4 Ingredient Shortbread Cookies (2024)

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Published on December 2, 2021 by Nicole Last Modified on December 3, 2021 / 18 Comments

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These 4 ingredient shortbread cookies are light as air and super buttery. They are made with 4 simple pantry staple ingredients and topped with festive sprinkles. These cookies are a family favourite recipe that everyone loves and I’m sure you will, too!

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When I think of Christmas cookies, these 4 ingredient shortbread cookies are the first to come to mind. These are my husbands favourite cookie of all time, and I’ve been known to stock a batch in the freezer year-round. They are light as air and super buttery without being overly sweet. These shortbread are a classic cookie, just like the shortbread Grandma used to make.

Tips for Making 4 Ingredient Shortbread

You’d be hard pressed to find an easier cookie than these. They’re made with cornstarch, confectioners (icing) sugar, flour and butter. These 4 simple ingredients create a tender and light cookie that are irresistible. Here are some tips for success:

You’ll see lots of recipes out there for whipped shortbread with cornstarch. Whipping the butter is not necessary. I’ve found that there’s hardly any difference between whipping and not whipping, so I don’t bother.
Use salted butter. When it comes to these shortbread cookies (or cookies in general, honestly), I always use salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the recipe to compensate.
Making shortbread cookies with cornstarch is necessary for a tender and delicate cookie. Next time you make chocolate chip cookies, I suggest you try adding 1 Tbsp of cornstarch to the batch to help keep them extra soft and tender.
Don’t over mix the dough. Mix until it’s just perfectly formed a cohesive dough which will keep the final cookie tender.
Bake these until juuuust before they start to brown. You don’t want the edges to be noticeably brown. In my oven, the perfect time is 15 minutes.

These shortbread cookies with cornstarch are the perfect holiday treat. They make a great addition to your cookie trays and are always popular at bake sales because they’re perfectly buttery and slightly sweet. The addition of fun and festive sprinkles puts them over the top! My mother in law uses red and green coloured sugars exclusively as her sprinkles, but I tend to get creative. I love using multicolour nonpareils, snowflakes and red and green holly sprinkles.

Make Ahead Instructions

These cookies freeze incredibly well. To freeze the cookies once baked, make sure they’re completely cool. Then, place them into an airtight container and freeze for up to three months.

Looking for more Holiday cookie recipes?

Peppermint Mocha Shortbread Cookies
Espresso Shortbread
Chocolate chunk Pretzel Cookies
Cranberry Bliss Cookies

4 Ingredient Shortbread Cookies

These melt-in-your-mouth classic shortbread cookies are made with 4 simple ingredients!

5 from 14 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Canadian

Keyword: Cornstarch

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Servings: 17 cookies

Calories: 137kcal

Ingredients

1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup salted butter at room temperature
sprinkles of your choice optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 °F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, sift together cornstarch and confectioners sugar. Whisk in the flour until well combined.
Using a two forks or rubber spatula, mix in the butter until a soft dough is formed.
Using a 1 Tbsp scoop, measure out dough into balls. Roll between hands to create smooth, round balls. Place on a baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
Lightly flatten with the palm of your hand. Using the tines of a fork, gently press the cookies down further.
Add sprinkles to the tops of each cookie.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges are just barely starting to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cook on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cook completely.

Nutrition

Nutritional calculation was provided by WP Recipe Maker and is an estimation only. For special diets or medical issues please use your preferred calculator

Notes

These cookies freeze incredibly well. Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight bag in the freeze for up to 3-months

Did you make this recipe?Mention @culinarycool or tag #culinarycool!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Cathleen
December 2, 2021 at 9:47 am

I can’t believe that these cookies are only made with 4 ingredients!! I am definitely going to be making this a lot over the holidays, thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
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veenaazmanov
December 2, 2021 at 1:03 pm

These mouth melting cookies look so perfect and I love the colorful toppings too. They are so quick and easy to make too.
See Also
Helpful Hints for Perfect Shortbread – Brown Bag Shortbread Pans
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Sharon
December 2, 2021 at 6:29 pm

I love how simple and easy these shortbread cookies are to make. The perfect cookie for even the newest baker to make this holiday season.
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Mikayla
December 2, 2021 at 8:58 pm

Shortbread cookies are an absolute favorite go to cookie for me, simple and quick and great flavor too.
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Heather
December 2, 2021 at 9:27 pm

this is the perfect shortbread recipe – simple and delicious – just like my grandmother used make.
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Bridget Zacharias
December 2, 2021 at 11:08 pm

This is such a dumb question…but where did you find all the cute holiday sprinkles, snowflakes, etc for decorating? The grocery stores seem to have the same basics all year round. Thanks!
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- Nicole
  December 3, 2021 at 9:42 am
  Hi Bridget, I mostly get mine at Bulk Barn. They always have a good selection. Winner/Home Sense also sells cute sprinkles from time to time. I usually keep an eye out for the Sweetapolita ones at both Bulk Barn and Winners. And I order online from Sweetapolita on occasion.
  Reply
susan | the wimpy vegetarian
December 4, 2021 at 2:21 pm

Big YAY for 4 ingredients!! I have a ton of sprinkles I’m wanting to use!
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Brianna
December 4, 2021 at 10:31 pm

I can’t believe how easy these cookies are to make! Definitely making them for my work cookie exchange.
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Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
December 5, 2021 at 2:02 pm

