A plate of pale golden stars and tiny trees is enough to make the kitchen feel ready for Christmas. These shortbread cookies keep the focus on butter and vanilla, with a delicate crumb and an optional dark chocolate dip. You can leave most of the batch plain and decorate just a few for a festive cookie plate.
The dough contains no eggs or raising agents. Instead of beating in lots of air, you mix it gently, roll it evenly and chill the shapes before baking. Simple cutters work best: shortbread is more delicate than a sturdy sugar cookie, so save very thin antlers and intricate snowflakes for another dough.
Why These Cookies Fit a Christmas Baking Day
- One dough, two finishes: serve them plain or dip a few in chocolate.
- Simple shapes: stars, trees, rounds and small rectangles all suit this style of cookie.
- Easy decorating: no piping bags or royal icing needed.
- A useful pause: chilling gives you time to clear the counter before baking.
For a contrasting color and texture on the same platter, add a separate batch of strawberry crunch cookies. Keep them alongside the shortbread rather than mixing extra crumbs into this dough.
Easy Christmas Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Yield: about 30–36 cookies, depending on cutter size and thickness
Active prep: about 25 minutes
Chilling: about 45 minutes
Baking: 16–20 minutes per tray
Total: allow roughly 2 hours for chilling, baking in batches and cooling; chocolate decorating adds setting time.
Equipment: mixing bowl, hand mixer or stand mixer, kitchen scale, rolling pin, parchment paper, baking trays, a thin spatula, cooling rack and simple cookie cutters about 2½ inches (6 cm) across. Use grams if possible, especially for the flour.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 225 g, softened but not oily or melted
- ½ cup superfine or regular granulated sugar, 100 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, 300 g, spooned and leveled if using cups
- ¼ cup cornstarch, about 30 g
- Optional: 3½ oz dark or semisweet chocolate, 100 g, chopped
- Optional: a small amount of red and white sugar sprinkles
Ingredient note: cornstarch contributes a delicate texture. This version is designed with both flour and cornstarch; changing their balance can change how the dough handles. If using salted butter, omit the added salt. Softened butter should take a gentle finger impression while still holding its shape.
1. Mix the Butter, Sugar and Vanilla
Beat the softened butter and sugar on low to medium-low speed for about 1–2 minutes, until smooth and combined. Scrape down the bowl, then mix in the vanilla and salt. The mixture should look creamy, not dramatically increased in volume.
You are bringing the ingredients together rather than making a fluffy cake batter. If the butter becomes shiny or greasy, stop and refrigerate the bowl briefly until it feels firmer but remains mixable.
2. Bring the Shortbread Dough Together
Whisk the flour and cornstarch together in a separate bowl. Add them to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until damp crumbs begin to gather. Stop the mixer and squeeze a small handful: it should hold together when pressed.
Tip the mixture onto a clean surface and gently press it into a cohesive dough. Avoid prolonged kneading. Divide into two portions, flatten into discs, wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. If the dough has chilled until very hard, let it soften slightly before rolling.
3. Roll Evenly and Cut Simple Shapes
Roll one portion between two sheets of parchment to about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Peel back the upper sheet, cut out stars or trees and transfer them with a thin spatula to a parchment-lined baking tray. Leave about 1 inch (2.5 cm) between cookies.
Keep the second portion chilled while you work. Press the scraps together gently and reroll them, using as little extra flour as possible. If the dough cracks a little around the edge, press it together; if it sticks or slumps, chill it again instead of adding handfuls of flour.
4. Chill the Cut Cookies Before Baking
Refrigerate the filled tray for about 15 minutes, until the cut shapes feel firm. Meanwhile, heat a conventional oven to 325°F (165°C). Position a rack near the center of the oven.
Use a cool tray for each batch. Putting fresh dough on a hot tray softens the butter before the cookies reach the oven. Group similarly sized shapes together, since small stars may finish before larger trees.
5. Bake Until the Edges Are Lightly Golden
Bake one tray at a time for about 16–20 minutes. Begin checking early if your cutters are small. The cookies should look set on top, with the edges and undersides just turning pale gold. They do not need to become brown all over.
Leave them on the tray for about 5 minutes, then move carefully to a rack. Shortbread is fragile while hot and becomes firmer as it cools. Let the cookies cool completely before dipping or packing them.
6. Add an Optional Chocolate Dip
Melt the chopped chocolate gently in short bursts in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring between bursts, or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water. Keep water out of the chocolate. Dip one side of each cooled cookie, let the excess drip back and place it on clean parchment.
Add just a few sprinkles while the chocolate is wet, then leave until set. Untempered chocolate can soften in a warm room, so keep decorated cookies cool and handle them by the plain edge. You can skip the dip entirely: the plain cookies are the base recipe.
Small Flavor Changes
- Orange: mix 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest into the butter and sugar.
- Lemon: use 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest for a brighter version.
- Spice: whisk ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon into the dry ingredients.
- A plain finish: leave off chocolate and serve the buttery shapes as they are.
This is a traditional flour-and-sugar recipe. If you need a different type of cookie, these keto lemon cookies use a separate formula; simply swapping almond flour into this dough will not produce the same result.
Troubleshooting the Dough
The dough seems crumbly: squeeze some together before changing it. Shortbread often looks loose in the bowl but holds when pressed. Very cold butter or overmeasured flour can make it harder to bring together.
The shapes spread: check that the butter was not melted, chill the cut cookies until firm and use a cool tray. Thin points will soften more easily than broad shapes, so choose simple cutters.
The cookies are tough: excess mixing and repeated flour-heavy rerolling can change the texture. Stop mixing once the dough holds together and roll between parchment when possible.
Storage and Gift Packing
Let plain cookies cool completely and let any chocolate finish set before storing. Keep them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, with parchment between layers. Avoid packing them with moist cookies or soft cake, which can change their crisp texture.
For gifting, use a rigid tin or box and cushion the layers with parchment so points do not break in transit. Pack plain and chocolate-dipped cookies separately if the package may become warm. Freeze plain, fully cooled cookies in a well-sealed container if preparing further ahead, then thaw while still covered before decorating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Christmas cookie cutters?
No. Cut the rolled dough into simple rectangles or rounds. Keep the thickness even and check the first tray early to learn how that size bakes in your oven.
Can I skip the chilling?
Chilling is part of this method. It makes the dough easier to handle and helps the cut shapes stay defined. If the kitchen is warm, work with smaller portions so the rest can stay in the refrigerator.
Are these sugar cookies?
They are shortbread-style butter cookies with no egg or raising agent. Expect a tender, sandy texture rather than the sturdier bite of many decorated sugar cookies.
Build a Simple Holiday Dessert Table
A small plate of shortbread works well with coffee or tea. For a larger dessert spread, pair the crisp cookies with a creamy dessert served separately, keeping each recipe’s texture intact.
This hot chocolate lush dessert adds a chocolate option alongside the buttery cookie plate.
