Description
Delightful shortbread cutout cookies perfect for holiday decorating with a buttery, tender texture and customizable icing and decorations like rosemary sprigs, sprinkles, and colored white chocolate.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour gluten free if needed
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
Decorations
- 4 ounces white chocolate
- Rosemary sprigs
- Sprinkles
- Sanding sugar for decorating
- Red food coloring oil-based
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Add the unsalted butter to a stand mixer bowl or large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Scrape down the sides.
- Add sugar and flavorings: Add the powdered sugar and beat again for 1 minute. Then add vanilla bean paste and salt, beat until combined, scraping sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Incorporate dry ingredients: Add the flour and cornstarch. Beat on medium-low until the dough just starts to come together and pulls away from the bowl sides. It may seem dry at first; scrape and continue beating until dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll and cut cookies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly flour a clean surface. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use a floured round cookie cutter to cut half of the cookies and use scalloped and small cutters for wreath shapes. Re-roll scraps as needed. Arrange cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheet and chill for 15-30 minutes.
- Bake cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through, until edges are set and just barely golden. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Make icing and dip cookies: Whisk powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a shallow bowl until smooth and lump-free. Dip cooled cookie bottoms into icing carefully, lifting without breaking.
- Decorate wreath cookies: Arrange rosemary sprigs and place 2-3 small rosemary pieces on each side with red sprinkles underneath before icing sets. Add more sprinkles around cookie as desired.
- Create Santa hats: Melt white chocolate and fill a pastry bag. Mix remaining chocolate with red oil-based food coloring in a piping bag. Snip bag tips or use small tip. Pipe red hat shape with white chocolate trim and top, then add sanding sugar. Optionally, use green coloring to pipe Christmas tree designs on remaining cookies.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.
- For longer storage, freeze undecorated baked cookies up to 3 months; thaw completely before decorating.
- The cookie dough can be rolled out and frozen up to 3 months; bake directly from frozen.
- Use oil-based food coloring with white chocolate to prevent seizing; water-based colorings like gel will cause white chocolate to seize.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
