These are my favourite Christmas cookies. They are super simple and they just melt in your mouth. Perfect with afternoon or after-dinner tea. I like making them small because they are basically just sugar, butter and flour. They are best as a one or two-bite treat! The best thing about these cookies is they are only 4 ingredients, all of which you probably have on hand. They do take some time to firm up after they are baked so I recommend making them at least the day before you plan on serving them to ensure they aren’t too delicate to touch.
Here are a few common questions on these cookies:
Do I need a stand mixer to make them?
No, but you definitely need an electric hand mixer if you don’t! I think it would be pretty difficult to achieve the fluffy texture you need with just hand mixing. But maybe you are stronger than me!
Can I use unsalted butter for these?
You could but I recommend using salted butter as it is already perfectly seasoned throughout. Since this cookie has very few ingredients, this is one of the few times I recommend using salted butter instead of unsalted. Usually, I prefer unsalted because you can control the level of seasoning yourself. If you did use unsalted butter, I would add 1 tsp kosher salt.
Do I need to use cherries on top?
No, those are totally optional! I like the festive touch they add but you could do them plain, or go crazy with sprinkles. Just be gentle with toppings as you don’t want to press out any of the air you’ve built up in the dough.
Can I halve the recipe?
Absolutely. This makes about 6 dozen small cookies. All of the measurements are easily halved, so go right ahead. The cookies do freeze well if you want to make the full batch and save some for future you.
Can I pipe these cookies, or use a cookie press?
Maybe? I actually am not confident in this answer so do let me know if you experiment with them! I personally think they are cute and charming as little imperfect blobs.
My cookies are falling apart when I touch them!
Be patient with letting them cool. Honestly, even the first day they can be pretty delicate. Once they are fully cooled the cookies are much easier to handle. I prefer to store them in the fridge (or winter garage which is basically a fridge) because I like them cold, but that also helps keep them firm.
How should I store the cookies?
I prefer the shortbreads cold but they keep well on the counter as well. I like to line my container with wax paper and place a piece of wax paper between each layer of cookies. I find the wax paper protects the cookies if they get moved around at all, and it’s not rough on them so they stay intact better. These also keep well in the freezer.
Counter/room temperature: 4 weeks in an airtight container
Fridge: 4-6 weeks in an airtight container
Freezer: up to 3 months
Mom's Whipped Shortbreads
This recipe makes about 6 dozen small cookies. You can halve it easily if you want less.
1 - 1.5 hour total prep and bake time
Ingredients:
1 lb or 454g of salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup icing sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
6-8 Maraschino cherries (if desired)
Method:
Cream together the butter, cornstarch and icing sugar for 1-2 mins until well combined using a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium speed.
Scrape down the sides and add in flour. Start on a low setting until the flour is incorporated and then turn up to medium-high speed for 15 mins. The mixture should almost double in size and look fluffy and cloud like.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (TIP: I prefer to use two cookie sheets so I can put one tray in as soon as the other comes out)
Dice maraschino cherries into 6ths and pat dry with a paper towel.
Drop 1 heaping teaspoon worth of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet. Place cookies 1 inch apart. Try not to disturb the cookie dough too much as you don’t want it to lose air.
Place a piece of cherry on top of each cookie and gently push it into place.
Bake for 10 mins until the bottom is lightly golden. The top of the cookie should not colour much.
Allow to cool on the sheet for 1-2 mins before transferring to a cooling rack. The cookies are very fragile until fully cooled - it takes 30-45 mins for them to fully firm up.
Repeat until all of the cookies are baked.
Store cookies in a container lined with wax paper on the counter or in the fridge (I personally love them cold!)