These easy Whipped Shortbread Cookies will blow you away with how buttery and delicious they are! Whipping the butter creates an airy, melt-in-your mouth texture that will have everyone asking for more.
Whipped Shortbread Cookies are a classic Christmas cookie recipe, but they are also one of my favorite cookie recipes to make when I need a sweet little treat during the other 11 months of the year.
This recipe is super simple, mixed up in just a few minutes in my trusty stand mixer with ingredients that I usually already have in the pantry.
Like all good shortbread cookies, these are egg-free, deliciously buttery, and very difficult to resist!
Want to try some other amazing shortbread cookie flavors? You’ll love my Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies and Lemon Shortbread Cookies.
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Whipped Shortbread Cookie Recipe Highlights
- Easy No-Chill Cookie Recipe. If you don’t feel like waiting for your cookie dough to chill in the fridge for an hour before baking it, then this is the recipe for you! Whipped shortbread cookie dough goes directly from the mixing bowl to the oven, no chilling required.
- Amazing Texture. Shortbread cookies can sometimes be dense, but not these ones! Whipped shortbread is airy and light, and when baked, creates the most lovely melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Fun to Decorate. I’ve added rainbow nonpareils to the top of my cookies, making them cute and fun for any occasion. You can decorate with holiday sprinkles or whatever your favorite color is.
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Butter: Use fresh, unsalted butter in this recipe, and be very sure that is is softened to room temperature. We want to be able to whip it up until it’s light and fluffy, and cold butter just won’t do that.
- Powdered Sugar: The sweetener of choice for most shortbread cookie recipes. Powdered sugar helps to keep the texture of these cookies light.
- Vanilla Extract and Salt: Together these two add flavor to the cookies, and elevate the simple flavors of the butter, sugar, and flour.
- Flour and Cornstarch: Cornstarch in cookie recipes is the best way to get soft, melt-in-your mouth texture.
- Sprinkles: These are totally optional, but I always like cookies with sprinkles better than cookies without them! Let your kids help you with this step, and make these cookies a family tradition.
How To Make Whipped Shortbread Cookies
Before you start mixing up this easy cookie dough recipe, preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C) and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Shortbread Cookie Tips
- Whipping the butter: It’s best to use a stand mixer for this recipe, but a hand-held electric mixer works too. Keep whipping the butter and sugar until it’s a very pale color and is fluffy and airy.
- No chilling needed: I’ve designed this cookie recipe to not require any chilling time. The only reason you may need to chill the dough is if it is particularly hot in your kitchen. At room temperature, the dough will be ready to bake as soon as it is mixed.
- Pressing with a fork: If your fork is sticking to the cookie dough, dip the tines in powdered sugar before gently pressing down on the cookies. Don’t press down too hard, go only enough to make a mark in the dough, keeping the cookies thick.
- Cooling: Allow your whipped shortbread cookies to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. These cookies are very delicate when they are warm.
- Added Flavorings: You can add a small amount of your favorite baking extract to this recipe to create new cookie flavors! Try almond, mint, lemon, or orange extract.
How to Store Shortbread Cookies
Store whipped shortbread cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
You can freeze these cookies, once baked, in an airtight Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Just let the frozen cookies thaw at room temperature before enjoying them.
More Easy Cookie Recipes to Try
- Christmas Shortbread Cut Out Cookies
- Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Cheesecake Cookies
- Almond Biscotti
- Sugar Cookie Blossoms
Recipe FAQs
What does cornstarch do in cookie recipes?
This is such an underrated cookie recipe ingredient! Adding cornstarch to cookie recipes helps to create thick, soft cookies that are light in texture.
My whipped shortbread cookies are spreading!
If your first tray of cookies spreads, I suggest chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking the rest. It’s also possible that your oven is too hot, or you didn’t add quite enough flour to the dough.
Can I make these with salted butter?
It’s always best to use unsalted butter in baking recipes because salted butter contains different amounts of salt, depending on the brand. If that’s all you have on hand, I recommend leaving the additional salt out of the dough.
Can I make other substitutions?
Since the recipe list is so short for this recipe, I don’t recommend making any other substitutions. Changing anything will affect the texture of the cookies, and as written, this recipe is just right. It’s also important to use fresh, high-quality ingredients for the best results here.
Enjoy these delightfully tender Whipped Shortbread Cookies! Make sure to save the recipe by Pinning it – you’ll want to come back to it over and over again.
Whipped Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch cornflour in the UK
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C), or 130°C for a fan oven. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
- Add the butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and whip on high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed, about 5 minutes. The butter will be very pale.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix again.
- Add the flour and cornstarch, then mix until smooth.
- Using a small cookie scoop, drop the cookie dough onto the prepared sheet 2 inches apart.
- Using a fork, gently press the dough balls down slightly. If the fork sticks to the dough, dip it in powdered sugar before pressing on the cookies. Sprinkle the sprinkles on if using, then bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and lightly golden.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Whipping the butter: It’s best to use a stand mixer for this recipe, but a hand-held electric mixer works too. Keep whipping the butter and sugar until it’s a very pale color and is fluffy and airy.
- No chilling needed: I’ve designed this cookie recipe to not require any chilling time. The only reason you may need to chill the dough is if it is particularly hot in your kitchen. At room temperature, the dough will be ready to bake as soon as it is mixed.
- Pressing with a fork: If your fork is sticking to the cookie dough, dip the tines in powdered sugar before gently pressing down on the cookies. Don’t press down too hard, go only enough to make a mark in the dough, keeping the cookies thick.
- Cooling: Allow your whipped shortbread cookies to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. These cookies are very delicate when they are warm.
- Added flavorings: You can add a small amount of your favorite baking extract to this recipe to create new cookie flavors! Try almond, mint, lemon, or orange extract.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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