softened
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp sprinkles of choice
- ½ cup chocolate melting wafers – if dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
- Whip the soft butter in the mixer using the paddle attachment.
- Slowly stir in the flour, confectioner’s sugar, cornstarch and vanilla until the dough pulls together.
- Use a 4 tsp cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Press a fork gently into the tops of the cookies.
- Add sprinkles – if desired.
- Bake for 14 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely before decorating with chocolate.
- To decorate, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl according to package directions.
- Dip each cookie halfway into the chocolate, place back on the parchment lined sheet and immediately add sprinkles before the chocolate solidifies again.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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