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.
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
How To Make Stamped Shortbread Cookies
Sift the flour, salt and cornstarch into a medium 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.
Move the dough to a flat surface and gently knead until you have a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate.
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.
Place on the prepared baking sheets, continue until all are cut out. While the oven is pre-heating refrigerate the cookies.
Bake until done. Let cool completely before serving.
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.
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
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.
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.
Powdered sugar will help keep the cookies soft for longer and it helps to keep the cookies from spreading while baking.
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.
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.
So if this is your first time stamping cookies or you are an expert I hope you enjoy these Shortbread Stamped Cookies. Enjoy!
Stamped Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1¾ 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
Nutrition
Updated from February 10, 2018.
I had the same experience at another commenter. The cookies rose and puffed up as thet cooked. My family also commented that they were a little greasy and they feel apart a bit as they were eaten. I followed the recipe as it was written.
Hi Kimberly, in my opinion (I use this recipe often) it’s the quality of butter the type of flour. Take care!
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
Hi Catherine, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. Take care!
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!!!!
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!
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?
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!
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?
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.
Can you use just cookie cutters ?
Hi Patrica, sure that would work too.
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.
Where can you purchase the valentine cookie stamps?
Hi Pam, I bought mine at William Sonama, but I think you can get them at Amazon also.
Instead of rolling out the dough, can you roll the dough into balls and flatten them?
Hi Janet, yes that would work also. I hope you like it.
These are so cute and the cookie is so delicious.
Thanks Barb, and they really are. Have a great weekend.