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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! It makes great gifts and is perfect for your holiday dessert table.
Perfecting Whipped Shortbread
Over the years I have finally perfected my Whipped Shortbread Recipe to the point where I won’t fiddle around with it anymore. Usually when someone asks me about my treasured Christmas recipe, it’s all about my Grandma’s Christmas Pudding. While that is one hundred percent a family favorite, whipped shortbread has always and I do mean always been something that my family bakes at Christmas.
It seems to be something that a lot of Canadian Prairie folk make at Christmas as well. It’s never any other shortbread than whipped. Ever. This is all that graces our dessert tables at Christmas for shortbread.
That might change with my perfecting my Scottish Shortbread recipe however, as those are crispy, buttery perfection! Give those a try if you are looking for a harder shortbread.
Can I use margarine for this recipe?
Over the years, we’ve had to change from a 50/50 split of butter and margarine to all butter. Margarine lately has been declining in quality and lots of brands, specifically Imperial, just do not work with this recipe. It’s better with all butter anyway but if you are curious if you can use margarine, I do not recommend it any longer.
How to Make Whipped Shortbread
To make this whipped shortbread, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- candied cherries
- sprinkles
Directions
- Whip the butter and icing sugar together well. Once it looks all deliciously creamy, resist from eating it by the spoonful, and get your flour ready.
- Start the mixer and slowly add in the flour, until it has all been added in. Then you can proceed to let your mixer do all the work for you and whip it for 6 minutes. You are wanting lighter than air shortbread here.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough out onto an ungreased baking sheet or alternatively, use a piping bag and pipe it out. You can also use a cookie press to make shapes.
- Top with sprinkles or a piece of Christmas cherry.
- Bake them in a 275 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes; you want to dry out the shortbread in essence, not bake it, thus the low temperature. (If you have a warm kitchen or live in a warm climate, cool the cookies in the fridge then bake. They won’t flatten out).
How to Store Whipped Shortbread
Whipped Shortbread freezes very easily but also breaks easily so my recommendation is to store in an airtight container in layers between sheets of wax or parchment paper. You can store it in the freezer for a few months easily so if you make them a couple of months prior to Christmas, you can easily thaw them out in time for the holidays and they will taste amazing as always!
Whipped Shortbread Tips and Tricks
- Whipped shortbread is notoriously fragile and while using cookie presses are so much fun, when I gifted the shortbread I wanted it to stay together a bit more. After experimenting, I found that the best way to make it for gifting is using a cookie scoop or piping bag. The rounded dome and thickness helps these airy bites of buttery delight stay together much better than being dropped by the teaspoonful or shapes from a cookie press.
- You can use a cookie press like I did, but they are more fragile and finicky
- Whipping it for at least 6 minutes is also mandatory; most people don’t whip it long enough and then it’s just not as airy as it should be. These cookies should literally melt in your mouth.
- We never have used cornstarch and never will. I find it gives a weird mouth feel to it that I don’t like.
- Baking it a low temperature is the way my family has always made it. We dry it out, like a meringue, and don’t bake it so much. Most recipes are 350 degrees but we have always baked it at 250. However over the years I have found that 275 works the best. This also helps the shortbread melt in your mouth instead of baking up a little bit harder which is what baking it at 350 is going to do.
Without further adieu, here is my whipped shortbread recipe!
Happy Baking everyone!
Love,
Karlynn
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How To Make Perfect Whipped Shortbread
- Prep Time
- 7 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Total Time
- 42 minutes
- Course
- Dessert
- Cuisine
- Canadian
- Servings
- 24
- Calories
- 106
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- sprinkles for topping if desired
- candied cherries for topping if desired
Instructions
- Whip the butter and icing sugar together well. Once it looks all deliciously creamy, resist from eating it by the spoonful, and get your flour ready.
- Start the mixer and slowly add in the flour, until it has all been added in. Then you can proceed to let your mixer do all the work for you and whip it for 6 minutes. You are wanting lighter than air shortbread here.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough out onto an ungreased baking sheet. You can also use a cookie press and make shaped cookies!
- Top with sprinkles or a piece of Christmas cherry.
- Bake them in a 275 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes; you want to dry out the shortbread in essence, not bake it, thus the low temperature. (If you have a warm kitchen or live in a warm climate, cool the cookies in the fridge then bake. They won’t flatten out).
