Easy Chocolate Chip Whipped Shortbread
These Easy Chocolate Chip Whipped Shortbread cookies are the absolute best melt in your Mouth Shortbread Cookie. Fast, Easy and they will be gone in seconds. They make the perfect cookie for gifting. Don’t forget to add them to your Holiday Cookie Tray!
We are big lovers of Shortbread Cookies and a couple of our favourites are My Mom’s Shortbread Cookies and these delicious Lemon Shortbread Cookies.
As we get closer and closer to Christmas we start to think about baking Christmas Cookies, I have to say these are ones that get made over and over again and are usually the first to go. Fast and easy and Shortbread, can’t get much better than that!
My Mom’s Christmas Cookies were the best on the block. Including these Whipped Shortbread Cookies. These literally melt in your mouth! They also make the perfect last minute cookie too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – softened, be sure to use a good quality butter
- Powdered sugar – also known as icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar, it’s a good idea to sift the sugar to remove any lumps.
- Corn starch
- Vanilla
- All Purpose flour – flour with at least 11% protein.
- salt – if you use unsalted butter then add a bit more salt.
- Chocolate chips – if you prefer you can substitute with chopped nuts or dried fruit or leave them plain.
How to make a Whipped Shortbread Cookie Recipe
In the the bowl of the stand mixer, with the paddle attachment cream the butter and icing sugar until very fluffy.
Add the salt, cornstarch, vanilla and flour and beat until very light. Add the mini chocolate chips and combine on low or stir to combine.
Drop by teaspoon or tablespoons, or roll into balls the size of a golfball and lightly flatten with a fork on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until very lightly golden (almost white) never browned. Let cool on the baking pan for a bit then move to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Why add cornstarch?
Cornstarch is used to make the cookie more tender and give them that melt in the mouth taste. I have made these without cornstarch and I personally prefer them with.
Why are the cookies flat?
Cookies can spread and be flat for a number of reasons, the biggest reason is the wrong type of flour is used. That is what happened in my case. I used a low protein flour, once I changed flours the cookies were no longer flat.
Adding cornstarch to the recipe also helps keep cookies from spreading. As does chilling the dough first. I always find it a good idea to chill the cookies while the oven is pre-heating, 15-20 minutes will do it.
What Flour to use for the cookies
So now I know Canadian Flour and Italian Flour are different. But how are they different? It turns out that you need a flour with a protein percentage of 11% or more to prevent flat cookies. The flour I was using was a 00 flour with a percentage of 9%.
The one I use in Italy now has 12.5-13%, it is called Manitoba flour and it is similar to a North American All Purpose or Plain Flour which has around 13%. As you can see the cookie on the right is how it should be.
tips for making the best shortbread
- Make sure your butter is softened.
- Sift the powdered sugar, you want to remove any lumps that have formed.
- Whip the butter and sugar for approximately 3-5 minutes you want it to be light and fluffy.
- Be sure to add the cornstarch, this will help produce a soft and tender cookie.
- Be sure to measure the flour properly, spoon the flour into the cup then level it off with a spoon or knife blade, dipping the cup into the flour bag is not a good or accurate way to measure flour.
- Baking the cookies one tray at a time is best, always on the middle rack, never on the bottom as it can cause the cookies to burn.
Variations
If you prefer you can make the cookies plain or you could add chopped nuts, coconut, dried fruit such as cranberries, sprinkles or even crushed candy canes. If you use dried fruit be sure to soak it for 15-20 minutes in boiling water, drain well before adding to the dough. My mother would make this cookie with cherries also. To add a bit more flavor you could add some vanilla extract or even almond extract.
can this whipped shortbread recipe be made without a stand mixer?
Yes it can, you could use a regular electric mixer, when adding the flour mix together on low and the last bit of flour should be combined with a wooden spoon or spatula. You could also combine the dough by hand using a wooden spoon or spatula.
More Delicious Christmas Cookies
Nobody can resist these Chocolate Chip Whipped Shortbread! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Enjoy!
Easy Chocolate Chip Whipped Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter* (softened)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (sifted) (also known as icing sugar or confectioners sugar) (sifted)
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups flour all purpose**
- ½ cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 pinch salt
*If you use unsalted butter then add a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Be sure to use a good quality butter, apparently this year 2022, store brand butter quality is not what it used to be. Less fat could mean a dry not so tasty cookie.
**Flour should have at least 11% protein, this keeps the cookies from spreading.
Instructions
- In the bowl of the mixer add butter and icing sugar and on medium speed cream until very fluffy. Then add the salt, cornstarch, vanilla and flour. Beat until very light approximately 2-3 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips or beat on low for 10-15 seconds.
- Drop by heaping teaspoon, or roll into balls the size of a golfball and lightly flatten with a fork, place parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Chill for 15-20 while the oven is pre-heating.
- Pre-heat oven to 325° (160° celsius).
- Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes** until very lightly golden, almost white never browned. Let cool for 5-10 minutes then carefully move to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!
- ** Start to check the cookies after 10-12 minutes, depending on the size they may take less time to bake.
