Popular during holiday season, these cookies are light and not too sweet. They make great hostess gifts but they’re so good you’ll have a hard time giving them away
Whipped Shortbread Cookies are made using a Cookie Press. The dough is fairly stiff, so if you have a stand mixer it will make life a little easier. You can use a hand mixer but you might have to finish mixing by hand, otherwise you could burn out the motor. The dough has to be stiff enough to hold its shape.
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Our original family recipe was simple and I didn’t have to write it down. A pound of unsalted butter, a cup of icing sugar, a cup of cornstarch and 4 cups of flour. I have added vanilla as an option, especially if you’re using regular everyday butter. It’s been said that premium butters have a higher fat contact which has better flavour. It doesn’t hurt to help out in the flavour department, which is also why I’ve added a pinch of salt. If you choose salted butter, just skip the salt.
You want to whip the butter well before adding the dry ingredients. Hence the name Whipped Shortbread. When measuring your dry ingredients, try to spoon everything gently into measuring cups without packing down or your cookies may be a bit dry and the pressed cookies may not stay together well. I’ve indicated in the recipe to use a little less than 2 cups just in case. When you become a shortbread master, you’ll have a good idea if your dough needs a bit more flour or not.
If you’ve never worked with a cookie press, basically you’re squeezing the dough through a plate that shapes the cookies. The one I used when I was a kid had a metal round top that you pressed with the palm of your hand. It left a dent in my hand for days. Some of the new models work like a caulking gun so one squeeze of the “trigger” and you have a perfectly shaped cookie. So they say. I’m sorry to say that I’ve had limited luck with the trigger type. Both methods require some practice and you’ll certainly have to toss a few duds back into the bowl of remaining dough. You can roll the last bit that won’t squeeze out into balls and press with a fork so you don’t waste anything.
The one tip I must share with you is to use an ungreased baking sheet and definitely no parchment paper. You need the dough to stick to the pan for the press to work properly. As usual I learned this from experience. Since the cookies don’t really spread during baking, you don’t have to leave much space between them so you can really fill up the baking sheet.
In my family, you can’t have Whipped Shortbread Cookies without a tiny piece of Maraschino cherry in the centre. Since the cookies are so small and delicate you only need a tiny piece. Pop extra cherries into your mouth when no one is looking.
These guys bake up quickly. You don’t want any browning, just a tiny amount of golden colour at the edge. That’s why you want your baking sheets in the middle or upper part of the oven. Since the baking time is quick, it’s a good idea to bake the cookies in multiple batches so you don’t risk them getting too brown in the bottom of the oven.
Enjoy Whipped Shortbread Cookies with some milk or a cup of tea. Or leave some out for Santa. If Santa likes them, he can leave a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Whipped Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter half pound, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups sifted all purpose flour up to 2 cups if dough continues to stay together
- ½ cup icing sugar
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla optional
- pinch of salt
- Marachino or Glace cherries for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° and ensure racks are set in upper portion of the oven.
- Cream butter in stand mixer or with hand mixer until well whipped. Add vanilla (if desired) and mix well.
- Sift dry ingredients together. Add to butter and mix until combined and dough stays together.
- Press dough into the chamber of a cookie press and squeeze shaped dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. Cookies can be fairly close together as they don't expand much.
- Cut cherries into small pieces and place one piece in the centre of each shaped cookie if using a shape with a centre.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes in the middle or upper part of the oven until bottoms are just beginning to have some colour. Remove to rack to cool.
Looks good!
Thanks!
They look delicious! My dad always made whipped shortbread and I was lucky enough to make many batches with him. Some were simply dropped onto cookie sheets and others we used an electric cookie press with various Christmas themed shapes. Whipped shortbread is more fragile and we found the flower shape (the same as yours) was the best one.
Your post brought back many fond memories of baking with my dad and preparing Christmas trays for family and friends. ❤️
Thanks for sharing that memory of your dad.
Thank you! These are very delicate, not sweet, and very easy. Dipped mine in chocolate and topped with a few slivers of almonds. Beautiful! I can’t believe I made them! Ha! Definitely a new addition to my holiday baking. I’ll do a batch with cherries next year. Thanks for keeping this recipe posted!
Yum, chocolate and almonds sound awesome!