Christmas Shortbread Cookies Recipe

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: With my incredible Christmas Shortbread Cookies Recipe, you can whip up delectable homemade cookies even if it’s last–minute!  This 10-minute dough is the easiest and fastest method for creating mouthwatering holiday treats that look like they came from a bakery!

• 3 ingredient simplicity:  A mixer isn’t required for this effortless one-bowl recipe. Mixing by hand works just fine.
• Budget-friendly: There are no pricey ingredients like nuts or chocolate here.
• Ideal for gifting and shipping: Everybody loves shortbread! And because these cookies stay fresh for a few days and aren’t fragile, they’re great to mail to far-off family and friends.
• Perfect for cutting and decorating: This dough is super-easy to work with! Even the kids will have no problem rolling and cutting out these cookies.
• Irresistible! Buttery, tender, and perfectly sweetened, these timeless cookies are both homey and elegant.

For these 3-ingredient shortbread cookies, the quality of the butter means everything. And as a professional chef, I know that better butter always matters when baking. I choose Plugrà^® Premium European Style Butter because it is formulated with 82% butterfat and slow-churned for consistent results, superior texture, and richer flavor. To create the perfect cookie with pliable dough that rolls out beautifully, a melt-in-your-mouth texture, and outstanding flavor, you need to use the best butter. That’s why I’m so excited to partner with Plugrà to share how the right butter can truly elevate your baking.

Take it from me (I’ve been making shortbread since I was a young child!), I’ve made this 3-ingredient shortbread at least 30 times, and the results never cease to amaze me. There are endless ways to use 3-ingredient shortbread—it’s genuinely a holiday season superstar. From cut-outs, plain or decorated, to sandwich cookies and bars, my Christmas Shortbread Recipe will be a lifesaver this season and all year round. For more shortbread recipes, check out my Buter Pecan Shortbread Cookies, Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies, and Cheddar Pecan Savory Shortbread Cookies!

Table of Contents

• What are Christmas Shortbread Cookies?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Substitutes
• How to Make Christmas Shortbread Cookies Recipe
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
• Variations and Add-Ins
• FAQs
• More Christmas Cookie Recipes

What are Christmas Shortbread Cookies?

• Christmas Shortbread Cookies are a classic holiday treat made from butter, powdered sugar, and flour. After the dough is chilled, it’s rolled, cut into festive shapes, and decorated if desired.
  • Flavor: Buttery, lightly sweet, a pleasant touch of saltiness
  • Texture: Tender, but sturdy enough not to be too crumbly
  • Main ingredients: Plugrà^® Premium European Style Butter, all-purpose flour, powdered sugar
  • Great for: Holiday parties, snacks with tea or coffee, cookie swaps, gifting and mailing, Christmas dinner, New Year’s Eve gatherings
• Christmas Shortbread Cookies are ideal for rolling and cutting. The tradition of cutting cookies into festive shapes and decorating them has its roots in ancient practices, when people formed small cakes into special shapes, such as stars and flowers, to bring good luck at harvest time or as a protective symbol at the solstice.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Glass measuring jug
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• Electric hand mixer (optional) or whisk
• Cling wrap
• Rolling pin
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Cookie cutters (optional)
• Wire cooling rack

Key Ingredients and Substitutes

For the Christmas Shortbread Cookies

82% Salted Plugrà^® Premium European Style Butter

• Plugrà^® Premium European Style Butter contains approximately 82% butterfat, giving it rich flavor and low moisture.
• Plugrà’s high-fat percentage helps to coat the flour, which inhibits gluten formation, and creates that lovely shortbread crumbliness.
• Since Plugrà Premium European Style Butter has more butterfat and less water than standard American butter, it whips up smoother and lighter, contributing to a delicate crumb.
• Use room temperature butter here. You know your butter is at the right temperature when you push the butter and it makes an indent, but your finger doesn’t easily squish right through. Here are my tips to get your butter to room temperature.

