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Stamped Shortbread Cookies

Stamped Shortbread Cookies are a delicious buttery melt in your mouth cookie that makes the perfect Holiday Treat. Stamped with your favourite message or image! The kids will love helping you bake these Shortbread Cookies.

Stacked shortbread cookies with one leaning.


 

Nothing better than a shortbread cookie and not just during the Christmas Season. From Classic shortbread to whipped shortbread, to a simple chocolate shortbread to one of the Italian’s favorite Cranberry shortbread cookies! But I am going to say right now, that these are so good, we were eating them directly from the freezer!

I always loved decorated cookies, even though I am probably one of the worst decorators. So when I see something that is easy and makes things (food) pretty I will grab it, and that includes these easy to make stamped shortbread cookies!

Recipe Ingredients

  • Flour – all purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Cornstarch
  • Butter – I use salted butter, if you use unsalted then just add a bit more salt
  • Powdered sugar – also known as icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar
  • Vanilla – vanilla extract
Ingredients for the recipe.

How To Make Stamped Shortbread Cookies

Sift the flour, salt and cornstarch into a medium bowl.

The dry ingredients whisked in a glass bowl.

In a large bowl or stand mixer with the flat beater, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla then add the sifted flour mixture a little at a time, combine on low until the mixture begins to come together.

Beating the butter and sugar and adding the flour in the mixing bowl.

Move the dough to a flat surface and gently knead until you have a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate.

The dough shaped and on plastic wrap.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll on a lightly floured flat surface, dust the cookie stamp lightly with flour and firmly press on dough, with a round cookie cutter (as close to the same size as the stamp) cut out the cookie.

Cutting out the cookies and stamping them.

Place on the prepared baking sheets, continue until all are cut out. While the oven is pre-heating refrigerate the cookies.

The cookies before baked on a baking sheet.

Bake until done. Let cool completely before serving.

The baked cookies on the baking sheet.

What Is The Best Flour For Cut Out Cookies?

Be sure to use a high protein, at least 11.5 – 12%, a low protein flour will cause the cookies to spread, and believe me refrigerating the dough will not help.

Why Do You Add Cornstarch To Shortbread Cookies?

I have recently discovered that a lot of people add corn starch (as my Mom did in her classic shortbread) to cookie and cake recipes, the reason is because it adds softness to the finished cookie or cake. It also helps keep the dough from spreading.

How To Keep Cookies From Spreading

To keep the cookies from spreading it is best to beat the butter and sugar until combined, for some cookies including this one, some icing sugar in the mixture also keeps the cookies from spreading.

And probably most important of all, is to use a higher protein flour with at least 11.5- 12% protein count.

And don’t forget to chill the dough for at least 1 hour and again the cut out cookies before baking while the oven is pre-heating. Using most of these will help produce the perfect Christmas Cookies.

Cookies on a wire rack.

Helpful Tips For Making Stamped Cookies.

  • You need to use a dough that does not spread.
  • Make sure to chill your dough at least 30 minutes.
  • Keep your stamp very lightly floured so it doesn’t stick to the cookie.
  • Roll out your dough as little as possible.
  • If your dough starts to warm up pop it back in the fridge to chill.

I think these would make the perfect cookie to make with your kids or grandkids. So fast and easy and they would love deciding on which stamp to use.

Recipe FAQs

How do you know when shortbread is done?

Shortbread is done when it starts to turn a slight golden brown along the edges, that is the time to remove it from the oven, any longer and it will be over baked.

What if I don’t have a cookie stamp?

If you don’t have a cookie stamp then you can use cookie cut outs or even roll the dough into a log instead of a ball and then slice and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Why use powdered sugar in these shortbread cookies?

Powdered sugar will help keep the cookies soft for longer and it helps to keep the cookies from spreading while baking.

Why add cornstarch to the cookie recipe?

Corn starch is added to cookie and cake recipes, because it adds a softness to the finished cookie or cake. It also helps keep the dough from spreading.

Cookies on a wire rack.

How Is Shortbread Different From Cookies?

Most cookies have baking powder, baking soda and eggs in the recipe, they are usually lighter and sometimes chewy, whereas shortbread do not have baking powder or soda and contain few ingredients and they tend to be a tender, crumbly and melt in your mouth type of cookie.

And Why Is It Called Shortbread 

According to British Food History – Dating back to the 12th century , shortbread was originally called biscuit bread.

These biscuits were made from left-over bread dough that was sometimes sweetened and dried out in the oven to form a hard, dry rusk. This practise took place over the whole of the British Isles, not just Scotland.

