Whipped Shortbread Cookies
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With only six ingredients (plus sprinkles, of course), these Whipped Shortbread Cookies may be the easiest recipe you’ll make this holiday season. They take less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish–NO chilling required! Recipe also includes a how-to video tutorial.
Whipped Shortbread: The Easiest Holiday Cookie
Today I’m sharing a new addition to my collection of Christmas cookie recipes, and I think you’re really going to like this one! These whipped shortbread cookies are simple and quick, use less than 10 ingredients and there’s no chilling required!
These cookies have a classic, buttery flavor that’s reminiscent of my butter cookies, only lighter. They’re great served alone or with a mug of hot cocoa, and they’re sure to stand out in any cookie exchange. They’re perfect for the upcoming holidays (and simpler than classic sugar cookies) but really, they’re delicious any time of year.
You may be familiar with my standard shortbread cookies; even though they share a name, these whipped shortbread cookies are more airy. Thanks to some extra corn starch, they truly melt in your mouth!
Let’s get started!
What You Need
Since this recipe has so few ingredients, the quality of each one is particularly important. Keep this in mind as you gather your ingredients. Here’s what you need!
- Butter. While standard butter will work fine, this is a recipe where European butter will really shine (if you can find it).
- Powdered sugar. Using powdered instead of granulated sugar contributes to the airy, melt-in-your mouth consistency of these cookies.
- Vanilla. This is the time to use your good vanilla extract, if you have some.
- Salt. Use plain table salt–no need to get fancy here!
- Flour. Make sure to measure your flour properly and make sure you know how to use a kitchen scale if you have one, because it’s easy to accidentally use too much flour. Too much flour will make the dough dry, crumbly, and difficult to work with.
- Cornstarch. Powdered sugar already contains cornstarch, but we up the ante by using a bit more to give these cookies an even better, more melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Sprinkles. For decoration, you can use nonpareils, jimmies, or colored sanding sugar. Or you can skip them entirely! The sprinkles make these easily customizable for whatever holiday or event you happen to be celebrating!
SAM’S TIP: Almond extract would also taste lovely in these cookies! You could substitute some of the vanilla (I’d start with just 1/4 teaspoon since it’s quite potent, adding more according to your taste preference) for a twist on the classic whipped shortbread flavor.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Whipped Shortbread Cookies
- Beat together butter and sugar for several minutes until you have a light, airy, pale yellow and fluffy mixture. A stand mixer is great for this, if you have one!
- Stir in vanilla and salt then gradually add flour and cornstarch with mixer on low-speed.
- Scoop dough into balls and roll each briefly between your palms to make a smooth ball. into before placing on your prepared sheet about 1-2 inches apart.
- Use a fork to gently flatten each cookie (sort of like my peanut butter cookies, but we’re only using our fork one way instead of making a crosshatch pattern). Top with sprinkles (mandatory) and bake for 12 minutes. Don’t over-bake these cookies or they’ll be dry and crumbly.
SAM’S TIP: Make sure you whip your butter and sugar really, REALLY well. I like to use a stand mixer for this step, because it gets the job done much faster (just make sure to scrape sides and bottom of the bowl periodically!). Once I get to the point of adding the flour, I like to be much more gentle with the dough to avoid overdoing it, which can not only make the cookies a bit tough, but it can also make the dough greasy and difficult to work with.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are very similar; however, butter cookies are more rich and tender where whipped shortbread cookies are airy and light.
Cornstarch is one of my favorite secret ingredients! In these cookies, it keeps them from spreading too much, and it contributes to the melt-in-your-mouth texture that whipped shortbread is known for. Note that powdered sugar already contains cornstarch, but by increasing the amount and adding additional, we improve the texture even more!
While I largely prefer using unsalted vs. salted butter, you can use salted if that’s all you have on hand. Just reduce the salt that is called for in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Whipped Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter¹, softened
- ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar, (plus additional for imprinting cookies)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons (17 g) cornstarch
- Nonpareils, jimmies, or colored sanding sugar for decorating, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F (165C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl and use an electric hand mixer) and beat on medium-high speed (use high speed if using a hand mixer) until lightened in color, fluffy, and creamy. This will take at least 5 minutes with a stand mixer and possibly a bit longer if using a hand mixer. If needed, pause occasionally to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the butter and sugar are being well creamed.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter¹, ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- Add vanilla extract and salt and stir until combined.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¾ teaspoon table salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and cornstarch.2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons (17 g) cornstarch
- Turn mixer speed to medium-low and gradually add flour, stirring until just combined.
- Scoop dough into tablespoon-sized scoops and briefly roll between your palms to make smooth balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies 1-2 inches (2.5-5cm) apart.
- Use a fork to gently, slightly flatten each cookie. If the cookie dough is sticking to the tines of the fork, dip the fork in a bit of powdered sugar first to prevent sticking.
- Sprinkle cookies with nonpareils, jimmies, or sugar, if desired.Nonpareils
- Transfer to 325F (165C) oven and bake for 12 minutes. Cookies will still be light in color when finished baking. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before removing.
Notes
¹Butter
Butter is the most important ingredient in your whipped shortbread and the better quality you use, the better your cookies will taste. If you can get your hands on European butter, I recommend using that for this recipe (though they’ll still be delicious if you can’t!). The butter should be softened, but not so warm that it appears melty or oily.Salted Butter
If using salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Can the dough be froze for a week then thawed to bake?
