There’s something undeniably cozy about buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies during the holidays, and this Christmas Shortbread Bites Recipe captures that feeling perfectly. Tiny, festive, and studded with colorful sprinkles, these bites bring both tradition and fun to your holiday baking table.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
I've baked countless shortbread cookies over the years, but these Christmas Shortbread Bites have a special place on my holiday dessert tray. They’re fuss-free, festive, and give that classic, buttery crunch everyone adores—perfect for sharing with friends or nibbling quietly by the fire.
- Simple to Make: Even if you’re new to baking, the step-by-step guidance ensures your bite-sized treats come out perfect every time.
- Festively Colorful: The Christmas-colored nonpareil sprinkles add that joyful pop that’s irresistible both to kids and adults alike.
- Versatile Flavors: You can easily swap almond extract for vanilla or experiment with different sprinkles to make this recipe your own.
- Perfect for Gifting: These bite-sized delights pack beautifully into holiday tins or gift bags, making them a sweet, thoughtful present.
Ingredients & Why They Work
What I love about this Christmas Shortbread Bites Recipe is how a handful of simple ingredients come together to create such a tender, buttery treat. Each part plays a crucial role, so using quality ingredients will really bring out the best flavors.
- Unsalted butter: Using unsalted lets you control the salt level, and when softened just right, it blends smoothly for that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Powdered sugar: Gives a delicate sweetness and contributes to the cookie’s signature crumbly texture.
- Almond extract: This is my personal favorite; it adds a subtle, nutty warmth that pairs beautifully with the buttery dough.
- All-purpose flour: The backbone of the structure, so be sure to measure it carefully to avoid dense cookies.
- Kosher salt: Just a pinch balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor.
- Christmas colored nonpareils: The star of the show for that festive sparkle — pick good-quality sprinkles with vibrant colors for the best look and crunch.
Make It Your Way
I love how flexible this Christmas Shortbread Bites Recipe is, which makes it easy to tailor it to your tastes or who you’re baking for. Over the years, I’ve played with different extracts and sprinkles to keep things exciting.
- Variation: My go-to swap is vanilla extract instead of almond when I want a milder flavor for guests who aren’t big on nuts.
- Dietary modification: You can make these dairy-free by using a vegan butter substitute, though texture might be slightly different.
- Seasonal changes: I switch up sprinkle colors for other holidays — gold and orange for Thanksgiving, or pastels for Easter.
- Quick option: If you’re in a hurry, feel free to skip chilling the dough, though it’s easier to cut once chilled.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Shortbread Bites Recipe
Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugar
Start by beating softened unsalted butter with powdered sugar and almond extract in your mixer until the mixture looks creamy and smooth. Don’t rush this — scraping the bowl often helps everything blend evenly, giving you that perfect base for tender shortbread.
Step 2: Gently Incorporate Flour and Salt
Turn off the mixer and slowly add the all-purpose flour and kosher salt in small portions. Use low speed or mix by hand until the dough just comes together. Patience is key here; overworking will make tougher cookies, so be gentle and stop as soon as dough forms.
Step 3: Add the Sprinkles and Chill
Stir in your Christmas colored nonpareils — your festive touch for those joyful pops of color. Knead the dough a few times just to distribute sprinkles evenly. Then press the dough into a lined baking pan and pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes. This firming up makes cutting easier and results in cleaner bite shapes.
Step 4: Cut and Bake Perfect Bites
After chilling, use the plastic wrap or parchment to lift the dough from the pan onto a cutting board. Slice into ½-inch squares and place them spaced out on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 325°F for 10–12 minutes, watching closely as these lovely bites brown quickly. Remove when the edges turn golden.
Top Tip
Having baked these multiple times, I learned a few tricks that help this Christmas Shortbread Bites Recipe shine every holiday season.
- Butter Temperature: Make sure your butter is softened but not melting—room temperature is perfect for the creaming step.
- Measure Flour Correctly: I always spoon and level my flour to avoid a dense, dry dough—accuracy here makes a big difference.
- Watch the Baking Time: Set a timer for 10 minutes and check early. The cookies go from perfectly golden to too dark in minutes.
- Extra Sprinkles On Top: For an extra festive flair, sprinkle a few more nonpareils right before baking — it creates a fun texture and colorful crunch.
