Snowflake Shortbread Cookies
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Snowflake Shortbread Cookies are buttery, light, and delicate, perfect for chilly winter days, holiday cookie trays, or teatime with your favorite people.
If you love shortbread as much as we do, you will also love our classic Scottish Shortbread. Buckingham Palace Shortbread Cookies are always a favorite traditional teatime treat!
Why I Love These Shortbread Cookies
You will find me baking these shortbread cookies every Christmas, anytime snowflakes drift into the backyard, when special friends come for a winter teatime, or anytime someone in the house craves a light buttery treat with hot cocoa!
More reasons I love these easy-to-make cookies:
- Quick and easy to make in about 30 minutes.
- Delicious and buttery.
- No decorating is required!
Ingredients for Snowflake Shortbread Cookies
While classic Scottish shortbread usually contains only three ingredients, I've added a couple of flavor enhancements that I love! Here's what you need:
- Butter: While I prefer salted butter, unsalted butter also works. Be sure to let it come to room temperature before making the dough.
- Powdered sugar: This gently sweetens the shortbread and creates a tender and delicate cookie because the powdered sugar contains cornstarch.
- Flour: I've not yet tested this recipe using an all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Salt: Just a smidge to enhance the flavors
- Optional: Citrus zest (orange or lemon) adds a bright flavor. I'm not using it today as I'm making these cookies for tea with my neighbor, who isn't fond of citrus zest. But it is a special add-in I love!
How to Make These Shortbread Cookies
These are a great choice if you're looking for a special holiday cookie that takes almost zero effort. Always a favorite, these beautiful cookies are easy and delicious! Here's how to make them:
Begin by preheating the oven to 325℉ and lightly greasing the shortbread pan with nonstick cooking or baking spray.
- Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until combined. Mix in the vanilla, salt, and zest (if using). Add the flour and mix thoroughly until combined.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared shortbread pan. Placing a piece of plastic wrap over the top helps smooth the dough into the corners of the pan. Prick the top with a fork.
- Bake for 25 to 27 minutes; remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Loosen any edges with a plastic knife and invert onto a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the shortbread into serving pieces while it is still warm.
Helpful Tips
Tips for Releasing Shortbread from the Pan:
- Be sure the cookies are baked in the center (pricking with a fork helps them bake all the way through).
- Don't let the cookies cool in the pan for more than 10 to 15 minutes. Invert them while they're still warm but easy to handle.
- Greasing the pan lightly with cooking spray (or baking spray) is better than using butter. Use a pastry brush to distribute the spray into the mold's crevices.
More Shortbread Cookies to Try
- Scottish Millionaires Shortbread
- Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
- Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread Cookies
- Shortbread Tea Cookies with Lemon Curd
- Irish Shortbread with Lemon and Currants
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Snowflake Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- Optional: citrus zest 2 teaspoon (orange or lemon)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉ and light grease a shortbread pan with nonstick cooking or baking spray.
- Cream the butter until light and fluffy, add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until combined. Mix in the vanilla, salt, and zest (if using). Add the flour and mix thoroughly until combined.
- Evenly press the dough into the prepared shortbread pan. A piece of plastic wrap over the top helps smooth the dough into the corners of the pan. Be sure to remove it before baking, though! Prick the top with a fork.
- Bake for 25 to 27 minutes; remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Loosen any edges with a plastic knife and invert onto a cutting board. Cut the shortbread into serving pieces while still warm using a sharp knife.
Notes
- Be sure the cookies are baked in the center (pricking with a fork helps them bake all the way through).
- Don't let the cookies cool in the pan for more than 10 to 15 minutes. Invert them while they're still warm but easy to handle.
- Greasing the pan lightly with cooking spray (or baking spray) is better than butter. Use a pastry brush to distribute the spray into the mold's crevices.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
These shortbread cookies are the first holiday cookie recipe I make for the season. But the family loves them so much that they never last, and I find myself making them several times. For the first snowfall, they're made again!