I love a little cookie, one that you don’t feel bad for having. One that you can go back to and have another and another and still not add up to one big cookie. That is why I love these Festive Shortbread Bites. I did something similar last year with these Sugar and Spice Coins.
I have a tiny vintage round cookie cutter that is only 1″ wide and it worked perfectly for these little bites. Alternatively, you can roll the dough into short logs and slice them.
Then immediately press them into sprinkles gently. You will love to have little bowls of this wonderful shortbread around for just a little treat or package them up and give as the perfect hostess gift.
You could also ice the tops of these little bites and sprinkle with decorator sugar.
Helpful Items for This Recipe
This post contains affiliate links.
These round little sprinkles add so much to the cookies with, of course, very little effort on your behalf. You can find all sorts of colorful sprinkles around now, at this time of year.
They will add so much to a holiday cookie platter or are festive all by themselves. The cookies freeze very well so are a great make-ahead cookie recipe.
Shortbread
Make up a batch of these for sharing, the actual cookie minus the sprinkles has only 4 ingredients and they are probably ones that you have on hand already!!
Shortbread has been around for hundreds of years and is a Scottish biscuit. The first printed recipe dates back to 1736. Shortbreads are found in many shapes and sizes.
We have a shortbread fiend in our home as our daughter just loves her shortbread at any time of the year.
Using a confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar as we call it in Canada, gives you the perfect texture for the cookies.
Shortbread is baked at a lower temperature so that you don’t get dark browning. These little bites are crisp but yet melt in your mouth. The perfect Christmas cookie!!
Festive Shortbread Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- ¾ cup icing sugar confectioners sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- Round festive coloured sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Cream butter and icing sugar together. Add the vanilla. Slowly add in the flour. Form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 30 min. if too soft. Otherwise roll out on a lightly floured surface to ¼" thick and with a 1" round cookie cutter cut out circle.
- Alternately roll into multiple 1" wide logs and slice into ¼" thick pieces.
- Either way, immediately press gently into small round festive coloured sprinkles and then place on a cookie tray with a Silpat liner or parchment.
- Bake for 15 min. or until lightly golden brown. Remove to cooling racks. When cool, remove to a sealed cookie container, layered with wax paper. Freezes well for up to 2 months.
Comments & Reviews
Teri says
Awesome! Added a little food coloring, and made green trees and red stars. Pressed different Christmas sprinkles on them. Used small cookie cutters. Made 75 cookies.
Tara Noland says
Great, so glad you like these!! Happy Holidays!!
Monica Slote says
These look and sound amazing!! I am going to make them today. Thank you!
Mka says
These are great! I have made them 3 other times. Could these be made and chilled overnight and just set out and warmed up a bit before baking? I plan to bake them the next morning on the 24th Christmas Eve.To be put out on Christmas Day. Again these are the best and my family loves them! Thank you.
Tara Noland says
They may dry out if made ahead like that but we make them well in advance and freeze them and then just thaw. I am so glad you like them.
Anna says
What is the glaze recipe you use on the cookies in the photograph?
Tara Noland says
Hi Anna, it might look like there is a glaze but we just push the sprinkles into the cookie. There isn’t icing on them. We just made them again like we do every year. Love these little buttery bites.
Anna M Burns says
Thank you. I’ll be trying them this year, too. Happy Holidays!
Tara Noland says
Enjoy!! Happy Holidays!
Meliss says
Could you add some spice like cinnamon or nutmeg to make them a little more for the holidays or would that mess with consistency?
Tara Noland says
Usually shortbread doesn’t have any spices in it but that is not to say you can’t.
Rebecca says
Quick question: It says in the recipe to press the sprinkles into the dough then bake but the pic looks like they have frosting and sprinkles on top. Is it possible to do both (not at the same time, of course lol) 🙂
Tara Noland says
Nope they are not frosted just pressed into the dough but you certainly can do a little frosting and sprinkles if you like.
2cairnterriers says
i disagree about the salted vs unsalted butter–it should always be unsalted butter unless specified. in baking, only unsalted butter is used as the recipe should incl the amt of salt necessary for taste & the actual “chemistry” of proper baking to take place. by using unsalted butter, the amt of salt is then strictly controlled by the baker.
Tara Noland says
Point taken, I just don’t use unsalted that often unless it is specifically stated.
Adeana says
I lost track of time and left the dough in the fridge for nearly 2 hours and its rock hard, will this still work?
Tara Noland says
Yes, no problem, just let it warm up again.
Laura says
Question regarding the cookie cutter. I have one of those Pampered Chef cookie dough press things. Where you put all of the dough into what looks like a caulking gun (my husband is a carpenter, haha) and it has all different shapes you can use on the end. To me, it seems like it was made for spritz cookies because you always see those in different little shapes.
Anyway, my question is, do you think I could use that? Maybe if I could find a shape similar to yours? I don’t want to over-work the dough and I don’t want them to be too small and over-bake. I’d love to hear yours thoughts!
Tara Noland says
I totally know what you mean and yes they are traditionally used for spritz cookies that are a little less rich than a shortbread. In saying that though, it should work just fine and they will just be even yummier than a spritz in my opinion. The only thing is that if you are using the dough for other shapes than just round they might lose their details more because of the higher fat content. For just a plain round cookie like this one they should be fine though. Please tell me how they turn out.
Colleen says
I would love to make these but i am wondering if it makes a difference if i use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer?
Tara Noland says
I would say not at all or you can do it by hand too!
Pam B says
For another look you can roll the edge of your cookie in the sprinkles or colored sugar before baking. These are very yummy, Merry Christmas.
Tara Noland says
Great idea too, Merry Christmas!!
Christina says
I love this recipe! Simple to make. I plan on using this recipe throughout the year. I will just change out the festive sprinkles according to the season or holiday.
Tara Noland says
Good idea, so glad you like it! My daughter is a huge fan of shortbread and does eat it all year round when she can.
Nat says
Hi just wondering if the butter is salted or unsalted? thanks
Tara Noland says
Always salted unless specified, happy baking!!
elle says
are you sure salted not unsalted?
Tara Noland says
Yup, I am sure, but use unsalted if you like and adjust the salt. For shortbread it should be a little salty.
Cheyanne Herbert says
So the dough (after following the directions exactly) was about as crumbled as Pompeii after the volcano hit. We couldn’t get it to stick together at all. They look good in the picture, but we can’t seem to get anything but doughy crumbles. Very disappointed.
Tara Noland says
I wonder if your measurements are correct? You have to measure dry ingredients with a cup measure and level off. I have made this recipe many many times and so have lots of other people with great success. If you were to make it again I would be exact with my measurements or add 1 cup of flour and work in from there to the right consistency. I am going to do a post in the New Year of how to measure dry, solid and wet ingredients properly. In the meantime maybe this post will help, http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/how-to-measure-flour/.