How to Serve Christmas Shortbread Bites Recipe
Garnishes
I love dusting my plates with a light sprinkle of powdered sugar or arranging these shortbread bites alongside fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs for a charming, aromatic touch—simple but elegant. Sometimes, if it’s really festive, I drizzle just a little white chocolate over some for a glossy finish.
Side Dishes
Pair these bites with a warm cup of spiced cider, or alongside a cheese and charcuterie board for a little contrast of savory and sweet. I’ve even enjoyed them with an afternoon tea set—it turns the whole experience into a cozy holiday ritual.
Creative Ways to Present
I’ve wrapped these in clear cellophane bags tied with seasonal ribbons for neighbor gifts, or stacked them in pretty tins layered with parchment paper for holiday parties. If you want to get playful, arrange them in a festive pattern on cookie platters, using different sprinkle colors and shapes to create mini edible “art.”
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
Once completely cooled, I store leftover shortbread bites in an airtight container at room temperature. They stay fresh and crisp for up to a week. Just make sure they’re not near anything humid or strongly scented, or they may absorb unwanted flavors.
Freezing
Freezing works beautifully for this recipe. I flash freeze the cut dough squares on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. When ready to bake, just pop them into the oven straight from the freezer—add a couple extra minutes to the baking time.
Reheating
If you want to refresh the crunch on stored cookies, a quick 3–4 minute warm-up in a 300°F oven does the trick nicely. Avoid microwaving as it can make them soft and greasy.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes! If you decide to use salted butter, just omit the extra kosher salt in the recipe to avoid making your cookies too salty.
Chilling the dough isn't mandatory, but I highly recommend it. Chilling for 20 minutes firms the dough, making it easier to cut clean squares and preventing spreading during baking.
I always spoon the flour into my measuring cup and level it off with a butter knife instead of scooping directly. This prevents packing the flour, which can lead to dry or dense cookies.
Absolutely! Just swap the Christmas-colored sprinkles for different colors or shapes to fit any occasion—blue and silver for Hanukkah, pastel colors for Easter, red and pink for Valentine’s Day, or green for St. Patrick’s Day. The recipe is super adaptable!
Final Thoughts
This Christmas Shortbread Bites Recipe isn’t just a cookie—it’s a holiday tradition in my home. The little bursts of sprinkle colors and the buttery crumb make baking joyful, especially when shared. I can’t wait for you to try these; once you do, they’ll probably become your go-to festive treat, just like they did for me.
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Christmas Shortbread Bites Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 160 mini cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Delight in these festive Christmas Shortbread Bites, a buttery, tender cookie infused with almond extract and adorned with colorful sprinkles. Perfect for holiday parties or gifting, these bite-sized treats are easy to make and bring joyful color to any occasion.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 teaspoons Christmas colored nonpareils
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Heat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8 or 9-inch baking dish with plastic wrap or parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream Butter Mixture: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the softened butter, powdered sugar, and almond extract. Beat until creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Turn off the mixer.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the all-purpose flour and kosher salt a little at a time. Beat gently until the mixture starts to form a dough; be patient to avoid overmixing.
- Add Sprinkles: Stir in the Christmas colored nonpareils evenly throughout the dough.
- Knead and Shape: Knead the dough a few times to form a ball. Press the dough evenly into the prepared baking dish. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up.
- Cut Dough: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and lift it out using the plastic wrap or parchment paper. Place on a cutting board and cut into ½-inch squares.
- Arrange for Baking: Place the squares onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them slightly apart to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Monitor closely to avoid over-browning.
- Cool and Serve: Allow cookies to cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- You can swap almond extract for vanilla extract; if using an 8x8-inch pan, increase vanilla extract to ½ teaspoon.
- If using salted butter, omit the additional kosher salt in the recipe.
- To make a larger batch, double the ingredients and use a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- For extra decoration, sprinkle additional nonpareils on top of the dough before baking.
- Use the scoop-and-level method with a tablespoon and butter knife to measure flour accurately.
- Adapt the sprinkles colors to suit different occasions such as blue for Hanukkah or green for St. Patrick's Day.
- Try adding chocolate chips for a tasty variation using a chocolate chip shortbread recipe.
- If short on time, you may skip chilling the dough, but chilled dough is easier to cut and yields better shapes.
- Refer to the original blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cookie
- Calories: 35 kcal
- Sugar: 1.8 g
- Sodium: 15 mg
- Fat: 2.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
- Cholesterol: 7 mg
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