Powdered sugar

• Powdered sugar sweetens the Christmas shortbread.
• Because powdered sugar dissolves easily, it’s key to giving my 3-ingredient cookies their iconic melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Since powdered sugar is made with cornstarch, which helps absorb moisture, these cookies have a delicate crumb.
• You can easily make your own powdered sugar with my simple recipe.

All-purpose flour

• All-purpose flour makes dough that is firm enough to cut with cookie cutters, but will bake up into tender cookies.
• The protein content in all-purpose flour also keeps the cookies from spreading.
• Substitute: If you want a gluten free cookie, use the same amount of a gluten-free baking mix, like my Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix or another gluten free flour.

Icing (optional)

• My holiday shortbread cookies are delicious on their own, but if you want a smooth, glossy, hard icing, try my Royal Icing recipe.
  • For soft and colorful icing, I recommend the Vanilla Icing I use with my Soft Sugar Cookies.

For the Royal Icing

Egg whites

• Egg whites give the icing structure and stability. They’re whipped to create a glossy, thick texture.
• Substitutes: If you prefer, you can use 1/2 cup (4 oz/120 g) of store-bought pasteurized liquid egg whites instead.
  • For a vegan option, use aquafaba (chickpea water). Use 2 tablespoons of aquafaba for each egg white (8 tablespoons total).
  • Note that you may need to use slightly more powdered sugar to reach the right consistency.

Powdered sugar

• Powdered sugar, also known as confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar, sweetens the icing.
• Additionally, powdered sugar gives the icing structure and a smoothness.
• Be sure to sift the powdered sugar first to remove any lumps.
• Substitute: It’s easy to make homemade powdered sugar with my simple recipe..

Lemon juice

• Lemon juice stabilizes the egg whites, helping the royal icing hold its shape.
• In addition, lemon juice gives a subtle, pleasant flavor, and the touch of acidity balances the sweetness.
• Substitute: You can use cream of tartar (¼ teaspoon / 1.25ml) in place of lemon juice to stabilize the egg whites.

How to Make Christmas Shortbread Cookies Recipe

To Make the Shortbread Cookie Dough

1. Cream the butter and sugar: In a large bowl cream together the soft Salted Plugrà^® Premium European Style Butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. (You can also do this step using a hand whisk)

2. Finish the dough: Add in the flour and mix until the dough just comes together.

3. Chill the dough: Wrap the cookie dough in cling wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days. It can also be frozen at this point for up to 8 weeks.

To Roll and Shape the Shortbread Christmas Cookies

4. Prepare to bake: Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
5. Roll dough and cut out cookies: On a floured surface, roll the dough to ¼ inch thick. Using festive cutters, cut out your shapes and use holiday sprinkles to give them extra sparkle.

6. Bake cookies: Place each on the prepared baking tray and bake for 20 – 24 minutes, or until very lightly golden. Rotate the pans for even baking if needed.

7. Cool: Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack. Once cool the cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
8. Decorate your way: Get creative with the baked cookies and sandwich some together with some cookies with jam, chocolate spread, or dulce de leche and dust with sugar. You can also dip them in melted chocolate.

To Make the Royal Icing (optional)

9. Heat egg whites: In a bain marie over low heat, add your egg whites and heat, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes or until the egg whites are warm but not cooking. This process kills any bacteria in the eggs, making them safe to use when raw.
10. Whisk the egg whites: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (thoroughly cleaned and grease free), whisk the egg whites on high speed until foamy, around 2 minutes. (You can also do this using a handheld electric mixer).
11. Add sugar: With the mixer on medium-low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar one spoonful at a time.
12. Add lemon juice: Once all of your sugar is incorporated, add the lemon juice and whip on high speed until thickened, about 3 minutes.
13. Check texture: The icing at this stage will be at a good consistency for flooding cookies. If you want it stiffer for frosting a cake or writing on cookies, add more powdered sugar until you get the consistency you desire.
14. Cover: Place the icing into a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Make sure the cling wrap is in direct contact with the icing, as this will prevent it from hardening while you are waiting to use it.
15. Use or store: Use the icing straight away, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks or in the fridge for up to four weeks.

FULL (PRINTABLE) RECIPE BELOW! 

