Shortbread Cookies
Orange zest gives these classic shortbread cookies a little citrus flair.
Enjoy them at the holidays or anytime you're craving a sweet treat.
Popping in here with one more holiday cookie post – how cute are these little stars?! I think they’re just so flipping adorable. I don’t do crafty baking very often, but I had so much fun making and decorating these shortbread cookies.
These cookies are based on the lemon cookies that I made last year. Because that recipe is a fan favorite, I thought I’d do a more festive Christmas cookie cut into stars. This time, I decorated them with orange zest and these cute Supernatural white sequin sprinkles.
How to Make Shortbread Cookies
Want to learn how to make shortbread cookies? Here’s what you need to do:
First, cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in the orange zest, orange juice, and then the flour and salt and mix until everything is well combined.
Next, chill the dough. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and transfer it to the fridge to chill for 15 to 30 minutes.
After the dough has chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface or between two pieces of parchment paper. Be careful not to roll the dough too thin here. Aim for it to be about 1/4-inch thick.
Once you’ve rolled out the dough, use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes. Re-roll the dough, as needed, to get as many cut-outs as you can!
Then, it’s time to bake. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the cut-outs to the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, until the cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges. Let them rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
Best Shortbread Cookie Recipe Tips
- Chill the dough for 15 to 30 minutes. This will make the dough less sticky and easier to roll out.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes after they come out of the oven. If you move them too early, they will crumble. Let the cookies set up for a full 2 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
- Wait for them to cool completely before decorating. It’s tempting to start decorating these right away, but your cookies need to be at room temperature before you decorate them. Otherwise, the glaze will melt!
- Amp up the orange flavor with a few drops orange oil. This is an optional step. On their own, the orange flavor in these cookies is pretty subtle. If you’d like a brighter orange flavor, adda little orange oil (the baking type, not the essential oil). You can find it in the baking aisle next to the vanilla extract.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
If you love these shortbread Christmas cookies, try one of these favorite cookie recipes next:
- Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- No Bake Cookies
- Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- Perfect Oatmeal Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup cane sugar
- Zest of 1 medium orange
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- A few drops of orange oil, optional, for more orange flavor
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, more for rolling
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Glaze
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
- sequin sprinkles, for decorating, optional
- zest of 1 orange, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then, add the orange zest, orange juice, and orange oil, if using, and mix again. Finally, add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and flatten into a 1” disk. If the dough is sticky, wrap and chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm but still pliable.
- Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface until about ¼“ thick. If desired, you can roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Use 2” cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes. Transfer to the baking sheet and bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Keep any extra cut-out cookies in the fridge until ready to bake.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely before glazing.
- Make the glaze. Whisk the powdered sugar and almond milk until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cookies and decorate them with sprinkles, if using, and orange zest.