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These Whipped Shortbread Cookies are buttery, melt-in-your mouth cookies made with just 6 ingredients, including powdered sugar and cornstarch for an extra tender texture. Unlike traditional shortbread cookies, these are a drop cookie that you press with a fork and decorate with sprinkles if you want. They’re light, delicate, and slightly crisp, making them perfect for an holiday or occasion.
Why You’ll Love Whipped Shortbread
I’ve always loved shortbread cookies, and if you’ve spent any time here, you know I have lots of versions, but there is something about whipped shortbread cookies that makes them one of my favorites. I love a cookie that’s pure butter, and they practically dissolve when you bite into them. Plus, they’re the perfect no-fuss Christmas cookie: no rolling, no cookie cutters, no frosting. You just need a fork, cookie scoop, and some sprinkles to make them pretty for any occasion.
I’ve learned that the simplest cookies are often the ones where technique matters most. You really need to whip the butter and powdered sugar until they’re light and fluffy, and don’t rush that step, especially if you’re using a hand mixer. Cornstarch is what gives these their delicate texture, and baking them at just 300°F keeps them from browning too much.
Whipped Shortbread Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: Start with softened, room temperature butter and use unsalted if you have it. If not, you can omit the salt in the recipe to make up for it. Room temperature butter is key! Also, be sure to use real butter!
- Powdered Sugar: Using confectioners’ sugar in place of granulated gives the cookies a tender crumb.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the best for cookies.
- Cornstarch: the cornstarch adds a binding quality but also keeps the cookies soft – these are soft AND crunchy – tender cookies that melt in your mouth.
- Vanilla and Salt: Both are for flavoring. Feel free to use any kind of extract you want to change up the flavor (lemon extract for lemon shortbread cookies or even almond extract would be fantastic).
Be sure to measure your ingredients properly: spoon and level the flour and powdered sugar so you don’t accidentally pack it and use too much. Learn how to measure flour here. I love using a kitchen scale for this.
Dorothy’s Expert Shortbread Cookie Tips
- This recipe is not written for a cookie press or a piping bag. That’s a slightly different recipe (although it’s very similar). You just need to scoop and flatten with a fork.
- The sprinkles are optional, but add so much color!
- You know when whipped shortbread cookie recipe are done baking when the bottoms are slightly light golden brown and they don’t look doughy. The finished cookies won’t change much in color.
Whipped Shortbread Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar, measured correctly*
- 1 ½ cups (186g) flour, measured correctly*
- ½ cup (61g) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Nonpareils for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. (Yes, that’s 300 – not a typo.)
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or hand mixer with a very large bowl. Mix it until it’s nice and light and fluffy and smooth, about 3-5 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl during mixing. (3 minutes for a stand mixer, 5 minutes using a hand mixer.)
- Add the flour, cornstarch, salt and vanilla and mix until smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon size balls of cookie dough and roll them between your palms to form a ball. Place on cookie sheet. These don’t spread so you don’t have to space them more than 1-2” apart.
- Lightly flour a fork and use the tines to press down the cookies. Top with nonpareils in your desired color.
- Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Cool slightly before removing from pans.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to make Whipped Shortbread Cookies
- The butter and powdered sugar need to be totally combined and fluffy.
- Mix the remaining ingredients until a smooth dough forms.
- Roll each 1-tablespoon cookie dough ball between your palms to make them look better.
- Like peanut butter cookies, these will not flatten much on their own so they need to be pressed flat with a fork.
- Add sprinkles before baking so they stick from the heat of the oven.
Easy Shortbread Cookies FAQ
It keeps them soft and tender and adds that crunchy yet crumbly texture.
Chances are your butter was too soft or you didn’t add enough flour.
These will last up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Yes you can freeze these in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Whipped Shortbread Cookies melt in your mouth! These easy cookies with cornstarch and flour are the BEST Shortbread recipe EVER! Add sprinkles in whatever color you like – these are the perfect cookie all year, but we love them especially around Christmas.
Looks delish. Will make for staff lounge…do you have weight measurements for the dry ingredients?
Just added them!
These cookies are perfect! I made them today with two granddaughters! Thx for the great recipe!!
They are not bad, but they have a starchy taste and the dough must be allowed to rest and cool in the fridge before baking, otherwise they will stick and that is not mentioned in the recipe.
I did not have that problem – they shouldn’t need to be chilled. If the dough is too soft, possibly your butter was really soft when you started – if it’s hard to press with the fork you can dip the fork in powdered sugar or dampen it and it should be just fine.
The dough was good for rolling balls but they tasted very starchy.
I made these but I sure could taste the starchy cornstarch. I have tried another shortbread cookie recipe that used regular flour and a bit of rice flour. They were wonderful. Is there a reason you use cornstarch? Is it to hold the cookies together? Help.
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