Whipped Shortbread Cookies
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These traditional shortbread cookies are the Christmas cookies my mom makes every holiday season. They’re whipped shortbread cookies that are so soft they literally melt in your mouth. You will LOVE them!
This has long been my favorite shortbread recipe. The cookies are so soft that they literally melt in your mouth. They are different from Scottish shortbread cookies, which are firmer. Eating this shortbread is like eating buttery, soft, crumbly clouds. This recipe is for you if you want soft, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread. (And really, who doesn’t want that?)
This is the shortbread cookie recipe my family has been making for decades. They were part of the Christmas cookie spread that always included Mom’s Nanaimo Bars, turtles, and butter tarts. Christmas wouldn’t be the same without them.
These shortbread cookies are crazy soft. When I say they melt in your mouth, I mean it. No chewing is required. They’re the most tender shortbread cookies you will ever eat. In the words of one of our taste testers, “I don’t know what just happened in my mouth, but I want more of it.”
This recipe has only five ingredients, is made in one bowl, and is the best shortbread recipe ever. Are you sold? You should be!
This easy recipe is made with only five ingredients!
- Butter – I prefer to use salted butter. If you only have unsalted butter, simply add salt to the recipe. Make sure the butter is at room temperature before making these cookies.
- Flour – Unbleached, all-purpose flour works best in this recipe.
- Icing sugar – Also known as powdered sugar.
- Cornstarch – This is added to make the shortbread cookies even softer.
- Vanilla – I add this for a subtle flavor.
Making whipped shortbread is incredibly easy. But it helps to look at the pictures above to see what the dough looks like at the four stages as you beat it.
- You’ll start by slowly mixing the salted butter, flour, icing sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla using electric beaters at their lowest setting. This is to prevent a cloud of flour dust from flying out of the bowl. After a minute, the dough will no longer be dusty but will have larger chunks of butter coated in flour.
- A few minutes later, when the dough begins to look like sand, increase the beaters to medium speed. You’ll likely think it will never come together at this point, but have patience and trust that it will.
- Keep beating the sandy dough for 3-4 minutes. Suddenly, you will feel your beaters start to strain, and the dough will come together.
- Turn your beaters up to high and beat the dough for another 1-2 minutes, or until it resembles thick whipped cream.
Now, all that’s left to do is drop mounds of the dough onto baking sheets and bake them for 15 minutes. It’s so easy!
Using a stand mixer to make shortbread cookies is a little trickier as you have to stop often to scrape the bowl AND it’s easy to overwhip them.
- Always use the whisk attachment. The paddle attachment is not able to whip the shortbread properly.
- Stop frequently to scrape the side of the bowl. Otherwise, some of the dough will be whipped and some won’t. You’ll see the difference the first time you stop to scrape the bowl.
- Keep a close eye on the dough at the end. As soon as it resembles thick whipped cream, stop beating it. Overbeating the dough can cause the cookies to flatten when they bake.
- The total time you’ll need to whip the cookie dough in a stand mixer is about 5 minutes.
Variations to try
- Top with red and green sprinkles for Christmas shortbread cookies. You can also try blending the sprinkles right into the batter.
- Add lemon or orange zest to the batter.
- Drizzle the tops with chocolate.
- Swap the vanilla for your favorite flavor extract.
- Make whipped shortbread cookies with Toblerone by stirring 1 cup of chopped Toblerone into the batter.
- Several readers have commented that they’ve had success using this dough with a cookie press.
Store and freeze
This shortbread cookie recipe is great to make ahead of time. Not only do they keep well for many days on your counter, but you can also store them in your freezer for months. So go ahead and make a big batch and have some on hand next time a cookie craving strikes!
Store: This is a great recipe to make ahead of time, as they keep well for many days on your counter. I usually keep some on a plate (for easy access) and put the rest in a bag. They will keep for a week on your counter or up to two weeks in the fridge.
Freeze: When I was a kid, my mom would make these a month or more before Christmas and store them in a container in the freezer. Once thawed, you’ll never know they were frozen. Tip ⇢ stack them between layers of parchment paper to protect them.
Best Shortbread Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups salted butter (at room temperature – see notes)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Colored candied cherries or dried cranberries (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Position your oven rack in the middle of your oven.