How To Store Shortbread Cookies

The baked cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. I sometimes store mine in the fridge because I like cold cookies. They will last up to 10 days by storing them in the fridge.

How To Freeze Shortbread Cookies

To freeze the shortbread cookies, place parchment paper in between the layers of the completely cooled cookies this prevents them from sticking together when they are in the containers for freezing, or you can also place the baked cooled cookies on a cookie sheet and freeze them, then move the frozen cookies to either airtight bags or containers. Baked Shortbread Cookies will last up to 6 months in the freezer.

Stamped shortbread cookies on a plate.

So if this is your first time stamping cookies or you are an expert I hope you enjoy these Shortbread Stamped Cookies. Enjoy!

Stacked shortbread cookies with one leaning.

Stamped Shortbread Cookies

Rosemary Molloy
Stamped Shortbread Cookies are a delicious buttery melt in your mouth cookie that makes the perfect Holiday Treat.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chilling Time 50 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 15 cookies
Calories 185 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • cups all purpose flour
  • 1 pinch salt*
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup butter (room temperature)
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla

If using unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon of salt. Be sure to use a good quality butter, apparently the year 2022, store brand butter quality is not what it used to be. Less fat could mean a dry not so tasty cookie.

Instructions
 

  • Sift the flour, salt and cornstarch into a medium bowl.
  • In a large bowl cream the butter, sugar and vanilla then add the sifted flour mixture a little at a time, combine with a fork, when mixture begins to come together, move to a flat surface and knead until you have a smooth dough.
  • Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Remove dough from the fridge and roll on a lightly floured flat surface into a thickness of ¼ inch, dust the cookie stamp lightly with flour and firmly press on the dough, with a round cookie cutter (as close to the same size as the stamp) cut out the cookie. Place on 1-2 parchment paper lined baking sheets, continue until all are cut out. While the oven is pre-heating refrigerate the cookies for about 15-20 minutes.
  • Pre heat oven to 325F (163C).
  • Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.  Let cool completely before serving.

Video

Notes

If you don’t have a cookie stamp then you can use cookie cut outs or even roll the dough into a log instead of a ball and then slice and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Shortbread is baked when it is a very light pale color. 
The baked cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. I sometimes store mine in the fridge because I like cold cookies. They will last up to 10 days by storing them in the fridge.
To freeze the shortbread cookies, place parchment paper in between the layers of the completely cooled cookies this prevents them from sticking together when they are in the containers for freezing, or you can also place the baked cooled cookies on a cookie sheet and freeze them, then move the frozen cookies to either airtight bags or containers. Baked Shortbread Cookies will last up to 6 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 378IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

Updated from February 10, 2018.

17 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I was gifted a set of cookie stamps and found this recipe. Followed directions exactly as written including chilling time. Cookies held their shape and tasted delicious! Will definitely make again

  2. 5 stars
    Absolutely amazing!!!!!!! I added 1 tsp. of salt because I prefer the taste, but otherwise this recipe is perfect!

    Is there a way to make it less sticky, I live in a very hot country and they gave me a bit of trouble, but they were soooo worth it!!!!

    1. Hi Amal, thanks so much so glad you enjoyed them. If it’s too sticky add a bit more flour and chill the dough for an hour. Take care!

  3. The recipe says to put the cut out cookies on a prepared cookie sheet but then later on it says to line a cookie sheet on parchment paper while the oven is pre-heating. This is confusing – are you supposed to transfer the cookies from one cookie sheet to another?

    1. Hi Maya, I corrected it. Place the cookies directly on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, refrigerate while the oven is pre-heating about 15-20 minutes. Take care!

  4. Should the butter be chilled/firm when mixed into the dry ingredients? Or room temp? Aside from chilling the dough, does temp of the butter when mixing affect how well the dough is able to keep the shape of the pressed stamp?

    1. Hi Ginger, the butter should be room temperature and make sure you use a high protein flour (at least 12%) that way the stamp will hold and the cookies won’t spread. Also while the oven is pre-heating chill the cookies for about 15 minutes. Be sure to use powdered/icing sugar because this helps the cookies from spreading also. Let me know how it goes.

  5. 2 stars
    These rose when baked so the pattern completely disappeared even when well chilled so they weren’t suitable for the purpose I intended them for. They tasted ok but were a bit greasy.

      1. Instead of rolling out the dough, can you roll the dough into balls and flatten them?

4.77 from 26 votes (22 ratings without comment)

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