Description
Delicious and buttery shortbread cutout cookies perfect for festive decorating. Featuring a tender, crumbly texture with a hint of vanilla, these cookies can be adorned with colorful icing, white chocolate, and festive sprigs for a charming holiday treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour (gluten free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
Decorations
- 4 ounces white chocolate
- Rosemary sprigs, sprinkles, sanding sugar for decorating
- Red food coloring oil-based
Instructions
- Prepare the Butter and Sugar: Add the unsalted butter to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the powdered sugar, then beat again for 1 minute.
- Incorporate Vanilla, Salt, and Dry Ingredients: Add the vanilla bean paste and salt to the butter mixture and beat until fully combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add the flour and cornstarch and beat on medium-low speed until just combined and the dough starts to clump and pulls away from the bowl sides. It may seem dry at first; scrape and continue until dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll and Cut Out Cookies: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Flour a clean surface generously and roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use a floured round cookie cutter to cut half the cookies and scalloped round and small cutters for wreath shapes. Gather scraps, re-roll, and cut remaining cookies. Arrange cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheet and chill for 15-30 minutes.
- Preheat Oven and Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through, until edges are set and just beginning to turn golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make Icing: Whisk powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a shallow dish until smooth and lump-free.
- Ice the Cookies: Dip cooled cookies upside down into the icing carefully, avoiding breaking them when lifting out.
- Decorate Wreath Cookies: While icing is wet, place rosemary sprigs on cookies and sprinkle red sprinkles and sanding sugar decoratively.
- Decorate Santa Hats: Let other cookies set on baking sheet. Melt white chocolate and place some in a pastry bag. Mix remaining white chocolate with red oil-based food coloring to desired hue and place in a second piping bag. Cut tips or use small baking tips on both bags. Pipe red chocolate in a swirl shape for hats, then add white chocolate at the rim and top, finishing with sparkling sugar. You can substitute green food coloring for Christmas tree designs.
- Final Step: Allow decorations to set before serving. Enjoy your festive shortbread cookies!
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- For longer storage, freeze undecorated baked cookies up to 3 months and thaw completely before decorating.
- You can roll out cookie dough and freeze for up to 3 months; bake directly from frozen for convenience.
- Use oil-based food coloring when mixing with white chocolate to avoid seizing; water-based or gel food coloring will cause the chocolate to seize.
- Be gentle when dipping cookies in icing to prevent breaking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
