These buttery treats are the perfect bite sized treats, and will quickly become a new holiday tradition for your family.

These would be so fun for a cookie exchange, holiday party platter, or an edible gift for Christmas time!

Why these are the best Christmas Shortbread Bites

• Buttery flavor. These cookies have a nice sweet buttery flavor. They are rich, and irresistible, melt in your mouth treats.
• Perfect Gifts. Package these little bites up in festive tins, boxes, or cellophane bags – such a great homemade gift to spread joy to your friends, and neighbors.

Christmas Shortbread Cookies Ingredients :

This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Christmas Shortbread Cookie Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.

• salted butter – this recipe doesn’t have added salt, so if you use unsalted butter you may want to add a pinch of salt.
• powdered sugar – sweetens the shortbread, and gives it that melt in your mouth texture.
• vanilla extract and almond extract – this adds flavor
• all purpose flour – forms the base of the dough, giving the structure of the cookies
• red and green food coloring – use gel food coloring for richer colors
• holiday nonpareil sprinkles

How to make Holiday Shortbread Bites

1. Add the butter, powdered sugar, and extracts to a large bowl with an electric mixer (use the bowl of a stand mixer, or a bowl with a hand mixer) and combine them for a couple minutes to cream them together.
2. Add in the flour and mix it to together to make a dough. It will have a crumbly texture.
3. Separate the cookie dough into 3 separate bowls. Add green food coloring into one bowl, red food coloring to another, and the sprinkles to the last one.
4. Mix the colors and sprinkles into the dough with your hands.
5. Form each of the doughs into thin logs, and wrap them in plastic wrap. Smooth the edges of the log into a square shape. Place on a tray and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm.
6. Bake. Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough and slice the shortbread dough into 1/3 inch pieces. Place them on the sheet and use a toothpick to make a circle in the center of each cookie. Bake the cookies until the edges are very lightly golden brown. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely, and enjoy!

Shortbread Cookie Bite Tips and Tricks:

• New flavors. Try adding whatever extract flavors you like to the cookies. Leave out almond, if you don’t like it – add peppermint, maple, cake batter, etc.
• Different shapes. You can shape these into circles or triangles in the logs instead of square. You could also roll the dough out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to be 1/3 inch thick and use small festive cookie cutters to add to the holiday charm.
• Other occasions. Instead of red, white, and green for Christmas you could make these cookies for any occasion and make them into other colors or with other festive sprinkles.

How to store shortbread bite cookies?

Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

You can also store the unbaked dough in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or freeze it wrapped in plastic wrap, then in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Thaw the frozen dough in the fridge overnight then use as directed.

These Christmas shortbread bites are such a fun indulgent treat during the holiday season. They’re delicious buttery cookies, for a holiday party, or to gift to your neighbors to spread the cheer.

More Christmas cookie recipes:

• Christmas Tree Cookies
• Santa Cookies
• Reindeer Cookies
• White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
• Gingerdoodle Cookies
• Ritz Christmas Cookies // Best Christmas Desserts
• Cream Wafers // Best Christmas Desserts
• Christmas Dop Sugar Cookies // Best Christmas Desserts

Connect with Like Mother, Like Daughter

Be sure to follow us on social media, so you never miss a single post!

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Email

Print

Christmas Shortbread Cookie Bites

These mini Christmas Shortbread Cookies are colorful bite sized shortbread cookies. They melt in your mouth and are such a fun holiday cookie.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Christmas, Shortbread, Shortbread cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Chilling Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 45

Calories 69kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• red and green gel food coloring
• 1 TBS sprinkles

Instructions

• Add the butter, powdered sugar, and extracts to a large bowl and cream them together, using a stand mixer, or hand mixer.
• Add in the flour, and stir it into the wet ingredients, the dough will be crumbly.
• Separate the dough into 3 bowls.
• Add green food coloring to one bowl, red to another, and the sprinkles to the last.
• Use your hands to incorporate the food coloring and sprinkles into each bowl of dough.
• Once the dough comes together, form each section into a thin log.
• Wrap the log in plastic wrap. Smooth the sides of the logs to make the square shape.
• Stick them in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour, or until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
• Unwrap the dough logs and slice them into 1/3inch pieces. Place the pieces onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Use a toothpick to make a circle in the middle of each cookie.
• Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden.
• Let the cookies cool, then enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 126IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.3mg

The post Christmas Shortbread Cookie Bites appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.