Whipped Shortbread Cookies

These delightful holiday whipped shortbread cookies will melt in your mouth. They are light, buttery, and SO easy to make.

Whipped Shortbread Cookies are classic holiday cookies that are always a hit. They are easy to make, light as air, and melt in your mouth with every bite. They are perfect for cookie exchanges. I love how light and buttery they are and prefer them over traditional shortbread cookies.

They don’t require any hard-to-find ingredients, either. The recipe only has butter, powdered sugar, salt, cornstarch, and flour. Pretty simple, right? You probably have everything you need to make these delicious cookies in your pantry and fridge right now!

This whipped shortbread cookie recipe makes 18 cookies. You can easily double or triple the recipe if you’re making a holiday cookie tray for a cookie exchange or want to make extras to put in the freezer for Christmas.

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I’d love to get back into holiday cookie exchanges again. I participated in one last year and ended up with so many delicious varieties of cookies—more Christmas cookies than I knew what to do with! I might ask a few friends this year if they’d like to get one going. If we do, I’ll make this easy whipped shortbread cookie recipe.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A super simple recipe you can make using ingredients you already have in your pantry or fridge.
• Bake up in under 30 minutes; they’re the perfect last-minute holiday treat.
• A classic cookie recipe that can be built upon with various spices, extracts, and mix-ins.
• Perfect addition to your holiday cookie trays.
• Great for freezing, so you don’t have to do all of your holiday baking all at once.

Ingredients

The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.

• Butter: This recipe uses unsalted butter, which gives the cookies their delicious buttery flavor. If using salted butter, omit the salt listed on the recipe card.
• Powdered Sugar: Also called confectioner’s sugar, it adds sweetness and helps create the cookies’ light texture.
• Salt: Plain table salt works just fine. Omit the salt if you’re using salted butter.
• Cornstarch: This helps bind the ingredients together and makes the cookies light, fluffy, and puffy. They’ll melt in your mouth!
• All-Purpose Flour: Measure your flour carefully using dry measuring cups or a kitchen scale. Too much flour will make your cookies crumbly, and too little flour will make the dough spread while baking.

How to Make Whipped Shortbread Cookies

Follow along to learn how to make whipped shortbread cookies!

• Step One: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grab a cookie sheet and set it aside.
• Step Two: In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients: butter, powdered sugar, salt, cornstarch, and flour. Beat with an electric mixer until the mixture creams together. It will be crumbly at first. Don’t panic! After you’ve mixed it for at least five minutes, it will come together and resemble cookie dough.

• Step Three: Drop by teaspoonfuls on the ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.
• Step Four: Remove the shortbread cookies from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.

• Step Five: Store cooled cookies in a covered airtight container.

What to Serve with Whipped Shortbread Cookies

• Enjoy a couple of cookies with a cup of my cinnamon hot chocolate. It’s cozy, sweet, and delicious—the perfect drink to warm you up on a cold winter’s day. 
• This gingerbread latte is an excellent choice, too. It’s my go-to fall and winter drink with rich spices and indulgent flavor that pairs perfectly with a tender cookie.
• To continue with the buttery theme, try this yummy butterscotch steamer. Hot, sweet, and brimming with butterscotch flavor, you can whip up a couple of cups in under five minutes to enjoy with your favorite cookies.
• There’s never a bad time to enjoy a cinnamon cappuccino. The sweet and warm combination of cinnamon and coffee topped with whipped cream is an irresistible treat, especially when paired with these cookies!
• Go for a deeper flavor with this mocha latte. The richness of the coffee and chocolate pair perfectly with the simple buttery cookies. 

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Allow your butter to soften to room temperature before mixing up your whipped shortbread cookie dough.
• To prevent spreading, chill the cookie dough in the fridge for 15-30 minutes before baking.
• Press down on the cookies with a fork to add some visual interest (they also make great ridges for holding sprinkles!).

Variations and Substitutions

• Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to increase the flavor factor. Try ¼-½ teaspoon of almond extract or lemon extract for a different flavor variation. These are more potent flavors, so you’ll need less than you’d use for vanilla extract.
• Top with sanding sugar sprinkles right before baking for shimmer and a festive touch — perfect for holiday baking.
• Add a thumbprint to each cookie to fill it with jams or preserves before baking.

Storage Instructions

These classic holiday cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days. They can also be stored in the fridge for an additional week or so. Allow cookies to come to room temperature before serving.

Can I Freeze?

Yes, you can freeze these cookies, baked or unbaked.

For unbaked cookie dough, drop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet by a teaspoonful and flash freeze for about an hour. When the dough is firm, transfer it to a zip-top freezer bag or an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. The cookies can be baked from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the baking time.

Let baked cookies cool completely, and then store in an airtight container. Thaw frozen cookies on a plate lined with a paper towel. 

Whipped Shortbread vs Regular Shortbread

Although they both use the same basic ingredients, whipped shortbread requires you to beat them together for much longer. We recommend whipping the ingredients for five minutes for this recipe. This process adds more air to the cookie dough, making cookies lighter and fluffier in texture. Regular shortbread cookies, on the other hand, are denser.

Why Did My Cookie Dough Spread?

If your whipped shortbread spreads and flattens on the cookie sheet, you likely didn’t add enough flour. Remember to use dry measuring cups for non-liquid ingredients. A dry measuring cup allows you to level it off perfectly, ensuring you have just the right amount.

Another reason for spreading is that the butter is too warm. Remember to use softened butter, not melted butter, to get the consistency just right.

Can I Use a Butter Substitute?

While you can substitute margarine for butter in equal measure, I don’t recommend it unless it’s a must for dietary reasons. Butter is the main flavor and ingredient in this recipe, so margarine, plant-based butter, and other butter substitutes change the flavor. When possible, use real butter for the perfect whipped shortbread cookies.

Can I Bake More Than One Sheet of Cookies at a Time?

I don’t recommend baking more than one sheet of cookies at a time. The cookie sheet should be placed in the middle rack of your oven for even heat distribution while baking. If you have one on a higher rack and one on a lower rack, the cookies on the lower one can burn on the bottom. 

Christmas Cookie Recipes

• Cinnamon Roll Cookies
• Fudge Cookies
• Rice Krispie Cookies
• Cream Cheese Cookies
• Fiddle Diddles
• Cool Whip Cookies
• Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies

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