Melt in Your Mouth Shortbread Cookies
These Melt in Your Mouth Shortbread Cookies are the shortbread cookies my mom has made for Christmas every year since I was a child. They literally melt in your mouth. You will LOVE them!
The first time I shared these shortbread cookies with you was back in December 2011. I've made them every year since and this time I thought I would take some new pictures and share them with you again. It's my all-time favorite Christmas cookie recipe, followed closely by my mom's nanaimo bar recipe.
These shortbread cookies are crazy soft. When I say they melt in your mouth, I mean it. No chewing required. They’re the most tender shortbread cookies you will ever eat. I just passed one to my handsome man and his response was, “I don't know what just happened in my mouth, but I want more of it.”
This shortbread cookie recipe has only 5 ingredients, is made in one bowl, and is the best shortbread you will ever eat. Are you sold? You should be!
Tips for making the softest shortbread cookies
- This recipe works best if you beat the dough with electric beaters. If you have a stand mixer, set it aside for this recipe. (And a big thank you to my sister for helping me recipe test this with her Kitchen Aid!)
- Make sure the cookie dough is cold before you put it in the oven. If your house is quite warm, put the cookie dough in the fridge to chill it before you bake the cookies.
- Don't skimp on the 10 minutes it takes to beat the dough. My whole family has made this recipe more times than we can count and it works best if you set a timer and see it through the full 10 minutes.
- Use salted butter. This has nothing to do with making the softest shortbread cookies, but it will make the tastiest ones.
Here's what the dough should look like after you've beat it for 10 minutes. I think it looks a lot like whipped cream.
What does this shortbread cookie recipe taste like?
Eating this shortbread is like eating buttery soft crumbly clouds.
If you're after a firm, biscuit-like shortbread (like Scottish shortbread), then this is not your recipe.
This recipe is for you if you want soft, melt in your mouth shortbread. (And really, who doesn't want that?)
FAQs about this shortbread cookie recipe
This recipe has been tested using Robin Hood All-Purpose Flour.
This recipe works best with salted butter. Remember to let it soften to room temperature before you use it.
No, this shortbread is not overly sweet. If you'd like them a little sweeter, a sprinkle of icing sugar does the trick!
Can I freeze these shortbread cookies?
Yes! These cookies freeze very well.
Once they're completely cool, freeze them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Once they're frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container and layer them between sheets of parchment paper.
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DELICIOUS CHRISTMAS BAKING RECIPES:
- Holiday Spiced Almond Shortbread Cookies
- Cranberry and White Chocolate Butter Cookies
- Mom's Nanaimo Bar Recipe
- Cranberry and White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes
Melt In Your Mouth Shortbread Cookies
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Prep Time: 15 mins -
Cook Time: 15 mins
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Total Time: 30 minutes
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Yield: Makes about 30 1x -
Category: Dessert
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Method: Baked
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Cuisine: North American
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:Description
These are the shortbread cookies my mom has made for Christmas every year since I was a child. They literally melt in your mouth. You will LOVE them!
Ingredients
- 2 cups salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- Colored candied cherries or dried cranberries, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a hand-held electric mixer (see notes), cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla until very creamy. Gradually beat in the cornstarch and flour. Continue to beat the batter until it looks like slightly overbeaten whipped cream, about 10 minutes. I always set a timer for 10 minutes as it feels like a long time.
- Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons (or 3 level tablespoons, to be exact) onto the prepared cookie sheets. Add a colored cherry or dried cranberry in the center of each cookie. Note: if you don't have 3 cookie sheets wait until you remove the baked cookies from one and it cools completely. Putting the cookie sheets outside in the cold winter weather cools them down very quickly.
- Bake the cookies for approximately 15 minutes. You can bake two sheets at once, turning them halfway through. Remove the cookies from the oven just as they start to brown on the bottoms.
- Let the shortbread cookies cool on the cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Do be careful when moving them as they will fall apart if you transfer them too soon.
Notes
I have always used a hand-held electric beater to make these. Based on feedback from both a reader and my sister, if you use a stand-mixer the cookies will fall flat. If you want to use your stand mixer, please make sure to reduce the time you mix the batter.
SAVE TO PINTEREST!
I made these cookies and they really are melt in your mouth! I made 40 and between my mom and I they were gone in 24 hours! They were absolutely delicious and I plan to make them again tonight!
★★★★★
Omg. One of the best shortbread cookies i have ever made!! I skipped dinner so i could have a couple more. Love Love Love this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I made these cookies exactly as recipe says using hand mixer. Of course as I went to turn them over at 7 1/2 min. They fell apart. Intried to push back together but I am disappoint. What a mess!
These cookies (or any cookies that I know of) shouldn’t be turned over halfway through baking. Bake them for the full 15 minutes then let them cool for at least 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
As far as turning the cookie sheets, if you are using 2 cookie sheets, switch them around halfway through baking (put the cookie sheet on the top rack onto the bottom rack) to help the cookies cook evenly. If you have a convection oven, you can skip this step.
Linda your so funny. You just rotate the cookie sheet about half way through and dont touch them until after you take them out of the oven and wait 10 minutes. Try again. Worth the ten minute beating time.