- Add the flour, butter, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla to a deep mixing bowl.3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups salted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, ½ cup cornstarch, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Begin mixing the ingredients using electric beaters at their lowest speed. Once the dry ingredients begin mixing with the butter and are not dusty anymore, increase the speed to medium.
- A few minutes later, the dough will start to look like sand. Keep beating the dough for another 3-4 minutes and it will start to come together.
- Once the dough comes together and your beaters start straining, increase the speed to high and beat the dough for another 1-2 minutes, or until it resembles thick whipped cream.
- Drop the dough into small mounds (about 2-3 tablespoons) on a baking sheet. If using, gently press a dried cranberry into the tops of the cookies. Note: Make sure the cookie dough is cold before you put it in the oven. If your house is quite warm, chill the cookies in the fridge before you bake them. Bake for 15 minutes. It is best to bake one sheet of cookies at a time. Use a new sheet pan for the next batch. The cookie dough must be added to a cool baking sheet.Colored candied cherries or dried cranberries
- Let the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes then use an offset spatula or slotted fish spatula to remove the cookies from the sheet pan and transfer them to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
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For more inspiration, check out all of my cookie recipes!
What an easy and delicious cookie! I love a cookie with simple flavors and the texture is perfect!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Great and quick shortbread cookies. Like someone else mentioned, I will use unsalted butter the next time I make them. Also, I put them in the freezer, baking tray and all, for 5 – 7 minutes before baking them. They melt in your mouth:)
I’m so glad you loved them! 😊 That quick freezer chill is such a smart move — it really helps them hold their shape. And yes, they’re such a melt-in-your-mouth kind of cookie. Thanks so much for sharing your tips and for leaving a note!
Made these today & they turned out wonderfully! A new favorite!
Aw, I’m so happy to hear that — and your cookies look absolutely beautiful! You did such a great job. I love that they’ve already become a new favorite. Thanks so much for sharing (and for the lovely photo!). 💛
My dough is not sticking enough I’m sure I followed the recipe what should I do ?
Hi Natasha! If you’ve been beating it for 10 minutes and it still looks like that, then I think there is too much flour. I always use the spoon and level method for measuring flour, which adds less flour to a cup than when it’s scooped. I would suggest adding some more butter. I hope that helps!
I was wondering if you can double or triple the recipe?
Absolutely — you can double or even triple the recipe with no problem at all! I’ve done it many times. Just make sure to bake in batches so the cookies aren’t crowded on the pan, and you’re good to go. So happy you’re loving them! 💛
just got finished making the shortbread. tastes very good altho may be a bit too much corn starch in the receipe. did u say to use 2-3 Tablespoons of dough to make cookies. Perhaps that is what happened to rogue 1-way to big! one tbsp is big enough for 1 cookie
Happy you enjoyed the recipe! Yes, 2-3 tablespoons – the same size as a medium cookie scoop. 🙂
Hi, I just made these wonderful cookies. Absolutely beautiful. Im not a cookie eater but I tried this recipe and they are wonderful. Thank you for this great recipe.
Aw, this makes me so happy to hear! I love that they turned out beautiful — especially if you’re not usually a cookie person. Thank you for giving the recipe a try and taking the time to leave such a sweet note. 💛
Not sure what happened, but it sums up 2024 quite well.
I’m so sorry to see that these didn’t turn out for you. From looking at the photo, my guess is that your oven may have been a bit too hot. When an oven is too hot, the butter can melt before the rest of the ingredients have time to firm up, causing the cookies to spread. When I bake these, there is no browning at all, which is why I think this may be the cause. Ovens often run hotter or cooler that what their temperature gage says. If you want to give these another go, I’d suggest lowering the temperature by 25 degrees.
These taste incredible. Mine did seem to spread more than your picture showed was not sure why? The last batch i chilled for 5 mins before cooking which seemed to help? Regardless they taste like being a kid again love them they are a keeper!
The warmer the butter the more they spread. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed them!
These were so good! I used a little drop of raspberry jam on top. Delicious!
I love the raspberry jam on top! Yum!
Did you add the jam after baking?