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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
A good whipped shortbread is a perfect combination of butter, flour, and sugar. This recipe is tried and true, easy to follow, and absolutely delicious. Make a batch to devour immediately or freeze for another day.
How to make perfect whipped shortbread! This is my Grandma’s shortbread recipe that we have been using for decades now and this is the only shortbread that we ever make at Christmas! Why not try my Grandma’s Christmas Pudding too?
Reader Review
I have made this recipe for several years. It is always spectacular! Melt-in-your-mouth goodness! I have used a teaspoon to drop the cookies and a small scoop, both work well. This is not a recipe to roll out and cut with cookie cutters. This is a favourite of my family and make it especially for Christmas!
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This is a very easy recipe, especially if you have a stand mixer.
- Total Time: This recipe will take you approximately 45 minutes from start to finish, depending how many cookie sheets you can fit in your oven at once.
- Variations: Try adding a drop or two of vanilla, almond extract, coconut extract, or another flavoring to the cookie dough. Not too much though! If you don’t like candied cherries, why not try different candied fruit? You can also add a few drops of food coloring if you’d like to make these red and green, or sprinkle on some finishing sugar.
- Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a stand mixer or hand mixer and large bowl, a spatula, a cookie scoop or tablespoon, cookie sheets, and cooling racks. If you would like to make some fancier shapes, you’ll want a piping bag or a cookie press.
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
Butter: For this recipe, you’ll need salted butter rather than unsalted. This isn’t the type of recipe that works well with margarine as a substitute.
Flour: Just all-purpose flour for this. Nothing fancy or specialized required here.
Icing Sugar: Depending where in the world you live, this fine sugar may also be called powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar. It will add sweetness and structure to these delicious cookies.
Toppings: The classic topping for whipped shortbreads is candied cherries, but you can skip them if you aren’t a fan. Sprinkles of any shape or size are another fun way to decorate these cookies. You can even find a themed assortment of sprinkles in the baking section at the grocery store.
How To Make Perfect Whipped Shortbread
This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Preheat oven to 275°F.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Add flour slowly, beating constantly until fully mixed. Whip shortbread for 6 minutes on medium speed, scraping sides of the bowl with a spatula every two minutes.
- Use a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon for scoop dough onto cookie sheets. Top with cherries and sprinkles.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the bottoms are brown. Transfer to racks to cool.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Whipped Shortbread
Take Your Time: Both the whipping and the baking parts of making whipped shortbread take time. Trust me, the results are worth the effort. You need that full 6 minutes, maybe even more, of whipping time to get the dough as fluffy and airy as possible. The low and slow cooking time is all about drying the cookies rather than cooking them, similar to the method you might use to make meringues.
Be Strategic: If your cookies are going to sit on your counter to get devoured immediately, you can get away with making them into fancy designs with a cookie press. But if you plan to gift these cookies (and you’d like them to survive travelling around in a container in your car) you may want to choose a simpler scooping method. A piping bag will allow you to do some basic swirls, or you can keep things simple and uniform with a cookie scoop or tablespoon. Another way to keep your cookies sturdy would be to freeze them until just before you plan to eat them.
Storage Instructions
You can keep whipped shortbread in a sealed container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, or freeze them for 4-5 months.
More Delicious Holiday Cookie Recipes
Are you looking for some more fun cookies to add to the treat spread at your next holiday party?
Try making some Old Fashioned Gingerbread or a batch of Fudgy Gingerbread Brownies.
Itching for some rolled out cookies to decorate? Take a peek at The Best Rolled Sugar Cookie Recipe.
There you go. A simple recipe for making perfect whipped shortbread cookies that will melt in your mouth. Try them for your next party and let me know how you like them.
Happy Baking!
Karlynn
How To Make Perfect Whipped Shortbread
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- ½ cup confectioners sugar, icing sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Toppings
- sprinkles, nonpariels,
- 12 candied cherries, cut in half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275°F. ( you will need to bake the cookies in batches)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and icing sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Slowly add the flour, beating constantly, until all the flour is incorporated. Whip the shortbread mixture for 6 minutes on medium speed, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula every 2 minutes.
- Use a small cookie scoop or a Tablespoon to scoop the dough onto two ungreased baking sheets. Top with candied cherries or sprinkles if desired.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the bottoms are nicely browned. Remove from oven and carefully transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Store for 2 to 3 days at room temperature in a closed container or freeze in a closed container for 4 to 5 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Gwen says
Super awesome best ever recipe just follow her instructions ❤️❤️✌️🌻
PamW says
Do you use the paddle attachment on the mixer or the whisk
Mr. Kitchen Magpie says
Paddle attachment, yes
Laurie Waller says
What is icing sugar? I have never heard of this before.
C says
In Canada it’s referred to as icing sugar, other regions call it powdered sugar or confectioners sugar.
Carol J. Clarke says
Can you use unsalted butter.
Mr. Kitchen Magpie says
You can but you’ll lose some of the flavor
Karalee T says
Curious to know what piping tip you used to get your cookies looking that way!
Thanks ☺️
Karlynn J says
A cookie press! Most of them are the wreath shape. You can thrift them you don’t have to buy them new!
Pam says
I have made this recipe for several years. It is always spectacular! Melt-in-your-mouth goodness! I have used a teaspoon to drop the cookies and a small scoop, both work well. This is not a recipe to roll out and cut with cookie cutters. This is a favourite of my family and make it especially for Christmas!
Sheri Shaw says
This recipe looks awesome!! Can’t wait to make it, even though it is summer….lol
Question….
I grew up with my mother using a cookie press from the 1940’s. Do you know what that butter cookie recipe was called back in the day?
Thanks
Joanna Lambe says
Can any kind person give me measurements in grams instead of cups please?
Glenn says
A cup of flour weighs 120 grams. I am surprised the I have never seen a shortbread recipe with the weight of flour.
I always fluff the flour and use a knife to level the flour when I scoop it up. Even a slightly packed cup of flour will weigh much more than 120 grams.
Janet Baughman says
Delicious and so easy!
I piped the cookies then put them in the fridge for 15 minutes.
This will become a yearly tradition!
Christie R. says
These are the best shortbread I’ve ever made… melt in your mouth yumminess! Not sure where the other reviewers had issues, make sure to use powdered/icing/confectioners sugar and must whip using stand mixer for 6 minutes. The only problem is how quickly they disappear after making them!
Andy says
Flavour was good, but were cooked by minute 18. Started to spread, and I had them in the fridge before baking.
Glenda Ducharme says
I followed this recipe to the letter, and I got cookies that spread flat, and were definitely not fluffy. They were crispy, not soft. I measured carefully so not sure what I did wrong. Will not be using this recipe again, as it just does not work for me.
Sheryl says
You must chill the dough until it is stiff, maybe half an hour. If my kitchen is hot I will put cookie sheets in the freezer while dough chills. Don’t give up on this recipe, it is superb!
Brie says
Can you store them in a container? How long do they stay fresh after baking?
Diane Kuroda says
I have never heard of ” icing sugar” . Have been baking and reading cookbooks over 50 years. Is this the same thing as powdered sugar ?
Mr. Kitchen Magpie says
It’s also known as confectioners sugar.
Ida says
😂 seriously??
Nettie says
Diane; powdered sugar, icing sugar and confectioners sugar are all the same thing and what is referred to as may be dependent on where you are in the world. A quick google search of icing sugar will provide very clear information if you’re still confused.
Joyce villeneuve says
I love your recipes and have enjoyed your books the little stories of your family make it seem like I was there
Linda says
So good…melt in your mouth! Great recipe! Thank you!