Christmas Sugared Shortbread Cookies
These Sugared Christmas Shortbread Cookies are buttery, melt in your mouth shortbread cookies, with a festive twist. They have the classic shortbread flavor that we love, cut into Christmas designs, and finished with sparkling sugar on top. The cookies look as magical as they taste!
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Servings: 50 cookies
Calories: 56kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 TBS Green Sanding Sugar
- 2 TBS Red Sanding Sugar
Instructions
- Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and beat them together for 2 to 3 minutes until creamy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl down as needed. 1 cup Unsalted Butter, 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
- Add in the Vanilla Extract and mix it into the dough until combined. 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt to the dough and mix it together until just combined. Mix with your hands if needed to mix in the last bits of the flour. 1 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour, 1/4 cup Cornstarch , 1/2 tsp Salt
- Shape the dough into a round disc, about 8-10 inches across. Cover the disc with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least one hour.
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour a flat surface, and roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
- Press the cookie cutters into the dough, and then the stamp onto the cut cookie. Carefully lift the cookies onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart from each other.
- Continue to cut out the cookies, re rolling the dough as needed until all the cookies are cut into shapes.
- Generously sprinkle the tops of the cookies in red or green sanding sugar.2 TBS Green Sanding Sugar, 2 TBS Red Sanding Sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cookie sheets in the fridge to chill while the oven is preheating, about 15 minutes.
- Bake one pan of cookies at a time, about 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are a light golden brown and the tops are no longer shiny.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Chill the Dough: We can't skip chilling the dough. We want our cookies to hold their shape and designs, so the dough needs to be chilled, to allow the butter to resolidify. Then again to help the cookies really hold their designs.
- Roll to the Right Thickness: The cookie dough should be rolled between 1/4 and 5/16 inch thick. This is the sweet spot so the cookies aren't too thin and won't bake too crispy, but not too thick that they'll spread more.
- Storage Instructions: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature once cooled for up to 1 week. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. Thaw them at room temperature, then enjoy!
- Cookie Dough Storage: You can also keep the cookie dough in the fridge for up to 1 week, wrapped up tightly in plastic wrap. Or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw the dough in the fridge. After longer in the fridge the dough will need about 30 minutes to warm up at room temperature before you are able to roll it out to the right thickness.
Nutrition
Calories: 56kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 114IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.2mg