Whipped shortbread cookies are light as air with a delicious buttery flavor. They melt in your mouth because they’re so soft, and only require a few simple ingredients. Learn all the tricks for making this classic holiday cookie recipe.
Shortbread is such a classic holiday recipe. Buttery, delicious, and not too sweet – it’s the kind of classic that reminds you of your grandmother. What I especially love about whipped shortbread cookies is that they’re extra soft and melt in your mouth. So I figured it was time to share my recipe for whipped shortbread.
What’s the difference between whipped shortbread & regular shortbread??? Good question.
Regular shortbread & whipped shortbread both use the same basic ingredients. However, when making whipped shortbread you beat the ingredients together for much longer – aka whipping. This adds more air to the batter, which creates a shortbread that’s lighter and more delicate in texture.
So unlike regular shortbread cookies that can sometimes be a little dense – whipped shortbread is lighter, fluffier, and has more of that melt-in-your-mouth quality.
Tips for Making Whipped Shortbread
Making these whipped shortbread cookies isn’t overly difficult – but the batter is definitely delicate. Which means that you have to be careful otherwise the cookies can get tough or just end up falling apart. So with keeping that in mind, here’s my tips:
- Use real butter. The main flavor in shortbread is butter – so margarine doesn’t really cut it.
- The butter should be softened, but not melted. If the butter has melted, the cookies can spread and burn on the edges.
- Make sure to really whip the ingredients – beat for at least 5 minutes. If you don’t beat for long enough, the cookies won’t be light as air.
- Making shortbread with cornstarch is necessary for the perfect light, delicate texture.
- After multiple experiments & recipe tests, I found baking shortbread at 300F gave the best results. If the oven is too high, the edges are likely to over brown/burn and the cookies can get dry. The lower temperature also helps to give that extra soft texture.
- Lightly dust your hands with cornstarch before forming the cookies into balls.
- You can use a cookie press if you like, but I find this adds an extra level of complexity, and potential for your cookies to fall apart.
- After forming the dough into balls, I like to gently press the tops down with the tines of a fork and then sprinkle on a few sprinkles.
- How long does shortbread bake for???? Longer than most cookies. If you form your cookies into balls about 1 tablespoon in size, they’ll take about 15 minutes to bake.
- If the cookies spread too thin, that likely means there wasn’t enough flour or the butter started to melt. To fix this, pop the dough balls into the fridge for 15-30 minutes before baking.
- For best results, only bake 1 cookie sheet at a time on the middle rack of your oven. If you bake 2 at a time with one on a lower rack and the other on a higher rack, the one at the bottom can get burnt on the bottom.
These whipped shortbread cookies make for such a delicious, classic holiday favorite. They turn out light as air with such a delicious buttery, vanilla flavor. Adding a few sprinkles makes them extra pretty – and they’re the perfect addition to your holiday baking.
Make Ahead Tips:
To freeze the dough, form the cookies into balls first then place on a baking sheet and freeze. Once the dough is firm, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, and add 2-4 minutes onto the baking time.
To freeze baked cookies, after baking cool the cookies completely. Freeze in an airtight container. When ready thaw, place the cookies on a cookie sheet or plate lined with paper towel and thaw in the fridge.
Looking for more holiday cookie recipes? Try these Holiday Sprinkle Cookies, Toffee Icebox Cookies, or Extra Soft Sugar Cookies
Whipped Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or baking mats.
- In a large bowl beat the butter and powdered sugar until very fluffy and aerated (at least 5 minutes.
- Mix in the flour, cornstarch, salt and vanilla extract.
- Dust your hands with cornstarch, then form the dough into balls about 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon in size.
- Place on the lined cookie sheets and press down the top of each cookie with the tines of a fork dipped in cornstarch (this prevents sticking). Add a few sprinkles to the top of each cookie.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the tops look set.
Debbie Webb
The recipe calls for unsalted butter but adds salt back into the recipe? Is there any difference in just using ‘salted butter’ and omit the extra salt?
Fiona
Great question! I like to use unsalted butter and add salt in because different brands of salted butter have different amounts of salt – so that way I have more control over the salt. If salted butter is what you have on hand – feel free to use it and omit the salt.
Nicole
When I make this recipe, we almost always have only salted butter. I also add the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and they turn out great. Either way, this recipe is awesome. My whole family loves when I make these for them!
Meghan
Sounds delicious! Does the recipe double well?
Pearse
Can this be piped using a piping tip?
Thanks
Fiona
I haven’t done it myself – but I know some readers have with success.
Linda L. Wells
I loved this recipe! I added ground Cardamom. Love that spice for the Holidays’. The shortbread was perfectly sandy and melted in my mouth. I will make these every year!
Fiona
That sounds delicious wit cardamom!
Josie
Once taken out of the oven. Do you remove the cookies from the sheet right away, so they don’t continue to cook. Or do you let them rest.
Fiona
I usually let them rest on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to continue to cool.
Kimberly
Amazing cookie. So light, but full of flavor. I only wish I had made two batches. Glad I found this recipe. I will be adding this to my “must makes” every year. They’ll be perfect for other holidays by swapping out the different color sprinkles.
Karen
I agree
Darlene
I loved this recipe. They turned out light and fluffy and the directions were explained well. The only thing I found that could be explained a little better is when you are using your mixer first it is very dry, then crumbly, and then works into smooth and finally creamy. Then put in fridge for ten minutes to cool the batter down. The other thing is I had some Tbsp it took 21 minutes to bake, 1/2 Tbsp took an extra three minutes and if you made very small ones it took the 15 minutes. Now I live in Northern Alberta Canada so maybe that has something to do with it? Ha!
J
Thank you! I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. I didn’t let it mix long enough and it was crumbling.
JET
Fantastic recipe! My daughter and I had so much fun making these together! I could honestly eat the dough by itself lol Thank you!!!
Beverly Carr
Oh my goodness, these are DELICIOUS! This recipe is so easy and the cookies turned out wonderful. I don’t have a lot of extra time to bake and these didn’t take long at all. The texture is just as you described and I like that they are lighter than my shortbread recipe for thumbprint cookies. Thanks also for the extra tips and hints. I’m learning these tips and hints make baking so much easier for the first go round. Nothing was wasted and no cookies will be left uneaten!
Marilyn
Made these for my gluten free, egg free kiddos ! They turned out very good using gluten free flour. Just needed to bake for 20 minutes.