One of my favourite cookies at this time of year – spiced Christmas shortbread cookies! I’ve made these ones for the last 7 years in a row. With that perfect melt-in-the-mouth crumbly texture, and buttery shortbread flavour, I always have a hard time stopping at one …. or two ….. or three.

What makes this shortbread different from others is the light sugary coating of festive spices that makes them totally irresistible.

More shortbreads perfect for Christmas time are these Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies and these Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies.

This recipe was first published here on November 28th, 2019 and has been updated with new photos and step by step images.

A small stack of spiced shortbread cookies.

❤️ Why you’ll love them

  • Cosy festive spices in every bite.
  • Sweet, buttery and melt-in-the-mouth.
  • No chilling required!
  • So quick and easy to make.
  • Perfect for gifting and sharing.
  • Use them as an accompaniment to desserts like ice cream and panna cotta.

In fact, you can see these cookies in action, sitting pretty atop my Boozy Eggnog Panna Cotta and they’d work well with this Gingerbread Trifle, Eggnog Creme Brulee or as the cookie component in this Peppermint Hedgehog Slice.

What is shortbread?

Shortbread is a crumbly, buttery biscuit made with only 3-4 ingredients and originating in Scotland. At it’s very basic, it contains just flour, sugar and butter but there are a number of twists on the classic recipe.

Melting Moments are a type of shortbread biscuit that also contains cornflour (cornstarch) and many recipes, including my own contain rice flour for an extra crisp texture. You can swap the rice flour for cornstarch or for more plain flour.

Shortbread is traditionally enjoyed plain, with a cup of tea or coffee but you can also frost them or make them extra festive by dusting them with warming spices as I have here. In this spice mix, you’ll find sugar – white and brown, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg.

You could ice these Christmas shortbread cookies using the royal icing from my iced cookies recipe.

A stack of spiced Christmas shortbread cookies with the top one broken in half.

Should shortbread be pale in colour?

Yes, shortbread is meant to be a pale cookie with very little to no colouring. I like to take mine out of the oven just as I see the edges getting the slightest bit golden. This way, I know they are cooked through and the golden edges will intensify the buttery flavour. If you prefer, take them out before the edges start colouring.

How to make Christmas shortbread cookies

Making shortbread is so simple and very quick. It’s loved for it’s buttery flavour and crumbly texture but there is no special technique. Yay!

Jump to the recipe card for the detailed ingredients and steps.

1. Make the dough

Start by beating together butter and sugar until lightened and fluffy in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add both flour s and beat thos in until just combined and it clumps easily in your hands.

A hand holding a piece of the shortbread dough to show the consistency.

2. Roll and cut

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out, on a lightly floured worktop, to about 4-5mm thick. Cut shapes from the dough then place on a lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart to allow for airflow. I like this star shaped cookie cutters set.

The dough with star shapes cut out.

3. Bake

There’s no need to chill these cookies. Just bake them for around 15 minutes until the edges just get the slightest bit of colour.

Raw shortbread stars on a baking tray, ready to bake.

4. The spice mix

Mix together the sugar and spices in a small bowl.

The spice mixture in a bowl.

5. Top the cookies

Brush the tops of the cookies with melted butter.

The baked shortbread stars being brushed with melted butter.

Dip the cookies into the spice mix and flip them around to get well coated.

A shortbread star being dusted with the spiced sugar mixture.

This spicy coating is what makes these the perfect Christmas shortbread recipe, but feel free to swap it for royal icing or just dust them with icing / powdered sugar.

Tips and tricks

These spiced shortbread cookies are truly easy to make but a couple of tips will make your baking run super smoothly.

  • Weigh the flour for the best results. Using cup measures (while provided for those who want it) can often result in adding too much flour which will make your shortbread dry.
  • Make sure to beat the butter and sugar well but once the flour is added, only beat enough to incorporate it evenly.
  • Leave gaps of about 1 inch between the dough on the baking trays. While shortbread doesn’t spread much, it does need airflow to cook evenly.
  • When brushing butter over the cookies, do half a batch at a time before dipping them into the spice dust. If you do it too early the dust will just clump on the wet patches of butter. It needs to soak into the cookies just a little.

Storage

Like any shortbread, these spiced Christmas shortbread cookies keep very well.

How long will shortbread keep?

Shortbread makes a great food gift since they keep for so long – 3-4 weeks stored in an airtight container in a cool spot is perfect.

Can you freeze shortbread?

Yes, shortbread can be frozen. Store it in the freezerin an airtight container and will thaw at room temperature in around ½ an hour.
The cookie dough can be frozen too. Wrap well in plastic wrap (at least 2 layers) then freeze for up to 2 months. You can roll it into a log if you like, then thaw it in the fridge for a few hours for slice and bake cookies.

Top down view of shortbread stars dusted with spicy sugar.

Why not make a bunch of these and put them in cute little cellophane bags and give them as Christmas gifts?! These spiced shortbread cookies are so easy to make, quick to make and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love them (I’m sure those people exist but they wouldn’t still be reading so it’s ok to say that now).

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Hungry for more?

Top down view of shortbread stars dusted with spicy sugar.

Spiced Christmas Shortbread Recipe

Yield: 40 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
5 from 2 ratings
This spiced Christmas shortbread recipe is so easy to make. Buttery shortbread with a festive spice coating, perfect for sharing.
Print Rate Pin

Ingredients

FOR THE SHORTBREAD

  • 115 g unsalted butter softened (1 stick / ½ cup / 4oz)
  • 50 g caster sugar (superfine sugar) (1 ¾oz)
  • 130 g plain flour (all-purpose flour) (1 cup / ~4 ½)
  • 40 g rice flour (~1 ½)

FOR THE SPICE MIX

  • 2 tablespoons caster sugar (superfine sugar) (notes 1)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • pinch ground nutmeg
  • pinch ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan forced. Line two cookie trays with baking paper.
  • Beat together butter and sugar until lightened and fluffy. Sift together the flour and rice flour, then add to the butter and sugar and beat until incorporated and it starts clumping together.
  • On a lightly floured surface, pull the dough together into a ball, then roll it out to about 5mm -6mm thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as possible. Re-roll any scraps and cut out more cookies. Use a palette knife to help you to transfer the cookies to the baking tray. 
  • Bake for around 15 minutes until just starting to turn golden on the edges.
  • Mix the spice mix dry ingredients together (not the butter) rubbing between your fingers to distribute everything well.
  • Brush the cookies with the melted butter, then flip them over in the spice mix to coat.
  • Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.

Notes

  1. Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
  2. All ovens vary – always test for doneness 2-3 minutes before the recipe suggests
  3. For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
MORE COOKIE RECIPES!
Calories: 46kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, High Tea, Snack, Sweets
Cuisine: British, Scottish
Love this recipe?Add Sugar Salt Magic as a preferred Google source.
Nutrition information is approximate only and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use and any changes you make may cause variations.