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Homemade Christmas Shortbread
Make delicious shortbread biscuits in fun Christmas shapes and a variety of festive flavours. These biscuits are so easy to make and take only 20 minutes – including prep time!
Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without a couple shortbread biscuits! They’re melt-in-the-mouth, buttery and absolutely delicious. Not only are they the perfect Christmas snack to dunk into smooth hot chocolate, but they’re also a great treat to give to friends and family.
You only need 3 basic ingredients, and the rest is up to you! Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice will create a Christmas twist. However, if you prefer, you can also keep it plain—either way, they taste delicious!
I like to use Christmas themed cookie cutters to cut-out Christmas trees, gingerbread men, stars and the like! You’ll see the designs I’ve created in the pictures throughout this post.
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
- It’s super easy to make!
- The flavour is buttery, smooth and so moreish
- A great recipe for adults and kids
- You can freeze these biscuits and make them in advance
- You don’t have to chill the dough!
Watch How To Make It
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the few ingredients needed to make this Christmas shortbread:
- Flour: Use plain flour and avoid using self-raising flour as this will alter the texture and make it rise.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter, though unsalted butter is generally used, as you have better control over the amount of salt added (if you want to add salt). For a vegan alternative you can use margarine instead.
- Sugar: Use caster sugar; icing sugar or granulated sugar can be used as a substitute.
- Optional Additions: You can add additional extras like vanilla extract, cinnamon and orange zest to add even more of a Christmas feel. For the filling of my sandwiched biscuits, I used either milk chocolate or white chocolate mixed with green food colouring. Star biscuits are filled with crushed boiled sweets.
How To Make Christmas Shortbread Biscuits
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make Christmas shortbread biscuits (or Christmas shortbread cookies as they’re also called). Full recipe instructions are on the recipe card.
Step One:
Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C Fan, gas mark 4) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You can do this with a food processor, electric whisk or by hand using the ‘rub-in method’ (though this takes a little longer).
Step Two:
Pour plain flour into the mixing bowl or food processor and mix together until a dough has formed. Use your hands to gather the dough together to form a ball.
The dough should not be sticky, but if it is sticky or really soft, add more flour to the dough and cover it in cling film before chilling it in the fridge for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
Step Three:
Lightly flour your work surface and place the dough on top of it.
With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until it has a 0.5cm (5mm) thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut-out your shapes of choice. I used cookie cutters from this Christmas Cookie Cutter Set.
Step Four:
