Soft and sugary Peppermint Shortbread Cookies – amazing little bites of holiday heaven with a hint of cool Christmas crunch!
Forget visions of sugar plums! This easy-to-make, melt-in-your-mouth Andes Peppermint Shortbread Cookies are everything your Christmas dreams are made of: soft mounds of powdered sugar, butter, flour, vanilla, and Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips!
The Best Shortbread Cookie Recipe!
From Girl Scout Trefoils to Walker’s pure butter cookies to a good ol’ box of grocery store Lorna Doones, shortbread is a cookie favorite! And while most shortbread leans toward a drier, crunchy cookie, these Peppermint Shortbread Cookies will remind you more of delicate almond wedding cookies!
The recipe uses real butter to keep them soft, vanilla flavoring to balance the brightness of the mint, and real Andes Peppermint Crunch Chips for a crispy tingle of candy coolness. These are absolutely gorgeous on your Christmas cookie tray and spectacular with a mug of hot chocolate!
Other Recipes to Serve with Peppermint Shortbread
- If you love the crispy candy goodness of peppermint, you’ll flip for these Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies!
- Peppermint Nutella Cookies blend the hazelnut spread with Andes Chocolate Mints for a surprisingly delicious result!
Ingredients
Shortbread Dough: One of the simplest cookies, shortbread requires butter, confectioner’s (powdered) sugar, all-purpose flour, and salt to make the dough.
Flavoring: Vanilla extract gives this recipe the perfect balance of warm and cool flavors!
Add-ins: Shortbread is the ideal cookie for add-ins! We’re using Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips (not chocolate or white chocolate, simply the peppermint chip variety) for this peppermint cookie.
How to Make Peppermint Christmas Shortbread Cookies
STEP ONE: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
STEP TWO: Gently mix in the flour and salt until just combined. Then stir in the Andes Baking Chips.
STEP THREE: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for 1 hour for a ball-like cookie shape. Then, place the dough into 1-inch balls about 1 ½ inches apart on each baking sheet.
STEP FOUR: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. When the oven is preheated, remove the pans from the refrigerator and put them straight into the oven. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until set. The shortbread should just barely begin to turn golden at the edges.
STEP FIVE: Remove from oven and leave on the baking sheet to cool for 10 minutes (so they don’t fall apart). While the cookies are still warm, roll them in the remaining powdered sugar. Then, place the cookies on a wire rack to finish cooling. FABULOUS!
Tips for Success
- Adjust the amount of Andes Baking Chips if you prefer a stronger or more subtle peppermint flavor!
- You can use crushed candy canes for this recipe, but they melt more than the Andes chips, so the resulting cookie will not be as light and crispy.
- For the perfect cookie consistency, measure the flour correctly. Mix the flour with a spoon, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level it with a knife.
- For the best shortbread taste, ALWAYS use grass-fed, high-quality butter.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Simply mix the ingredients until they are just blended before forming the cookie dough into balls.
- Watch the baking time. When you remove the shortbread from the oven, it should just barely begin to turn golden at the edges.
What is Santa’s Favorite Cookie?
What kind of cookies should you leave out for Santa Claus? That’s easy! Santa likes ALL kinds of cookies! His favorite is a chocolate chip cookie, but he loves to nibble on sugar cookies (and take some home for Mrs. Claus – they are HER favorite!) Santa also loves gingerbread, double chocolate, and any cookie decorated with red & green Christmas colors! Santa says he also likes a nice turkey sandwich or peanut butter and crackers for protein!
Of course, Jolly Ol’ St. Nick loves a tall glass of milk, eggnog, or hot cocoa to go with his cookies, but coffee and tea also help him stay awake through the long night!
And don’t forget about Santa’s reindeer – they like treats, too! Some carrots, nuts or celery sticks make Dasher and Dancer happy!
Whatever snack you leave for Santa on Christmas Eve, he is grateful you remember him on the busiest night of the year! Happy Christmas to all and all a Good Night!
How Do I Keep Shortbread Cookies from Spreading?
If you want to keep shortbread (wedding cookies) from going flat, follow these guidelines: 1) Use real butter. Margarine and shortening are softer and result in flatter cookies; 2) Don’t overmix the butter and sugar – gently blending is enough; 3) Chilling the cookie dough for 30 minutes (or freeze the dough for 15) before baking will ensure your cookies remain round and fluffy instead of pancake flat.
Other Creative Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Icebox Christmas Cookies
- Chocolate Frosted Christmas Cookies
- Christmas Wreath Cookies
- Gingerbread Spritz Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- Christmas M&M Cookies
*This post originally posted on 12/01/2015.
Equipment
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Mat
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar divided
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, and the vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add in flour and salt and mix until combined. Then stir in the Andes peppermint baking chips until just incorporated.
- You can chill the dough for about an hour, if you want a more ball-like shape to the cookies. (If you don't chill the dough, your cookies will be flatter.) Portion the cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Place the cookie dough balls 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 9 -10 minutes, or until set, watching carefully so bottoms do not burn.
- Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Don't move them – this helps keep the cookies from falling apart.
- While the cookies are still warm, roll them in the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar until coated. Then place the coated cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
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