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• Go for salted: Since this recipe doesn’t contain added salt, I use Salted Plugrà^® Premium European Style Butter for extra flavor.
• Soft butter is key: Please make sure your butter is at room temperature. Here are the best ways to soften cold butter.
• Chill out: Refrigerate your cookie dough first for easy rolling.
• Check off your list: To get ahead on holiday prep, you can make this dough and keep it in the freezer for up to eight weeks. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
• Go big: This christmas shortbread cookies recipe will double or triple easily. For such a big batch, use a stand mixer to make it easier.
• Shortbread options: In addition to rolling it out and using cookie cutters, this dough can also be pressed into an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) pan and cut into bars, or rolled into logs and sliced, then baked.
• My cookie cutters: The cookie cutters I used for this Christmas shortbread recipe can be found here.
• Double it: You can sandwich these cookies together with jam, homemade Nutella, almond butter or peanut butter, or dulce de leche.
• Careful rolling: Take care not to roll the dough too thin. It should be 1/4 inch thick.
• Cutting tips: For the best results, lightly flour your cookie cutter before use, and press down firmly. For the best shape, avoid twisting the cutter.
• Perfect topping: My holiday shortbread cookies are delicious on their own, but if you want a smooth, glossy, hard icing, use the Royal Icing recipe below.
  • For a soft and colorful icing, I recommend the Vanilla Icing I use with my Soft Sugar Cookie Recipes.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

Make-ahead tips:

• You can make the dough and store it in the refrigerator up to three days in advance.
• For more extended storage, you can make this shortbread cookies Christmas dough ahead of time, place it in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to eight weeks.
  • I even go as far as to make the dough, roll it out, cut, and freeze the cut-out cookies so that all I have to do is bake them off.
  • Defrost in the fridge overnight before using.

How to store leftovers

• Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

What Are Some Variations and Add-Ins For This Recipe?

• Bump up the flavor with extracts:  add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
  • Add nutty flavor by mixing in 1/8 teaspoon almond extract (measure carefully, as a little goes a long way).
• Stir finely chopped, toasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans into these shortbread Christmas cookies.
• Dust the cookies with powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon or cardamom.
• Bring some holiday sparkle by embellishing these shortbread cutout cookies with icing and sprinkles.
• Sandwich shortbread cookies with jam, lemon curd, dulce de leche, royal icing, or frosting.

FAQs

Can I make these shortbread Christmas cookies gluten-free?

• Yes, you can make these shortbread Christmas cookies gluten-free.
• In place of the all-purpose flour, use the same amount of a gluten-free baking mix, such as my Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix or another gluten-free flour.
• Note that the texture will be more delicate than cookies made with all-purpose flour.

How can I make sure that my shortbread has the perfect texture?

• To make sure your shortbread has the perfect texture, you need to remember a few simple rules:
  • Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, but don’t over-mix. That could make the dough greasy or too soft and sticky to roll out easily.
  • Chilling the dough is key for achieving dough that’s easy to roll out and cut, as well as for cookies that don’t spread. Chill it for at least one hour, and up to three days.
    • Additionally, you can chill the cookies after cutting them out. Pop them in the fridge for an extra 15 to 20 minutes before baking. This will keep the cookies from spreading.

What are some ways to serve these Christmas Shortbread Cookies?

• Serve these cookies with a mug of my Best Ever Hot Cocoa, or Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate, or Homemade White Hot Chocolate.
• These 3-ingredient shortbread cookies taste lovely with a dish of Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream, Frozen Hot Chocolate Ice Cream, or Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream.
• Make a cookie tray with Christmas Shortbread Cookies, Homemade Gingerbread Men, Italian Ricotta Cookies with Christmas Sprinkles, and Buttery Jam Thumbprint Cookies.
• Make Christmas Shortbread Cookies for a holiday dessert buffet along with French Silk Pie, Gingerbread Sheet Cake, and Citrus Olive Oil Cake.

More Christmas Cookie Recipes

• Irish Shortbread Christmas Tree Cookies
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Buttery Spritz Cookies
• Easy Rum Balls
• Holiday Pecan Praline Cookies

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