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 thought it was time to make them again for Throw Back Thursday.
On the first Thursday of each month, I find an older recipe that could use some new pictures. While the original shortbread cookie pictures definitely aren’t the worst of the bunch, I wanted to bring the recipe to the front page again as it's one of my all-time favorite Christmas cookie recipes.
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.
Original post date: December 16th, 2011
There are some Christmas traditions that would leave me pouting and stomping my feet like a two-year-old if I didn't get to enjoy. That doesn't paint a very nice picture of me, does it? The truth is I probably wouldn't actually throw a temper tantrum, but I would want to.
My mom, sister and I sit in a circle by the side of the decorated tree, Bailey's with a little coffee in hand. My nephew now joins us, no Bailey's or coffee for him, not for many years yet. We take turns unwrapping one small gift from our stockings, passing it around and admiring it. At some point, our coffee cups are replaced by champagne flutes. The whole process takes us hours, mostly because we are chatting and laughing so much.
Between sips of Bailey's and coffee and ripping the wrapping off little presents, there's always room for some Christmas baking.
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.
The original picture of these shortbread cookies (2011):
If you’re interested in learning a few tricks that I did to improve my food photography, check out the posts 10 Food Photography Tips for New Food Bloggers and The 10 Best Food Photography Props to Improve Your Food Photography and The Food Photography Equipment I Use.
Remember to subscribe to THE ENDLESS MEAL'S NEWSLETTER for FREE to get healthy and delicious recipes each week + our cookbook!
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
-
Prep Time: 15 mins -
Cook Time: 15 mins
-
Total Time: 30 mins
-
Yield: Makes about 30 1x -
Category: Dessert -
Cuisine: American
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!
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!