A traditional Christmas favourite here at the Kitchen Shed are my Christmas Shortbread Biscuits. Buttery melt in the mouth shortbread – delicious & easy to make. Perfect for a homemade gift!
I don’t know about where you are but it’s getting a bit hectic here at the Kitchen Shed with plenty of Christmas preparations between now and the big day.
Finally, all the chocolate peppermint crisps are made and now it’s time to make some more Christmas Shortbread Biscuits; I make our shortbread every year and add it to the Christmas hampers.
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE CHRISTMAS SHORTBREAD COOKIES?
This classic shortbread dough is such an easy recipe requiring only four ingredients.
- Butter
- Sugar
- Plain flour
- Cornflour or cornstarch
I use the classic 3:2:1 rule of three parts flour and cornflour (or semolina), two parts butter and one part sugar. I like to use cornflour because it gives it a tender breadcrumb but if you prefer a crunchier shortbread use semolina instead.
HOW TO MAKE AND BAKE
I use a stand mixer to make shortbread, it keeps mixing to a minimum and ensures a tender crunchy shortbread.
Alternatively you can cream the butter and sugar together with a hand held mixer or a wooden spoon in a large bowl. Add the flour and cornflour in 3 or 4 batches and mix until the dough comes together.
Either way it’s a quick and easy process.
Putting your shortbread dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes, treating it just like pastry, results in excellent shortbread.
The shortbread dough is pretty easy to work with so it’s perfect for children to get involved and share the fun.
Although I’ve used cutters to produce star shapes of different sizes and a moon, you can more or less make any shape which takes your fancy.
Bake in a low oven until pale golden in colour. Depending on the size and shapes you have cut, your seasonal shortbread goodies will probably take about 15 to 20 minutes to bake.
Lastly, you can ice your Christmas Shortbread Biscuits if you wish but for me a simple dust of icing sugar and gold sprinkles works a treat.
This is because my icing skills really aren’t up to scratch, as the photo demonstrates !
PIN CHRISTMAS SHORTBREAD BISCUITS FOR LATER:
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE…
…you might also like:
Pink Peppercorn Shortbread Hearts
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Christmas Shortbread Biscuits
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 225 g softened butter
- 110 g caster sugar
- 225 g plain flour
- 110 g cornflour
- A pinch of sea salt
- Icing sugar/confectioner's sugar & sprinkles for dusting
Instructions
- Warm the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, not too hot though.
- Add butter and sugar to the bowl and beat until creamed, which should take between one and two minutes depending on how soft your butter is and your mixer speed; number 4 to number 6 speed.
- Sift flour and cornflour into a separate bowl and then add half to your creamed butter and sugar.
- Start your mixer on slow (number 2 speed) to prevent the flour flying out of the bowl – mix for a few seconds. Add the remainder of the flour mix and combine until it all comes together around the beater – about 1 minute.
- Alternatively, you can cream the butter and sugar together with a hand held mixer or a wooden spoon in a large bowl. Add the flour and cornflour in 3 or 4 batches and mix until the dough comes together. Don’t overwork it.
- Wrap your dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 150℃/130°C fan/ 300°F/Gas Mark 2
- Remove the dough from the fridge and transfer to a floured work surface.
- Roll out the dough to just less than 6 mm (¼ inch) thick.
- Cut the dough using shaped cutters and then place your stars, trees, bells, etc on a baking tray.
- Bake in the oven until pale golden in colour. Depending on the size and shapes you have cut, your seasonal shortbread goodies will probably take about 15 to 20 minutes to bake.
- If the shortbread begins to turn brown before it is cooked, turn your temperature down by 10 ℃
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Sprinkle with icing sugar/confectioner's sugar & gold sprinkles or decorate with icing.
Notes
- I use a stand mixer to make shortbread, it keeps mixing to a minimum and ensures a tender crunchy shortbread.
- Makes approximately 24 to 36 depending on size and thickness – there was enough to make two Shortbread Christmas Trees.
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Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
I’m entering Christmas Shortbread Biscuits into a few challenges this month:
Teatime Treats, hosted this month by Karen at Lavender & Lovage and co-hosted by Janie at the Hedgecombers.
Ren’s Simple & In Season Challenge over at Ren Behan Food.
Christmas Shortbread Biscuits have been entered into Treat Petite created by Stuart over at CakeyBoi & hosted by Kat at The Baking Explorer.
Things are getting a bit hectic around here too, but these cookies look just like what I need to calm down. They’re gorgeous! I’ll take 12 please 😉
Thanks for the compliment Kristy. Hope things get less hectic for you soon.
These are excellent classic shortbread! And they’re so pretty!
Thanks Mary.
I love how easy these are to make and they bring back memories every year. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Emily, it’s a pleasure to share my recipe.
I just love shortbread… especially for the holidays! 🙂
Thanks Carrie, shortbread is a firm family favourite here at the Kitchen Shed too.
These look so pretty and they are amazing to taste! Thanks for this recipe
You’re most welcome Priya, it’s a pleasure to share the recipe.
Yum! These are perfect for Christmas, gifting and eating 😉 Short bread has always been a favorite at my house, can’t wait to make them again
Thanks Noelle, do let me know how you get on.
We’ve been making your recipe for a few years now. And they turned out perfect every time. Delicious!
That’s great to hear Lizet, thank you.
Nothing beats a good classic shortbread ! Love how the dough can be rolled thin and still holds up well!!
Thanks Brenda, putting the dough in the fridge for an hour makes it so much easier to roll out.
What beautiful cookies! Absolutely love your styling and the glittery tops. Such a fun recipe for the holidays.
Thanks Tara, that’s very kind of you. We enjoy making my shortbread every year the week before Christmas.
I love shortbread, but have never made it myself. This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Jessica, I hope you enjoy our Christmas shortbread as much as we do.
Love shortbread so much – these look so festive and so perfect for gifting. Thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare
WOW! Sarah, these are just DIVINE! I love the recipe and the photos and I hope you don’t mind, but I am going to use the photo for the lead thumbnail in my round up? THANKS for getting in the glittery and sparkly mood for Tea Time Treats this December! Happy New Year, Karen xxx
Thanks, I don’t mind you using my photo at all, it’s a lovely compliment. I enjoyed taking part in this month’s Teatime Treats & look forward to seeing what you have in store for us in January.
Happy New Year to you too Karen xx
I adore shortbread, it feel so luxurious somehow doesn’t it? Perfect for a festive indulgence. As I said on twitter, beautiful photo too. I find the styling so hard too, I think practise does help but I definitely have to work on it all the time. I’m not a natural! Thanks for linking to #festivefoodfriday and happy Christmas!
Thanks Sarah & thanks for your advice on styling. It’s been a pleasure linking up with #festivefoodfriday & Happy Christmas to you too x