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 recipes, 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, “Damn, woman. 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.
I've never had shortbread cookies as good as my mom's. Since I was given the recipe a few years back I've been told, “I've never had shortbread cookies as good as yours before.” I don't mean to brag … but really, it's that good. It quite literally melts in your mouth. That's not a figure of speech; it disintegrates into buttery goodness on your tongue.
The trick is to beat it for longer than you ever think any cookie dough needs to be beaten. Pull a little Mohammed Ali action and KO that cookie dough.
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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 mins
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Yield: Makes about 30 1x
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Category: Dessert
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Cuisine: American
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
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 butter, very soft (I use salted, but unsalted works, too)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- Colored candied cherries or dried cranberries, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lighty grease three baking sheets.
- 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!
Can you use a food processor instead of a beater. I only have a hand mixer as well. Waiting for reply before I attempt
Thanks
I’ve never tried to make these in my food processor. I would suggest using your stand mixer, but only mixing them for a few minutes.
I’ve made these a couple times now, and they’re delicious!
Can they be frozen after I’ve baked them?
★★★★★
Yes! They freeze very well. 🙂
Very tasty but mine fell flat as I used a mixer so next time I’ll mix less time to see if that makes a difference
I accidentally messed up the recipe. I creamed the butter, sugar and vanilla be itself for the 10 minutes. That’s when I realized it was all supposed to be done at once. I loved it. The next time l followed the recipe. Didn’t like as much. So now I do it the first way and only use 2 1/2 cups of flour. Sometimes l use almond instead of vanilla extract as well
★★★★★
Is this recipe considered a whipped shortbread, meaning I can pipe these cookies?
It is whipped shortbread. I’ve never piped them, but other commenters have said that they have had success piping these.
I made these this afternoon. They are very “melt in your mouth” delish.
One issue I had is – they are not able to be picked up without falling apart (so very soft and wonderful tasting) I did wait far more than alloted time. I measured my flour. I wonder if that reduced the actual amount that you use??
1 cup measures 127 grams. What do you think?
I’ve never measured the flour in grams before, but I plan on it this year when I make these for Christmas and will update the recipe then!
Hi Kristen,
If these cookies are dropped in double-sized drops to make taller and thicker cookies, will they bake all the way through with maybe a lower heat/longer bake time? Thank you.
To be honest, I have never tried that so I can’t say for sure.
I made these exactly as the instructions dictated.
Not ‘melt in your mouth’. More the consistency of a sugar cookie. Not bad at all, but not what I was hoping they would be
★★★
Can you shape these with cookie cutters?
I’ve never tried but I suspect that the dough is too soft to be cut. But a few commenters have written that they’ve had success piping the dough. 🙂
I followed the exact steps for the recipe and the cookie are so soft that it turns to sand texture in your mouth. Sorry to say but this is an awful recipe
Yes, they are very soft. I’m sorry to hear that you don’t like their soft texture as much as we do!
These are amazing! Instead of cherries I top them with vanilla icing and skor pieces! Soooooo yummy!
★★★★★
My husband is very picky when it comes to shortbread it has to melt in the mouth….I have made many before that in my opinion melt in the mouth but never good enough for hubby, until today when I made yours 🙂 He said “OMG it just disappears as soon as you bite it, just so you know I’ll have these again, you might have to make more though!” I totally agree best shortbread I have had all the way from NZ who said it has to be xmas to have a good shortbread 🙂
★★★★★
Love it!!
So good I had to leave a comment – a first for me.
I’ve had what I thought was a decent shortbread recipe for over 20 years. This will easily replace it! Truly melt-in-your-mouth. So easy to make, clear instructions and ridiculously yummy. Do not overbake! 15 mins was fine for me. I can’t believe that I stumbled upon this.
Only minor difference is that I placed the cookie dough already on the sheet in the fridge (so my kids wouldn’t eat the dough).
I also froze some of the dough — partly for the same reason but also ’cause it’s too good to eat all at once! Hopefully it will keep.
Happy baker
Awww that’s so great to hear, Karen!
Please could you advise what the the recipe is in gr please as from uk and dont understand cups. Thanks you and cant wait to try them!
I’ve never measured this one in grams before but google says that 1 cup of flour is 120 grams. 🙂
While looking for a soft shortbread cookies, I chose your recipe to try. I am going to begin making a half batch and if it works as well as it did for you, then it will be a victory for me, too. Thank you for sharing your recipe with me. Joy.
You’re very welcome, Joy!
Hi, instead of cutting them into shape, is it okay if I just make it in 1 whole big square pan (9×9)? Will it be too crumbly?
I suspect that the cookies will crumble if you try to cut them after they bake. But we only drop them onto the baking sheet so it’s easy to do it before hand. 🙂
i misread the recipe and made the cookies wrong, but it came but better than the 2nd time when i made it according to the recipe. however, not trying to take away from the recipe. it’s an excellent cookie and it is absolutely one of the best cookies i’ve ever made. i made the mistake of creaming the butter, sugar and vanilla by itself for 10 minutes. when i put the flour and cornstarch in it was already extremely fluffy. i put the full amount of cornstarch in, but only put a little under 3 cups of flour. for some reason, all the recipes for baking that i try, when i put in the flour, it’s always too much. OMG, it was sooooo good. it reminded me of the old roslyn bakery buttermilk jumble cookies.
★★★★★
That’s wonderful to hear that you loved the recipe the second time around!
WOW! These are buttery and truly MELT IN YOUR MOUTH! I used an electric stand mixer. Beat for 7 min. Chilled dough for 45 min. Baked exactly 15 min. at 350. I did half batch, 20 cookies.
★★★★★
I also, cooled on the cookie sheet for 15 min.
★★★★★
That is so wonderful to hear! Thanks, Sandra!