That should work just fine. 🙂
Turned out beautifully–thank-you. For reference I whipped with hand beater for six minutes
The dough is so dry! Hard to roll into balls. Not my favorite. Measured perfectly. I see others have had similar problems.
Hi Diane! Did you make any substitutions/alterations? Are you at a high altitude?
No substitutions. Measured exact amounts. Did not overmix. Replaced vanilla with same amount of almond extract. I live in Canada about an hour from Detroit so no high altitude. Did not over bake but cookies are very hard. JMO… too much dry not enough moisture. All good.. just won’t use this recipe again….
I’m not sure what could have gone wrong if you weighed your flour here and didn’t make any substitutions. 🙁 You can see how my dough looks in the video. The cookies should be very soft when done. 🙂
Hi, Sam. Do you think these cookies would be candidates for using a cookie stamp on because 1). They need to be pressed anyway, and 2). They have no leavening? Thanks!
Hi Louise! While I haven’t personally tried it I would be concerned you may not have a crisp design on the finished product. I don’t know for sure, but if you do try it I would love to know how the design turns out. 🙂
Can we substitute with Cake Flour?
If substituted properly it should work here. 🙂
Substituted properly? So does that mean same ratio or different?
Cake flour is not a 1:1 substitute so you need to make sure to adjust accordingly. If you are weighing the flour it will be the same weight. If you are using cup measurements you will need to adjust.
I baked this recipe using a scale so maybe it was me – the dough was nice and soft and easy to work with but once we baked them I found them to be kind of dry and pasty, flavor is good but not the texture I was looking
I just made a batch of these and my goodness. I just ate my 5th one. I’m going to spoil my dinner! 😅
Absolutely worth it though!
They absolutely melt in your mouth! 10/10 I will be baking these often!
This has become a favorite go-to cookie recipe for many reasons. As the Friday baker at a Sister Jean Webster’s Kitchen & Pantry in Atlantic City feeds a multitute of those in need of meals and groceries. I’m honored to bake oodles of cookies & cupcakes in my kitchen during the week and volunteer serving our “guests”with home cooked meals from the kitchen.
This recipe has been adapted with a wide variety of toppings so that they look so cheerful to the les fortunate. Many comment how this cookie melts easily at 1st bite. It is important as older guests sadly do not have many teeth.
Baking well over a 150+ serving are hugs to humanity. Thank you for your recipes. With gratitude for the inspiration.
Love this recipe! Have been making them for years and they have turned out perfectly every time. I made today because they are eggless and with the current egg shortage and cost of eggs knew they would be the perfect choice.
These are my go-to cookies! They’re so delicious and easy to make.
I was wondering how would work if I added some ground Ginger spice to them.
Hi Sam? What is the difference between whipped shortbread and normal shortbread? Thanks!
Hi Ivy! The whipped shortbread are a bit fluffier and a little more melt in your mouth.
Regular shortbread is more substantial. Whipped shortbread is very delicate. Both have a strong taste of butter, so you can’t go wrong with either one.
easy and quick recipe. added leftover Christmas M&M to mine. thanks for another great cookie.
Made these cookies using other recipes. They turned out wonderful this recipe did not. It is a lot more work rolling out balls and it doesn’t taste as light and fluffy as previous recipes.
Hi Holly! I’m not sure what could have gone wrong. They may have needed to be whipped a bit longer. 🙁
These came out PICTURE PERFECT! Yummy & delicious too. thank you for this recipe- my guests (and hubby!) love them@
So glad they were a hit, Sarah! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 🥰
Decent recipe. I’d say just a tad on the salty side (I only buy unsalted butter so no error there). I’d reduce by 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. Instead of a fork I used a piece of wax paper and a heavy flat bottomed old fashioned glass to press the cookies instead of a fork to have a nice flat surface.
These cookies were absolutely horrible, they were so dry and crumbling, Couldn’t even roll them into a ball ?? The recipe says 1 cup of butter the recipe pictured shows 2 sticks of butter ,are you sure it’s not 2 cups of butter ? I whipped them for 8 minutes with hand held electric mixer .
Hi Lee! We’re so sorry the cookies didn’t turn out. A cup of butter is two sticks, so the image and recipe are correct. It sounds like your issue here might have been over-measured flour. Did you use a kitchen scale? If not, check out our post on how to measure flour properly for tips.
Disaster for me. Followed exact measurements, but the dough just disintegrates when I try to form it into a ball or anything. I’ve put the bowl of dough in the fridge, pondering what my next move should be…. I can see why another reader felt the need for more butter. But these measurements match other recipes I’ve seen, so trying to figure out where I went wrong…
These are phenomenal. I’ve been searching for years for a shortbread cookie that was more melt in your mouth than crumbly. These are perfection. Shortbread is my absolute fave but it’s so hard to find a GOOD recipe. Decided to add them in the rotation for Christmas cookies, made one batch and everyone ate them before I could package them up! Made another batch and if I could offer any advice, I’d say max out on the time creaming the powdered sugar and butter. The second time through, I whipped them a bit longer and the batter was nearly white. Sam is 100% correct – using high end ingredients makes all the difference. Splurge on the butter and the vanilla. These cookies are pure decadence. Thank you so much, Sam! ❤️
Thanks for the review, Lindsay! We are SO happy our recipe was a winner for you 🩷
I would recommend chilling the dough for 2 hours as this is what I did and they turned out amazing. whenever cookie dough is chilled it makes the taste and texture so much better
Hi Sam, I’m just wondering if these cookies could b3 frosted for Christmas?
Thank you for ALL your recipes!
Hi Pamela! You could certainly put a frosting on top if you’d like. 🙂