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Classic Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread

October 18, 2018

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Christmas is almost here!  If you’re searching for a last-minute cookie recipe, you’ve come to the right place.  Classic melt in your mouth shortbread comes together quickly and is guaranteed to be a hit with Santa (or on the family baking tray).

The holidays wouldn't be complete without this easy melt in your mouth shortbread recipe. Make these classic soft cookies for Christmas--Santa would approve! #christmas #cookies #shortbread #holidays #christmasbaking #holidaybaking #baking #classic

Soft Shortbread Cookies for Christmas

I’ve tried a lot of shortbread recipes over the years, and this one is my favourite.  Once you try a cornstarch-based recipe, you won’t go back.  The cornstarch ones give a much smoother texture and the dough is easier to work with.

Word to the wise–do not substitute margarine for butter.  The recipe will not work.  Ask me how I know. . . .

Santa wants these classic shortbread cookies when he stops by your house.Click To Tweet

The holidays wouldn't be complete without this easy melt in your mouth shortbread recipe. Make these classic soft cookies for Christmas--Santa would approve! #christmas #cookies #shortbread #holidays #christmasbaking #holidaybaking #baking #classic

I wanted to share a funny story with you about these shortbread cookies.  If you don’t like stories, just skip to the end of the post for the recipe.  Here it goes:

One year my family spent Christmas in Jamaica meeting our new in-laws.  It was a wonderful, relaxing vacation, but I was missing North American Christmas just a bit.  So we decided that we would make our new Jamaican family some of our favourite Christmas baking.

I wanted to make these shortbread cookies because 1. everyone loves shortbread. 2. The ingredients are really easy to find.

What I didn’t know, is that Jamaican butter is vastly different than what we are used to in North America.  The increased humidity and high temperatures aren’t in this recipe’s favour either.

Melt in Your Mouth Shortbread Cookies. . . not Melt in the Cookie Sheet

As you might have guessed, the recipe was a total flop.  Instead of the beautiful shortbread cookies you see in these pictures, I ended up with some sort of runny, melty mess that was NOT suitable to give to my new relatives.

I was so sad, so I put them in a bowl-of-shame and forgot about them.  I’d just eat them later myself if I was craving something sweet.

The next day when family came to visit, someone put them out on the table for everyone to eat.  I was mortified!!

I shouldn’t have been, because our new family loved them and ate every last one.  They had never tasted anything like it and thought it was really good.

So take heart.  Even if you somehow totally mess up this recipe in another country, your guests will still like these cookies.

Classic Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread

Yields 48 small cookies

10 minPrep Time

20 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup corn starch,
  • 1 cup icing sugar,
  • 2 cups flour,
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients and spoon on to a cookie sheet.
  2. Optional: chill for 30 minutes and roll out for a cut cookie
  3. Apply sprinkles or cherries before baking
  4. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes. Cookies should have the barest hint of light brown at the edges. Makes 48 small cookies

Nutrition

Calories

3657 cal

Fat

181 g

Carbs

470 g

Protein

34 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
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https://www.shiftingroots.com/classic-shortbread/

The holidays wouldn't be complete without this easy melt in your mouth shortbread recipe. Make these classic soft cookies for Christmas--Santa would approve! #christmas #cookies #shortbread #holidays #christmasbaking #holidaybaking #baking #classic

Looking for more Christmas baking to round out your tray?  Try these options!

No Fail Fudge

Snowball Cookies

Almond Roca

Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie

The holidays wouldn't be complete without this easy melt in your mouth shortbread recipe. Make these classic soft cookies for Christmas--Santa would approve! #christmas #cookies #shortbread #holidays #christmasbaking #holidaybaking #baking #classic

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

2 Comments
Filed Under: Baking, Christmas, Recipes Tagged: Baking, butter, Christmas, cookies, easy, Santa, shortbread

About Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

Comments

  1. Mitch says

    November 25, 2019 at 12:14 pm

    These are the best and easiest cookies to make, I don’t have to spend any more time looking for short bread cookies.
    Reply

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  1. 70 Outrageously Yummy Christmas Cookies You Can Make Under 30 Minutes says:
    November 26, 2018 at 2:20 am
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Welcome!

Hi, I'm Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

P.S. First time gardener? You'll want to download the quick start gardening guide below!

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Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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Do you tend to plan out your garden to the nth deg Do you tend to plan out your garden to the nth degree, do you just wing it, or are you somewhere in-between?⁠
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I hope you've enjoyed this week of chatting about I hope you've enjoyed this week of chatting about the best flowers to plant in a cut flower garden.  There's so many options, these 5 that I talked about all week don't even come close.  If you need more help creating a small cut flower garden, I created this plan intended for a raised bed (but you can plant it in-ground too.⁠
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Hey friends! There's a lot of new faces in this l Hey friends!  There's a lot of new faces in this little corner of IG, so I wanted to introduce myself.  My name is Kristen and I'm the gardener & content creator behind Shifting Roots.  I'm wife to @mgsraney and mom to 3 kids, ages 8, 23 months and 7 months.  Needless to say, our house is BUSY.  I garden in zone 3 in Saskatoon, SK, so if I can grow it in my short growing season and cold temperatures, you probably can too.⁠
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