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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.
Yes, you can use margarine
For those of you who’ve been around since I originally published this in 2013, you may recall that my recipe was slightly different at that time. If you prefer my old method, simply use 1/2 cup of margarine and 1/2 cup of butter instead.
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.
The Kitchen Magpie says
LOL and you can see below that most people just change it to butter on me. Ahem Candice Patterson 😉
Melissa Ainsworth says
I made 4 batches of half butter half marg and they are divine!
The Kitchen Magpie says
Yes, that’s how I usually make it but everyone seems to make it all butter! Did you like the margarine version?
The Kitchen Magpie says
Make at least a double batch, mine was triple. If you’re already making the mess…
Candice Patterson says
made it today with all butter they are amazing!!
Melissa Ainsworth says
I made it off the blog and it called for a half cup butter and a half cup hard marg
Danielle DenAdmirant says
Ooooo yay! I am gonna make a gluten free for my daughter and some regular for my nephews. Thanks for posting! 🙂
Susan Ireland Then says
But the recipe that i have that you have called for margarine
Susan Ireland Then says
Made these today they literally melt in your mouth. Delicious
The Kitchen Magpie says
I’ve heard it works beautifully and is delicious!
Sheryl L McDonald says
I need to make sure I have this pinned. I’m definitely making these!!
Raeleen Tascona says
Made this the other day… Fantastic! Will try a gluten free flour next time
Shawna Marie O'Reilly says
Thank you!! Hmmmm… maybe I can make some tonight!!! Ribs are in the oven yet. Happy Baking!!
The Kitchen Magpie says
I have some in the oven, again! I make them about two or three times during the season. I figured I’d share the whole recipe here for everyone to make it easier!
Shawna Marie O'Reilly says
I was suppose to makwe these this weekend…havent quite got their yet!! haha… Tomorrow I will.. : )
Krystle says
Thee cookies are perfection. This is my second year making them for Christmas. My husband is so picky with shortbread, and this recipe takes the cake- he loves them!
thekitchenmagpie says
@Krystle Woohoo! I am so glad to hear it!
Zayga says
This recipe is from heaven. Thank you X 1,000 for sharing Karlynn. And I’m going to kick my neighbor’s butt in the shortbread bake-off!!
thekitchenmagpie says
Zayga LOL! That made me smile this morning!! Go and kick butt!
Kim Brown-Laplante says
Made these today!!!! So yummy. Will be making another batch next week:)
lisa says
I just made these this morning!! So delicious and melt in your mouth goodness. I used all butter because margarine is nasty stuff.
Kim Brown-Laplante says
Awesome!!! I have a cookie exchange next week and I need 7 dozen:). Thanks:)
The Kitchen Magpie says
Oh a good 3 dozen but I always double it! If you’re bothering to make the mess, just double it!
The Kitchen Magpie says
Well….this might be a recipe I’m working on…. 😉
Kim Brown-Laplante says
How many cookies would you say this recipe makes?
Elaine Aschenmeier says
I love whipped shortbread! I used to make lots of it for Christmas!
The Kitchen Magpie says
Yay! So glad that you loved them!
Joy Vieira Velozo says
Question … Sitting here eating the cookies and wondering if you’ve ever substituted cocoa powder for part of the flour to make a whipped chocolate shortbread? If so, does the cocoa make them heavier or change the texture?
Joy Vieira Velozo says
They are fantastic! Melt in your mouth,my 10 yr old loves them. thank you for sharing the recipe 🙂
The Kitchen Magpie says
Let me know what you think!
Joy Vieira Velozo says
baking in the oven right now… I can’t wait to try them 🙂
Linda E Zavitz says
These are great I made them last year and will be again in the next few days! Thanks!