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Sheila Flett Slaney says
I made them with your recipe last weekend and sent them to my son at the Royal Military College. They currently being enjoyed by officer cadets there.
Dawn Tiller says
The best ever…yummy
Dawn Tiller says
Aunt Kimberly Marlene Perry!!
Pamela Sawyer says
Hi I was wondering if you can freeze these whipped shortbread and how long do they keep at room temp. I would like to make some for Christmas…thanks Pam
Sarah says
DANG!!!
These were SO simple to make and they’re seriously yummers!!
Used half marg and half butter… and added a 1/2t of Mexican vanilla 😉
Thank you thank you for making Christmas baking this year so easy!!
asavard4711 says
are you using salted or unsalted butter for your whipped shortbread
cookies ?
NonnaT says
Salted, Land of Lakes…
NatashaGonzalez says
Made this recipe 3 times, we love them! I added an extra half cup of icing sugar for a little more sweetness. Thank u for the great and easy recipe!
BW says
Thankyou for doing all the leg work and sharing this!
Made exactly as you say…. (with the marg) And I’m done, this recipe is it for me 🙂
Thanks again
NonnaT says
I followed the recipe exactly and used a small scoop. They stayed nice and high, baked at 275 for 22 minutes. They looked perfect! However I was not crazy about the texture or the taste. Perhaps I prefer basic shortbread. This was my first attempt, and I added nothing to the top. I wanted to see how they tasted “naked”. Lol. I will try one more time with different margarine. Perhaps the brand I used had an ” odd” taste. More experimentation to follow!
Pamela Sawyer says
NonnaT hi I made these last year and I too found they had a bit of an after taste..maybe I will try 1/2 butter and 1/2 margarine if I can find some not in a tub..glad It was”t just me.
Bree says
I lIke all butter…definitely taste better even if they don’t hold the shape as well.
RobinYeatman says
I don’t understand. I have made these cookies 100s of times and the biggest problem I had was burning out the mixer motor. I tried to make them over the weekend and they didn’t turn into a dough, it looked more like the crumbly mixture you would use for making a pie crust. I figured it was because I started with cold butter so I just tried them again and got the same result. I’m using a stick of butter and beginning to wonder if a stick is actually a cup.
DeniseStewart1 says
Have made these twice now. My husband “Mr. Fussy” loved the recipe so much he came home tonight with a bag of M&Ms to decorate the tops and demanded a batch to use up the extra margarine I had from Xmas. He had to convince me that the M&Ms would not melt all over the place. I do admit I added 1/2 tsp of Vanilla extract for a little something extra.
I also love your humor. ”resist from eating the dough by the spoonful”. LOL Your chocolate chip recipe was also a huge hit.
For the post below. Icing sugar is also known as powdered sugar or confection sugar. Regular sugar cannot be substituted.
Beverly Garfield says
What is icing sugar
wenreh says
Powdered sugar
Shirley Smith says
Have made these they are gorgeous!
Loretta Cameron says
Have made these for years .. so delish BUT mine do not look as perfect as the pix
Gloria says
Is it possible go chill the dough before dropping onto baking sheet instead of after they’re on the cookie sheet?
The Kitchen Magpie says
Awww shucks! Thank you for the nice words!
Dennis Loveridge says
Thank you
The Kitchen Magpie says
Good to know! Thank you!
The Kitchen Magpie says
Aw thanks! I look forward to the day I have it all written up LOL!! Very exciting!
The Kitchen Magpie says
I don’t think the taste will be as good but hey, you might like it! They will still bake up fine, it’s about taste.
The Kitchen Magpie says
Plain flour
The Kitchen Magpie says
Glad you liked them!
Jessica Tremblay Mullen says
I made these with half butter, half margarine last week and they are so good!!
Keyko Davidson says
Thank you! These are are my list!
The Kitchen Magpie says
Yes!
Keyko Davidson says
Is icing sugar powdered sugar?
Susan Ireland Then says
Yes it was really good, I think that is how I will continue to make them. I didn’t have a cookie scoop so they flattened out I little too much, but they were good.
Shawna Marie O'Reilly says
Okay…I will make a triple. : )
The Kitchen Magpie says
The margarine? I really do love them the best that way! I edited it into the bottom of the recipe. Some people just won’t trust me haha!
Melissa Ainsworth says
I took your advice that they turned out better that way and I love them!