Absolutely the best shortbread cookies I’ve ever made. I followed the recipe to a t and they were perfect. My family loved them.
Hi Kristen
Once baked how long do these stay fresh?
Thanks
They will keep for 3-4 days in a sealed container. But they freeze excellent so don’t hesitate to put some into your freezer!
Made these exactly as directed. Perfect cookie. I love the melt in your mouth texture. Put a little buttercream on them and couldn’t stop eating them. Thanks for the recipe.
They look wonderful. I’m a lover of the less crumbly shortbread. I was thinking of making thumbprint cookies with it too. Have you done that with this recipe
They are very soft so I think they might crumble if you try to indent them. You can always try a could as a test!
I made this recipe using a cookie scoop and they turned out great. As stated, it is not a sweet shortbread so definitely add the icing if you like a sweet cookie. Was tempted to pipe it but didn’t, but I may try it next time. I did mix for 10 minutes but I think it was ready prior to that because I did whip the butter and sugar very well. My oven has a surround bake mode for cookies and delicate cakes so I chose to use that. It reduced my baking time by 5 minutes. I baked all my cookies for 10 minutes and left them on the sheets for 10 minutes as directed. I debated if I should chill the dough and realize now that the printed recipe did not state that, but the on-line comments suggest chilling the dough. That said, the cookies looked just like the picture and tasted great.
★★★★★
These look amazing. Do you think these can be made using a cookie press?
Some commenters have said that a cookie press worked for them!
Love these cookies, melt in your mouth is the best shortbread I think!
Your recipe is the best I’ve had!
I decided to get creative with half my dough tonight tho, I used orange extract instead of vanilla, a tsp or so of real oj, and crystallized ginger.
When I pulled them out of oven I popped another piece of crystallized ginger on top instead of a cherry. If your a ginger fan like me this was really quite delightful!
Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Love your idea to use ginger!!
Can you bake as bars?
★★★★★
I haven’t tried it but I don’t think it would work well. This shortbread is very soft. Usually, shortbread that is baked into bars is quite hard and crunchy.
Ahhhhh-mazing! I had never made shortbread before and these are spectacular. My husband is a shortbread fanatic and he couldn’t get over how delicious these are. I am heading to the store to get more butter right now! Thank you!
Also, I used crushed Cadbury Mini Eggs as garnish…in case you didn’t think these could get better!
What a great idea!!
I made these over Christmas and they were a huge hit. Super yummy! I just made them again. This time I used a regular cookie scoop and got double the amount. Around 60 cookies this time. I also added chocolate chips just for fun and they were excellent!!!!
★★★★★
Made half this recipe and regretted it immediately. They are soooo delicious!
★★★★★
Absolutely melt in your mouth – the title doesn’t lie. Also very simple to make. I would make them a little smaller than the recipe states but that’s just personal preference.
Have bookmarked this recipe and shared with friends. It’s a keeper
★★★★★
I used the plain old whisk by hand (great exercise), but it turned out well except that it’s too sweet. I’ll try it again with less sugar next time…
Wow that must have been quite the arm workout! Good for you!!
Got your heaping tablespoon amount INCORRECT!
A heaping tablespoon is 3 TEASPOONS not 3 tablespoons.
3 teaspoons do equal 1 tablespoon. However, when I take a big, heaping tablespoon, it equals 3 level tablespoons. I’ve measured, just to be sure. 🙂
Excellent shortbread cookies. Melt in your mouth is right. A keeper, will be making them again for sure. The taste is very good.
★★★★★
Mine melted into one large cookie sheet while baking ?. Not sure what I did wrong…I halved the recipe and used gluten free 1 to 1 flour… maybe i needed to fridge or before baking.
★★★★
Gluten-free flours do act quite differently, even 1-1 a mix. So it could have been that, or they may have been too warm before going into the oven. I would put them into the fridge for an hour before you bake them next time as you suggested. 🙂
Flavour was perfect, not too sweet at all! Only issue I had is the recipe is so thick to start with, my poor old mixer finally died about half way through the 10 minutes. Cookies were still delicious just not melt in your mouth
★★★★★
Rest in piece to my old hand mixer as well (2001 – 2021)
O….M….G!!!!! The best shortbread cookie I have ever tasted! Sorry Nana 😉 Absolutely delectable! I followed the recipe exactly as you wrote it and holy guacamole, melt in your mouth deliciousness! Thank you for sharing Kristen, this is now my forever shortbread recipe that I will pass on to my daughter and or granddaughters. Today is Christmas Eve, I consider this recipe and instruction as my best gift of the season. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Kristen. Be well and blessed be <3
★★★★★
Kristen,
I should mention that I changed the recipe from cups to grams. I saw a few folks asking for metric conversion. So I will share, I hope that is ok.
3 cups all purpose flour=450 gms
1 cup icing sugar=120 gms
1/2 cup cornstarch=60 gms
As mentioned, this recipe and your instruction are “a bite of heaven in my
mouth!” Those words are what came out of my partners mouth after his first bite!
Cheers and kind regards
Brenda
Thank you so much for sharing these conversions!!
Thank you, Brenda! Merry Christmas to you, too!