A super simple rolled Shortbread Cookie recipe that the kids can help make, these Christmas Shortbread Cookies feature a quick chocolate or candy melt dip and are garnished with Christmas sprinkles for a fun, festive cookie that looks fancy but is incredibly quick and easy to whip up.

Easy Christmas Shortbread Recipe

Shortbread cookies have a daunting reputation for being really tricky – and that’s kind of a well deserved reputation!

There are so many shortbread cookie recipes out there and I’ve tried so many of them, only to be frustrated by how many result in a delicate cookie that practically breaks if you look at them wrong.

Today’s shortbread cookie recipe that I’m sharing with you is super straightforward, easy and will not result in those moments of frustration. While I really enjoyed the delicate crumb of using rice flour (a truly melt-in-your-mouth shortbread), I found the dough so tricky to work with so instead, I just use all-purpose flour and these cookies still turn out light, buttery and delicious.

If you want to experiment with a bit of rice flour, I would first make this recipe as written (so you know what the dough and cookies should look like at every stage) and then attempt a second batch replacing up to half of the all-purpose flour with rice flour.

I’ve also included 10 tips below for perfect shortbread cookies so be sure to read through those before getting started to ensure that you have the best shortbread baking experience possible.

Tips for Perfect Shortbread

1. Use good-quality butter and don’t substitute with margarine. You want a butter that you enjoy the flavour of because it will form the basis of most of the shortbread’s flavour.
2. Use room temperature butter that has been sitting out for a few hours or overnight. Don’t use any hacks like grating or microwaving the butter as you will end up with an over-worked dough.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together until very light colored, as you want the sugar to really dissolve well.
4. If desired, you can replace a bit of the all-purpose flour with rice flour to give the cookies a lighter texture, but don’t go over replacing half of the flour or the dough will be frustratingly delicate.
5. You can chill the dough twice, and it’s a good idea if you’ve spent too much time rolling out the dough or have been distracted. Note that I’ve developed this recipe to not need refrigeration, but refrigeration helps develop the flavour and is a good idea if you’re working in a hot or humid kitchen.
6. If doing a second chill, it doesn’t need to be for long and you don’t need to cover the dough – in fact, leaving it uncovered for 20-30 minutes in your fridge will help dry out the butter a bit and help the cookies become a bit more light and crisp with baking.
7. Ensure that all of the cookies are as close to the same size as possible to ensure even baking.
8. When rolling out shortbread, try not to overwork the dough as it will result in tough cookies.
9. Also, use a sheet of parchment or wax paper in between your rolling pin and your dough to prevent the dough from sticking or tearing with rolling.
10. You don’t want any browning in the baked cookies – you just want them to be light and set. The minute one cookie starts to show some cracks, the cookies are done.

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 classic Christmas cookie inspiration, check out our Classic Christmas Cookies ebook, where we have gathered 40 of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes – from Peanut Butter Buckeyes to Easy Shortbread, Cream Cheese Mints to Toffee Biscuits!

These cookies all share a few things in common:

• They are easy enough for the kids to help make
• They require no special ingredients requiring visits to 5 different grocery stores
• They are Christmas classics that everyone will be excited to see at the Cookie Exchange
• And they are delicious!

To make your holiday baking even easier, we’ve included several tips to ensure the best results so you can just focus on having fun with your kids and trust that these cookies will turn out perfectly, every time.

Grab your copy of our Classic Christmas Cookies ebook:

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Shortbread Cookie Ingredients

• Butter, softened
• White Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• All-Purpose Flour
• White Candy Melts or White Almond Bark
• Christmas Sprinkles

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: vanilla extract is non-traditional but I enjoy it in these cookies. Feel free to omit.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mixing bowl
• Electric mixer <– this is a great hand mixer if you don’t want to make the investment into a stand mixer
• Parchment Paper
• Cookie Sheets
• Cooling racks <– I have and love these tiered cooling racks, they save so much counter space and are also oven-safe
• Small bowl, for holding the sprinkles
• Rolling Pin

How to Make White Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, at least 2 minutes but you can beat for up to 4-5 minutes.

Beat in vanilla extract and then slowly beat in the flour until just incorporated.

Place the dough on a clean, floured surface. Place a piece of parchment paper over the dough and use a rolling pin to roll out to a 1/4″ thickness.

Use a round cookie cutter and cut out 40 cookies, re-rolling the dough as needed (but try to avoid overworking the dough).

Place the cut cookies on the prepared baking sheets, about 1″ apart.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until just lightly golden.

Allow the cookies to cool as you melt the white almond bark or candy melts.

Melt the almond bark in a microwave-safe bowl for 25 seconds. Stir and reheat as needed.

Dip each cookie individually in the melted candy melts, covering up to one half of each cookie.

Place each cookie back on the cookie sheets and decorate with Christmas sprinkles as desired.

Allow candy melts to set before storing or serving.

Pin this Easy Shortbread Cookie for your next holiday baking session:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies recipe:

Continue to Content

Yield: 40 cookies

White Chocolate Dipped Christmas Shortbread

Print

A super simple shortbread cookie recipe that kids can help make! This 4-ingredient shortbread cookie dough does not require any chill time so you can whip these up and enjoy in 30 minutes!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Butter, softened
• 3/4 cup White Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 cups White Candy Melts or White Almond Bark
• 1/3 cup Christmas Sprinkles

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, at least 2 minutes but you can beat for up to 4-5 minutes.
4. Beat in vanilla extract and then slowly beat in the flour until just incorporated.
5. Place the dough on a clean, floured surface. Place a piece of parchment paper over the dough and use a rolling pin to roll out to a 1/4" thickness.
6. Use a round cookie cutter and cut out 40 cookies, re-rolling the dough as needed (but try to avoid overworking the dough).
7. Place the cut cookies on the prepared baking sheets, about 1" apart.
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes until just lightly golden.
9. Allow the cookies to cool as you melt the white almond bark or candy melts.
10. Melt the almond bark in a microwave-safe bowl for 25 seconds. Stir and reheat as needed.
11. Dip each cookie individually in the melted candy melts, covering up to one half of each cookie.
12. Place each cookie back on the cookie sheets and decorate with Christmas sprinkles as desired.
13. Allow candy melts to set before storing or serving.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  AmazonBasics Silicone, Non-Stick, Food Safe Baking Mat - Pack of 2
• 
  Great Value Make Your Own Almond Bark, Microwaveable Vanilla Coating for Baking, Toppings, Sweets - 2 Pk (3 lbs)
• 
  Wilton Holiday Mix 6 cell Sprinkles

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

40

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 58mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g

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.

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I hope your family and friends love this easy shortbread cookie recipe as much as mine did – and that you have a great baking experience!

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