Looking for bite-sized sweet treats or snacks for this Holiday season? Try these Christmas shortbread bites. These are buttery, melt-in-your-mouth kind and a must-add to your cookie tray for gifting.
These shortbread cookie bites are super easy to make and can be customized with different kinds of sprinkles depending on the occasion.
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❤️About This Recipe
Taste & Texture:
- These mini cookie bites are rich and buttery just like any other shortbread cookie.
- These have soft and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Every shortbread bites have a crunch from added sprinkles.
- These are not too sweet. It has just a touch of sweetness.
- The addition of almond extract adds a nice flavor. Though you can substitute with vanilla.
- Kid’s Friendly: The colorful sprinkles make the cookie bites look pretty cute and kids always love that. Plus, the tiny bite-sized pieces are perfect for them to pick up and munch on. Not only kids, but people of all ages also love them!
- A Christmas Staple: These are perfect for holiday parties or to add to your cookie tray for a giveaway.
- No eggs: These shortbread bites recipe is naturally made without eggs. If don’t know I share only eggless baking recipes.
Like shortbread cookies? Try chocolate covered shortbread
🧾Ingredient Notes
You’ll need only 6 ingredients to make these shortbread bites. All of them are easily available in your pantry.
- Flour: Regular all purpose flour is used. I prefer unbleached.
- Salt: It brings out the flavor. So a tiny pinch of salt is added.
- Butter: Always use good quality UNSALTED butter. Make sure to use the room temperature softened butter.
- Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar is used.
- Almond extract: Instead you can use double the amount of vanilla extract.
- Nonpareils Sprinkles: These are tiny ball-shaped sprinkles. You can try other shapes but these nonpareils stand out more in shortbread cookie bites.
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
Make Shortbread Cookie Bites Dough:
1) Take softened room temperature butter in a bowl, and add sugar and almond extract.
2) Start beating using a hand mixer (or stand mixer with paddle attachment) until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.
3) Add flour and salt.
4) Again beat it until incorporated well. It will look crumbly like breadcrumbs.
5) Add sprinkles.
6) Again beat just until mixed.
7) Pinch a small portion in your palm and it should come together and hold its shape. If it falls apart then add ½ teaspoon of milk at a time and mix until it comes together.
8) Using your hand, just gather the dough and knead lightly.
9) Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper that is hanging on the sides for easier lifting. Add the prepared dough in it and start pressing the dough throughout the pan.
10) Spread it evenly.
Cut & Bake:
11) Chill the pan for 20-30 minutes and use the parchment paper to take out the dough. After a halfway chilling time, preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
12, 13, 14) Now using a sharp knife cut into ½ inch sized squares. You can see the thickness of also ½ inch, so it makes perfect square bites.
15, 16) Dump most of the cookie bites on the cookie tray and spread them out by keeping some space between them.
17, 18) Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes. You can see that the bottom is set but has no color as I used a light color cookie sheet. If using a dark-colored sheet then yours might have a slight golden color. Let the bites cool down on the cookie sheet itself and then store or serve.
💭Expert Tips
- Use room-temperature softened butter. Make sure that is not melted, it should be just soft to the touch. So make sure to take out the butter from the fridge for a few hours prior. Or use the tricks that you find online to soften the butter instantly. But Never microwave the butter to soften, this way it never softens evenly.
- Short on time? Skip the chilling time. I recommend chilling because it is easy to cut and you’ll get a nice shape.
- Substitute almond extract with vanilla extract. But always use the double amount of vanilla.
- After adding sprinkles do not overwork the dough otherwise they bleed too much.
- Scalable: You can double, triple the amount if you need large amount of shortbread bites.
Storage:
- These shortbread bites stay good for a week at room temperature in an airtight container. But I am sure that it won’t last that long.
- You can freeze them and they should last for up to 3 months. Make sure to keep the parchment paper between the layers while freezing so cookie bites don’t stick together. Once frozen you can transfer them to a freezer-safe ziplock bag.
📖Variations
- Easter: Use pestle-colored sprinkles.
- Valentine: Use red or pink.
- Birthday: Use rainbow.
- Theme-specific for parties, and baby showers: Use single color sprinkles depending on the color theme.
- Halloween: Use purple, orange, and black.
- 4th July: Use red, white, and blue.
Did you try this Christmas shortbread bites recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
📋 Recipe Card
Christmas Shortbread Bites
Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- ¼ cup Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Almond extract OR ½ teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 ¼ cup All purpose flour (Maida)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 4 teaspoon Nonpareil Sprinkles
Instructions
- Take softened room temperature butter in a bowl, add sugar and almond extract. Start beating using a hand mixer (or stand mixer with paddle attachment) until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.
- Add flour and salt. Again beat it until incorporated well. It will look crumbly like breadcrumbs.
- Add sprinkles. Again beat just until mixed.
- Pinch a small portion in your palm and it should come together and hold its shape. If it falls apart then add ½ teaspoon of milk at a time and mix until it comes together.
- Using your hand, just gather the dough and knead lightly.
- Line 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper that is hanging on the sides for easier lifting. Add the prepared dough in it and start pressing the dough throughout the pan. Spread it evenly.
- Chill the pan for 20-30 minutes and use the parchment paper to take out the dough. After a halfway chilling time, preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
- Now using a sharp knife cut into ½ inch sized squares.
- Dump most of the cookie bites on the cookie tray and spread them out by keeping some space between them.
- Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes.
- Let the cookie bites cool down on the cookie sheet itself and then store or serve.
Notes
- Use room-temperature softened butter. Make sure that is not melted, it should be just soft to the touch. So make sure to take out the butter from the fridge for a few hours prior. Or use the tricks that you find online to soften the butter instantly. But Never microwave the butter to soften, this way it never softens evenly.
- Short on time? Skip the chilling time. I recommend chilling because it is easy to cut and you’ll get a nice shape.
- After adding sprinkles do not overwork the dough otherwise they bleed too much.
- Scalable: You can double, triple the amount as needed.
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