Apple Cider Shortbread Cookies
Melt-in-your-mouth Apple Cider Shortbread cookies feature a super simple 5-ingredient apple cider shortbread glazed with a 2-ingredient apple cider glaze. Take this recipe over the top by sprinkling with a touch of apple pie spice before the apple cider glaze sets.
Apple Cider Glazed Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Today’s fabulous fall dessert is a tender, buttery shortbread cookies with a sweet, creamy and full-bodied apple cider glaze with a hint of warm fall-inspired spices.
These easy shortbread cookies are chewy with just lightly golden edges.
If this is your first time making shortbread, you’ll notice that it’s a crumbly dough – very different to sugar cookie dough. You may need to press the dough together to make it cohesive. Avoid adding additional butter unless you just cannot get it to stick together.
Also, note that the cookies are still very pale when done baking. You do not want to bake these until golden. If they over-bake, they will become very crisp and delicate. I would err on the side of under-baking the cookies rather than over-baking them.
Apple Cider Cookie Variations:
- add crushed nuts to the cookie dough
- add a half teaspoon of vanilla bean paste (or some scrapings from a vanilla bean) to the apple cider glaze
- stir the apple pie spice into the glaze instead of just sprinkling it overtop
- use pre-made shortbread (or even sugar cookie) dough to make this recipe even simpler
Store the glazed apple cider cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Can these shortbread cookies be frozen? Yes – that’s one of the best things about shortbread is that it freezes beautifully and the flavour even improves with freezing – and one of my secret indulgences is sneaking a frozen shortbread cookie out of the freezer and enjoying it super cold.
To store, use parchment or wax paper in between layers of the shortbread and store in an airtight freezer bag or your favourite freezer containers (this set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain).
For More Apple Cider-inspired Recipes:
Apple Cider Cookie Ingredients
Shortbread Cookie Ingredients:
- Apple Cider
- Powdered Confectioner’s Sugar
- Unsalted Butter, softened at room temperature
- Pinch of Salt
- All-Purpose Flour
Apple Cider Glaze:
- Powdered Confectioner’s Sugar
- Apple Cider
- Apple Pie Spice, optional <– grab our homemade apple pie spice recipe here
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: do not skip sifting the flour, as it will help you avoid overworking the dough and will keep the cookie consistency light.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Electric mixer <– this is a great hand mixer if you don’t want to make the investment into a stand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Medium bowl
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper or Silicone baking mat
- Rolling Pin
- Round Cookie Cutter
- Cooling rack
How to Make Apple Cider Shortbread Cookies
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
Sift flour. Set aside.
Lightly flour a flat surface. (Cutting board)
Add the butter, powdered sugar, and apple cider in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer combine the ingredients.
Continue mixing while adding in the salt.
Slowly add the sifted flour, a cup at a time, continuing to mix for a few minutes. At first the mixture will resemble sand. Continue to mix until it begins to look like dough.
Slightly four your hands work with the dough and form a ball. Move the cookie dough on the floured cutting board.
Reflour your hands and coat the rolling pin with that flour.
Using the flour coated rolling pin roll the cookie dough out until it is about 3/4 inches thick.
With the round cookie cutter, cut out the dough to form the cookies.
Use a spatula to move the raw cookies to the prepped cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 6 minuted but not browned.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute.
Gently transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
Whisk the glazing ingredients ( apple cider and powdered sugar) together.
Spoon the glaze over the cooled cookies allowing the glaze to firm.
Sprinkle with cinnamon or apple pie spice.
Makes 18 cookies
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Apple Cider Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookie Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider
- 1 cup Powdered Confectioner's Sugar
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened at room temperature
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
Apple Cider Glaze:
- 1 cup Powdered Confectioner's Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider
- Apple Pie Spice, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
- Sift flour. Set aside.
- Lightly flour a flat surface. (Cutting board)
- Add the butter, powdered sugar, and apple cider in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer combine the ingredients.
- Continue mixing while adding in the salt.
- Slowly add the sifted flour, a cup at a time, continuing to mix for a few minutes. At first the mixture will resemble sand. Continue to mix until it begins to look like dough.
- Slightly four your hands work with the dough and form a ball. Move the cookie dough on the floured cutting board.
- Reflour your hands and coat the rolling pin with that flour.
- Using the flour coated rolling pin roll the cookie dough out until it is about 3/4 inches thick.
- With the round cookie cutter, cut out the dough to form the cookies.
- Use a spatula to move the raw cookies to the prepped cookie sheet.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 6 minuted but not browned.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute.
- Gently transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
- Whisk the glazing ingredients ( apple cider and powdered sugar) together.
- Spoon the glaze over the cooled cookies allowing the glaze to firm.
- Sprinkle with apple spice or cinnamon.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
18Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 219Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 23mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 2g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves this easy apple cider cookie recipe as much as mine does!
For more scrumptious cookies, check out our full cookie recipe collection here:
For more decadent desserts, check out our full dessert recipe collection here:
