Description
These Easy Decorated Christmas Shortbread Cookies burst with buttery richness and a tender, crumbly texture, beautifully adorned with a refreshing mint glaze and delicate buttercream piping. Perfect for festive celebrations, these cookies combine classic flavors with charming holiday decoration techniques that are approachable for bakers of all levels.
Ingredients
Scale
For the cookies:
- 8 ounces very soft salted butter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
For the mint glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons half and half or milk, maybe more
- ¼-1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- blue paste food coloring (Wilton Delphinium Blue recommended)
For the buttercream piping:
- 1 tablespoon very soft butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½-2 tablespoons half and half or milk
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- white nonpareils
- small white pearlized snowflakes for the tree topper (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside. Place the very soft butter in a medium mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, mixing by hand for about 30 seconds until fluffy and combined.
- Mix dry ingredients: Evenly sprinkle the flour and cornstarch over the butter mixture. Stir until the flour is incorporated and the dough appears shaggy. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, press into a ball, knead a few times until smooth, then form into a flat disk.
- Roll and cut: Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to ⅜-inch thickness. Keep the surface, dough, and rolling pin dusted with flour to prevent sticking. Cut circular shapes with a cookie cutter and place them on prepared pans. Gather and reroll scraps as needed.
- Chill: Refrigerate cut cookies for at least one hour, up to 24 hours, to firm them before baking.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Remove cookies from refrigerator and bake for 12-16 minutes, until edges just begin to turn golden. Rotate pans halfway through for even baking. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks before icing.
- Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, half and half, and ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract. Stir until smooth with a thick but pourable consistency. Adjust thickness with more half and half if necessary. Add more peppermint extract to taste. Mix in blue food coloring gradually until desired color is achieved. Transfer glaze to a shallow bowl.
- Glaze the cookies: Hold each cookie by the edges and dip the top side into the glaze ensuring full coverage. Lift out and let excess drip off back into a separate bowl. Once dripping stops, flip the cookie right side up and gently jiggle to spread glaze evenly. Repeat with all cookies. Allow glaze to dry for 15-30 minutes.
- Prepare buttercream piping: Stir softened butter in a bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar, 1½ tablespoons half and half, and peppermint extract. Mix vigorously until smooth and thick but spoonable. Add more half and half if needed.
- Pipe decorations: Transfer buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip (#3). Starting at the upper edge of a cookie, pipe Christmas tree shapes using increasingly wider horizontal lines, stopping about ¼-inch from the bottom edge. Immediately sprinkle white nonpareils on the piped trees. Optionally, add pearlized snowflake toppers. Let dry completely before storing.
Notes
- Half and half is an American dairy product commonly used as creamer; if unavailable, substitute with half milk and half cream, just milk, or just cream.
- The recipe yields about 16 large (3-inch) cookies or 24 smaller (2-inch) cookies.
- Once dried, the cookies can be stacked and stored in an airtight container for several days.
- Chilling the dough before baking helps maintain shape and improves texture.
- Use parchment paper to prevent cookies from sticking and to facilitate easy transfer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approximately 30g)
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 18mg
