Whipped Shortbread Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
Popular Christmas Baking Recipes
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!
I made a half batch so I can see what I want to add to them like a Carmel drizzle or Carmel and chocolate drizzle not to much just enough to enhance the cookie I usually make the kind I can use a press for and dip them in chocolate but I wanted a soft cookie.
Great call on the caramel drizzle!
First tray was an epic fail for me. They browned really quickly and fell flat and super crumbly even after I put them in the fridge to try to set. I followed directions exactly (yes, using a hand mixer to). So I popped the next batch in the fridge for about 30 mins. Really hope it turns out! Not sure what I did wrong.
I hope your next batch turned out perfect!
Mine are a little bland but I think I added a little too much flour or cornstarch. oops! they definitely.melt though.
They’re definitely not packed with flavor … I don’t think shortbread normally is. I always use salted butter and the shortbreads taste lightly sweet and buttery. Did you use salted butter?
Hi Kristen,
I used a different shortbread recipe to make my first shortbreads today. Unfortunately the became so hard that the only one in the house who can eat them is my dog, (Can you say doggie stocking stuffers?)
So I started looking for some thing that will come out softer or easier to eat. A few minutes on google and I found you. I am so excited to try your recipe probably tomorrow while making Christmas dinner for my DH and me. I was wondering though, could I mix in different spices to make a spiced shortbread, or some lemon and poppy seeds, or other flavors?
I’m so sorry for the late reply! I’ve been away on holiday and haven’t had access to the comments. You could definitely use this recipe as a base for differently flavored shortbread. Your ideas are all great! I especially like the lemon idea. 🙂
This is the first time I’ve made Shortbread. OMG!! These were amazing! I did manage to eat only one because these are a gift, but I will definitely made more!
Thank you for a great recipe!
You are so welcome! I’m so happy to hear you love them as much as I do!
I have made this recipe for many years and always turned out great. Today, they were greasy and flat. I know now that the only difference in making them was that I used my Kitchen Aid for the first time and I am pretty sure it was over whipped. So disappointing as I won’t serve them but I know now for the next time – stick to what you always use – in this case, I will ONLY use my hand mixer.
I’m so sorry to hear this batch didn’t work out. I think you’re right that it was because the Kitchen Aid over whipped them. One reason to keep the old hand mixer around!
Hi Kristen,
I made these cookies for the first time last year and they were a huge hit! I ended up making them four times. I used my kitchen aid mixer and had no problems. Whipping them for ten minutes is easy when you can walk away…lol. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it’s a new family favourite!
I’m so happy to hear it worked for you in your mixer!
These were by far the best! I’ve never made shortbread before but they are my favorite Christmas cookie so I wanted some this year and decided to try. Actually, my 5 year old son actually made them (except for the beaters part, but he held the bowl 🙂 ) Not an ounce of an issue at all, not going flat, they remained perfect and very tasty. Now off to make another 2 batches!
Side note…. my second batch definitely “fell” but not completely flat so the only thing I did different was I used a mixer instead of a hand blender. I noticed the texture was way lighter after 10 minutes with the mixer so it might be too soft, hence it fell. The butter was slightly softer as well… so that to me would be the only reason why it didn’t stay peaked. My best guess is… the mixer over-mixed it too much so the dough wouldn’t stay firm.
I’m so happy for the feedback! I always use a hand held mixer since I don’t own a stand mixer. It never occurred to me that the reason the recipe is not turning out for some is that they are using a stand mixer. I’m going to put a note in the recipe as well as do some experimenting with beating the batter longer with my hand held. Thank you!
Hello Kristen, I made these yesterday, Too late I read your post about not using a Kitchenaide type beater. However, once I read it, after the batter was whipped, I put the batter in the fridge overnight, so that the butter would harden a bit. Then baked the cookies this morning. They didn’t fall, and they are delicious.
I’m so happy to hear that once you popped them in the fridge for a while they hardened up. Hooray!
A few years ago I made a recipe similar but neglected to keep it. Just made the dough and my husband and dad are going to flip! Thanks girl
You’re so welcome!!
