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Christmas Shortbread Bites

Buttery shortbread in bite-sized pieces make a delicious treat for the holidays! This five ingredient recipe creates perfect Christmas Shortbread Bites--just add colorful sprinkles and start celebrating.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Additional Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 160 mini cookies
Calories: 9 kcal
Course: Baked Goods
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 teaspoons Christmas colored nonpareils see list below with some sprinkles links

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat oven to 325°F. Line an 8 or 9-inch baking dish with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, sugar, and almond extract. Beat until creamy, scraping the bowl often. Turn off the mixer.
  3. Very gently add the all-purpose flour and salt a little at a time. Beat until it begins to form a dough. Be patient with this process.
  4. Stir in your choice of sprinkles. 
  5. Knead the dough a few times until it forms into a ball. Place the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Gently press the dough throughout the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
  6. Take the pan out of the refrigerator. Use plastic wrap or parchment paper to lift the dough from the pan. Place on a cutting board.
  7. Cut the dough into 1/2-inch squares. Carefully place the squares onto ungreased cookie sheets, separating them slightly.
  8. Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly browned. Keep an eye on them though during the baking process. They brown quickly.

Notes

  • You can swap the almond extract for vanilla extract. If baking in an 8x8in baking pan, use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
  • Using salted butter? Skip the extra salt in the recipe.
  • Double It. This can also be made in a 9x13 baking dish, just double the ingredient amounts.
  • Add more sprinkles! Before baking the cookies, I sprinkled an extra couple of spoonfuls of nonpareils on top of the dough. It adds even more fun color!
  • Scoop and level your flour. Measuring your flour this way ensures accuracy which leads to more consistent results in your baking. Use a tablespoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup. Once full, use a butter knife to level off the top.
  • Change up the colors. This recipe is easy to adapt for any occasion based on what kind of sprinkles you used. Red and green are classic for Christmas. Make some with blue for Hanukkah, red and pink for Valentine's Day, Green for St. Patrick's Day . . . you get the idea!
  • Add Chocolate. Use my chocolate chip shortbread recipe to make these tasty little bite size cookies!
  • Short on time? You can skip the chilling step and cut the dough into squares right away. The chilled dough is much easier to cut so I recommend it if you have the few minutes to spare.
  • See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1mini cookies Calories 9kcal (0%) Carbohydrates 1g (0%) Fat 1g (2%) Cholesterol 2mg (1%) Sodium 2mg (0%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 160mini cookies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 9

% Daily Value*

Serving 1mini cookies
Calories 9kcal 0%
Carbohydrates 1g 0%
Fat 1g 2%
Cholesterol 2mg 1%
Sodium 2mg 0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.