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Confetti Holiday Shortbread

December 19, 2018 by Joy the Baker 22 Comments

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There are a handful of glossy Christmas traditions that I’ve only daydreamed about as an adult trying to make the holidays my very own.  A few years ago I got my own Christmas tree which means that now I’m the proud owner of a collection of Christmas tree ornaments.  I’ve toyed with the idea of a Gingerbread House for a few years now and while I really want to make one, I have yet to muster the energy to build an edible mansion.  Today, let’s put our efforts towards this easy holiday shortbread recipe.

This year I did tick off a daydream:  the holiday cookie tin – a collection of classed-up homemade cookies, nostalgic and delicious.  I made cookie tins this year and sold them at my Bakehouse Holiday Market.  Life goal, done!

These shortbread cookies, an iteration of them at least, were part of this year’s cookie tins. They’re simple and classic, made even more charming with holiday sprinkles and bite sized bits.  And, seeing as our holiday is literally right around the corner – the ease with which these come together is absolutely welcome.

This easy holiday shortbread recipe is just a few ingredients.

The key being, as with most delicious things, BUTTER.

Butter is what makes these cookies flavorful and crisp.

Supporting this butter intake is flour, sea salt (I used a vanilla sea salt), vanilla extract, and just a touch of powdered sugar.

All of the dry ingredients find each other in the bowl.

Flour meets powdered sugar meets vanilla sea salt.

Whisk together the dry ingredients and add the softened butter.

I used electric hand beaters to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture and because there are no eggs or other moisture involved in crisp shortbread, the mixture comes through very shaggy.

To the shaggy mixture, we’ll add sprinkles, lots of them.

A mix with the spatula will inevitably give way to pressing the dough together by hand.

Press into a dough disk.

Immediately roll to 1/2-inch thickness under two pieces of waxed paper and freeze the dough for 20 minutes, just to set it and make it easier to slice into squares.

Before cutting the dough into squares, I press more sprinkles into the top of the dough.

More is more when it comes to sprinkles – ya know?

Slice into squares, just larger than 1/2-inch squares.  And the rough dough around the edge can be re-rolled and re-cut into squares.

Look at these little bb bites ready to bake!  About 12 to 14 minutes until just browned around the edges will do!

Crisp buttery cookie bites.  And what I love is that they’re barely sweet – just a hint of sweetness which is exactly what you want from a shortbread.  What they lack in sweetness they make up for in buttery, salty, sprinkley flair.

I see myself making these cookies very often – this dough is so versatile.

Think about adding lemon zest, dried cardamom and orange zest, toasted coconut, or chocolate flakes.  There’s very little that this simple dough can’t handle.  But for now – holiday sprinkles.  Just be sure to tuck this recipe away for every other week from now until forever.

Now, how about a glass of homemade eggnog?

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Confetti Holiday Shortbread

  • Author: Joy the Baker
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 14 minutes
  • Total Time: about 45 minutes
  • Yield: about 3 dozen small cookie bites 1x
  • Category: cookies, holiday
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Description

A simple and festive shortbread cookie – perfect addition to homemade cookie tins


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/4 cups (156 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick, 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (add a splash of almond or rum extract for extra flavor)
  • 1/4 cup festive sprinkles plus 2 tablespoons for topping

Instructions

  1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 325° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt and whisk to combine. Add butter and vanilla extract and beat with electric hand beaters until well incorporated but sandy. (Alternately, you could combine the mixture in a food processor with a blade attachment.) The dough won’t come together just yet. Mix in the 1/4 cup of sprinkles and knead until the dough comes together. (Don’t use the food processor for this. Mix the sprinkles by hand.)
  3. Place the disk of dough between two sheets of waxed paper and roll dough into a ½”-thickness. Press remaining tablespoons of sprinkles into the dough.
  4. Place dough, in the waxed paper, in the freezer for 20 minutes.
  5. Cut dough into 1/2-inch squares. Place dough onto large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until cookies are light brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before storing.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. OLady

    December 10, 2021 at 12:57 pm

    I made these last year and they are indeed cute and different. As far as taste, they aren’t really anything special.

    Reply
  2. Jenn

    December 20, 2020 at 10:50 pm

    These were great, but I made a huge mess using the handheld beaters (flour everywhere!) on the first batch. On the second batch I used the food processor (stirred the sprinkles in my hand at the end of course) and that’s definitely how I’ll do them in the future. Bonus: you can use cold butter if you do it in the food processor!

    Reply
  3. Sharon

    December 17, 2020 at 10:22 pm

    I’ve now made these three times and I’ll be making more tomorrow! I’ve made them twice with sprinkles and once with crushed peppermint. Some went out to California, but most of them have gone to my sixteen year old granddaughter (who hopefully is sharing them with her friends!). They’re so fun and a definite keeper! Thank you!!

    Reply
  4. Noreen

    December 13, 2020 at 8:48 am

    Joy, I just received the BAKE tote and it’s sooo cute!! Also, how much cardamom and orange zest? Love that combo so much. Thank you and I wish you a lovely holiday.

    Reply
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