My husband has been craving shortbread and instead of putting on a request to the chef he brought home terrible store made …twice..i have made several shortbread in the past but this is my new fav had no probs with any adpect an i halved the recipe due to lack of room temp butter.. I will be making another batch as soon as I re-stock my cherries!!! Tje only thing i adjusted was my time as.i have a gas iven an find it cooks a bit fast.
I’m so happy you like these! I’ll be making a batch for Christmas myself super soon. 🙂
Yuk, sorry these are terrible. They look messy and although they may be melt in your mouth, they are just waaay too buttery and spread out. They also browned very quickly, long before the 15 minutes. Disappointing. Tried to give it one star but it wouldn’t let me
I’m so sorry to hear these didn’t turn out for you. One question … did you use a stand mixer? A few readers have noted that when they use theirs (I don’t have one so haven’t been able to test it myself) that the cookies fall flat, but when they use a hand mixer the cookies look like they do in the pictures. I’m curious to know if that is maybe why they didn’t turn out.
Can I mix the ingredients in a food processor
I haven’t tried that before so I can’t say for sure, but it would probably work!
I’m about to make these shortbread cookies and want to use food processor too- did your’s turn out well, Tamara? I usually take a chance but wind up sorry I did!
Hi Eden,
Yes you can! I’ve now tested these several times in a food processor. Please read the post for more detailed instructions. You want to judge when they are ready by the texture of the batter – it should look like whipped cream. In a food processor, that takes about 5 minutes.
Could this recipe be put through a cookie press?
Hey, Susan! I haven’t tried putting them through a cookie press, but my hunch would be that they would be too soft to work properly. They really are melt in your mouth tender!
Mine just ran all over the place what did i do wrong
Hmmm that’s a little strange. Cookies will tend to spread when the butter is quite warm. Perhaps your home was much warmer than mine normally is? You could try placing the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before you put it in the oven. I’m sorry that happened to you!
I AM 64 YEARS OLD NEVER MADE SHORT BREAD GOOKIES BEFORE THEY TURNED OUT AMAZING
MY Mom made short breads for us at christmass SHE PASSED AWAY 4 MONTHS ago at the age of 93
I’m so happy to hear they turned out for you!!!
Hi, I made the cookies tonight and they turned out perfectly! I was wondering if I could freeze them, if not do I refrigerate and how long will they keep? Thank you for the delicious recipe!
They freeze great! My mom used to make them a month or more before Christmas and then freeze them. I even like them straight out of the freezer. 🙂
Hi Kristen, I really love shortbread cookie. I am going try this recipe today!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hope you love them as much as I do!
Oh!! Forgot to mention, let them sit to cool o cookie sheet for about 5-10 minutes before u touch the cookies, if you are too eager, they will crumble! Well, merry Xmas and happy holidays to everyone! Enjoy the season.
That’s a really good suggestion and I’m going to add to the recipe instructions. You definitely can’t pick them up til they’re cool. Thank you for mentioning that!
I made the cookies last night and they taste AMAZING!!! the only problem is once I bit into them, they break into a million pieces. How do I prevent them from crumbling? I followed recipe exactly.
They are very soft! We only eat them with a plate under our chins to catch all the crumbs. 🙂
Ok good to know! Maybe I’ll make them bite size to avoid any crumbs 🙂 thanks so much!! Excellent recipe!!
That’s really a brilliant idea! I’m going to make them bite-sized next year, too. 🙂
Hey – my mother still makes a similar recipe….she always said that key is to use soft butter, never touch dough with hands, and make each cookie bite size so will not flake/crumble apart when bite into it. They literally melt in your mouth. Integrate the flour and cornstarch gradually, then set timer for ten minutes – I made this today, first batch out of oven and I’m considering option on where to hide MY cookies…. 🙂
Oh I love the images you painted of your holiday celebration – what a wonderful time of year. My husband has been dropping not-so-subtle hints that he NEEDS shortbread this year, so this is a sign that I better get on it!
Ha ha sounds like both of our guys were having the same craving. Mine kept dropping not so subtle hints for weeks before I made these again. 🙂