It’s fate! I was looking for a quick and easy shortbread cookie and here yours is! These are crazy good and perfect with tea!
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Katie Crenshaw
December 5, 2021 at 6:27 pm

These shortbread cookies are addicting. I can’t quit eating them. They turn out so cute with the sprinkles.
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Ksenia
December 6, 2021 at 10:27 am

I absolutely love these cookies, and your tip about adding cornstarch is brilliant! Cornstarch makes cookies pliable and delicious, and these Christmas cookies look like just a ticket to get my son to eat his veggies
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Rozanne
December 21, 2021 at 1:45 pm
I’ve been making these cookies for 50 years but this year the dough would not become smooth enough to roll easily and were a little on the crumbly side. I threw out the first batch and made a second. Although a little smoother but still not easy to roll and dough didn’t have that buttery shortbread taste. I double checked ingredients before adding. Any thoughts anyone, help, I’m so disappointed.
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- Nicole
  January 1, 2022 at 3:25 pm
  Hi Rozanne, I’ve never used this recipe to make rolled cookies before. It’s such a soft dough that it’s best if rolled into balls. I did a little poking around for you, and recipes that require you to roll the dough have more flour than my recipe, plus the dough is chilled. There are a variety of recipes out there, so if you google “rolled shortbread cookies” you should be able to find a recipe that fits the bill (I found this one for you that looks great (https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/dads-christmas-shortbread-cookies/)
  Reply
angie
October 26, 2023 at 11:04 pm

made exactly as per the recipe and they were perfect. delicious, easy recipe and a great quick fix for a late night sweet tooth or to bring somewhere. this is my new permanent shortbread recipe.
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Nancy Green
December 3, 2023 at 1:49 am

This is my mothers recipe and the best I’ve found.
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Sue
December 8, 2023 at 11:09 am

I love making these I have cookie presses you just push into the dough they bake up lovely
Reply

Trackbacks

[…] These buttery shortbread cookies are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. With just four ingredients, including butter and powdered sugar, these cookies have a delicate crumbly texture that’s irresistible. Get the full recipe at: Culinary Cool. […]
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FAQs

What is the secret to making good shortbread cookies? ›

Tips To Make the Best Shortbread Cookies

Choose High Quality Butter. No matter what brand of butter you buy, if it's real butter, you can rest assured that it's the best. ...
Keep Ingredients Simple. ...
Add Flavor. ...
Don't Overwork. ...
Shape Dough. ...
Chill Before Baking. ...
Bake Until Golden. ...
Add Finishing Touches.

Know More ›

What is the mistake in making shortbread? ›

The key with shortbread is not to overhandle it. Make the dough exactly as instructed, but don't mess around making shapes or over rolling the dough - you will end up with delicious but tough biscuits. Stretching and pulling the dough activates the gluten in the flour, making chewy cookies and not crisp ones.

What does adding cornstarch to shortbread do? ›

Cornstarch provides the shortbread with structure, but its biggest job is keeping the cookies extra soft, tender, and light. I love adding a small amount to chocolate chip cookies too. Optional Coarse Sugar Topping: For an optional sparkly crunch on your shortbread wedges, add a sprinkle of coarse sugar before baking.

What's the difference between shortbread and all butter shortbread? ›

It also typically has a higher butter (or alternative) content, giving it a richer and crumblier texture. Normal shortbread, on the other hand, may use baking powder or other leavening agents and often has a lower butter content.

Why poke holes in shortbread? ›

The word "bread" comes from "biscuit bread" which was made from leftover bread dough that was sweetened and dried out in the oven to make biscuits. Why do you poke holes in shortbread? The holes allow the moisture to escape during baking and more even heat distribution. This helps dry out and crisp up the cookies.

Keep Reading ›

Should butter be cold when making shortbread? ›

Always start with cold butter straight from the refrigerator. This will keep the dough from warming up, making it greasy and difficult to roll out. If the dough does get soft or sticky as you're rolling or cutting it, just put it back in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to chill the butter.

Get More Info ›

What makes a shortbread cookie extra short? ›

Here's the moment the curtain drops - the 'shortness' in the name doesn't come from the size of the biscuit, or even its texture, it comes from the large amount of butter content in the dough, making it slightly tricky to work with. Bet you didn't see that one coming!

Read On ›

Why do you put shortbread in the fridge before baking? ›

Why do you put shortbread cut-out cookies in the fridge before baking? This is to resolidify the butter. The butter is at room temperature when making the dough resulting in a soft dough. If baked straight away, the butter would melt away immediately when hitting the hot oven and the shortbread would spread.

What is the new name for shortbread? ›

Shortbread cookies are now called Trefoils 💚 Same classic cookie, new iconic name!

Show Me More ›

What are the qualities of a successful shortbread biscuit? ›

It's all in the quality of the ingredients. With such a short ingredient list, the quality makes a big difference. The perfect shortbread cookie should be crumbly, but not dry, buttery but not greasy and sweet but not sickly.

Find Out More ›

Does shortbread use the rubbing in method? ›

Does butter need to be cold for shortbread? No, though if you don't want to soften your butter, you should rub the butter into the other ingredients instead of mixing it into the sugar.

Read The Full Story ›

Why did my shortbread cookies come out hard? ›

Shortbread has a much higher ratio of butter to flour and this is precisely what gives it that distinct melt-in-your-mouth texture. These proportions make shortbread a lot more dense compared to cookies, which means you could easily end up with shortbread that's hard and crunchy rather than buttery and crumbly.