Notes
How to store whipped shortbread cookies
Your baked cookies should be left to cool then store them in an airtight container at room temperature they will last up to 5 days. I like cold cookies so I actually store mine in the fridge, they will last up to 10 days in the fridge.To freeze the whipped shortbread cookies
Freeze the completely cooled cookies in an airtight freezer safe container or bag. They will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer. If you are worried about the cookies sticking together, then place the cooled cookies on a cookie sheet and freeze until firm (about 2 hours) then move to the containers or bags. You can also place parchment paper between the layers. You can also freeze the dough, make the dough balls and place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, once they are frozen place in an airtight freezer safe container or bag. The cookies can be baked frozen, just be sure to add an additional couple of minutes to the baking time.Nutrition
Reposted from October 5, 2016, because they are so worth it!
Why do they only last for 5 days???
Hi Susan, because it’s room temperature, in the fridge they will last longer. Hope that helps. Take care!
I do not have a stand mixer; do you suggest that I mix by hand with a spoon, or with my hand mixer? Thank you very much. I am really looking forward to trying these cookies.
Hi Debbie, unfortunately you need either a stand mixer or a hand electric beaters for this recipe, because it all needs to be whipped. You could make regular shortbread by hand or with a spatula or wooden spoon. https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/shortbread-cookies/
Wow these look amazing! After reading some reviews, I’m definitely going to make them and add to my Christmas Cookies collection.
Can I make them on a rainy day or does weather affect them? TIA!
Merry Christmas!! 🎄
Hi Kim, thanks so much, yes you can make them anytime. I hope you enjoy them. Take care!
These cookies are terrific! They remind me of my mom’s recipe for Whipped Shortbread. Over the years the recipe had been lost, I’ve tried lots of other Whipped Shortbread recipes- none have come as close as this one. I followed the recipe as written, using unsalted butter and the recommended 1/4 tsp salt with an additional pinch of salt. I dropped the dough by heaping teaspoons on to parchment lined cookie sheets, chilled in the fridge for about 20 mins then baked for about 11.5 mins. Thanks for a wonderful easy to follow recipe!
Hi Linda, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. This is my daughter’s favourite cookie! Take care and have a great week!
Can I substitute coconut palm sugar for icing sugar? My husband is diabetic and coconut sugar is better for him. Let me know how he can make it work. If I can.
Thank you.
Hi Patricia, I have never baked with coconut sugar but apparently you can substitute powdered coconut sugar for regular powdered sugar, it is a 1-1 ratio substitution. Let me know how it goes. Take care!
I don’t get the flour percentage. My flour says protein 4 gms. How am I supposed to get a % from that. It would be helpful if you took the time to explain.
Hi Jean, I assume your ingredients show for 30g of flour, it usually shows for 100g so no explanation is really needed, if it doesn’t then you have to do some math, in order to find the total amount you need to do the following – 4 × 100 = 400, 400 / 30 = 13.33, so your flour is 13%. Which would work. Hope that helps. Take care!
Would I be able to use more powdered sugar a cup and keep the portions the same for the ingredients?
Hi Stephanie, I don’t if the cookie would turn out if you add that much sugar. That is a lot of extra sugar to add and not tripling the remaining ingredients.
Hi, can I refrigerate the dough overnight and make these in the morning?
Hi Stephanie, yes you can, the taste will be even better! Take care and have a great Sunday. Take care.
I needed something quick to bring to a get together and made these – so delicious! I’ll be making these often from here on in!
Hi Jonidee, thanks, so glad you enjoyed them. Happy New Year and take care!
Soooo good! Will make them a little bigger next time.
They kept their shape buy putting them in the fridge before baking. Buon Natalie!
Hi Angela, thanks glad you liked them. Buon Natalie to you too!
I made these for the first time. I followed the recipe exactly and used chopped walnuts instead of chocolate chips. I’m not sure if I did something wrong, but they are extremely crumbly. So bad that I cannot even use them for my cookie trays. Also, I didn’t see any eggs in the recipe. Is that right? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Mary, I think maybe you didn’t whip it long enough or your measurements are off. You could try adding a bit more butter to bring it together (a tablespoon at a time). Did you see the video? No there are no eggs in shortbread. Hope this helps. Take care!
Hi, thanks for the recipe! What do you mean by “vanilla”? Powdered vanilla, vanilla sugar, vanilla extract or scraped pods? Thanks!
Hi Magnus, I use vanilla extract. Hope you like the cookies. Have a great weekend.
These cookies are amazingly easy to make and are soooo delicious, they melt in your mouth, I am going to try and batch with cherries 🍒. Thanks so much for this excellent recipe!
Hi Tammy, thanks so much, they should be really good with cherries. Take care!
These have become my husband’s favorite cookies. He is always asking for them so I make a double recipe and always have some handy in the freezer for him.
Hi Marcia, thanks so much, they are one of our favourites too. My kids love them. Take care, have a great week.
Loved these cookie and eat them up so fast one day and done
Hi Grace, thanks so much, have a great weekend.