Dad's Christmas Shortbread Cookies - Seasons and Suppers (2024)

My Dad’s recipe for traditional Christmas shortbread cookies. Make them early to allow them to age!

Today I’m sharing my Dad’s Christmas Shortbread Cookies recipe, that he makes every year in early December, then tucks away for holiday treats throughout the season.

It wouldn’t be Christmas for me without some traditional Christmas shortbread cookies. Shortbread cookies have been a staple every holiday season, going back a long way. My Dad’s mother, my grandmother, made the best shortbread cookies, but as far as I know, she (sadly) never shared her special recipe.

For many years my now 80-year-old Dad has taken care of baking the Christmas shortbread. He bakes them up in early December and let’s them age for a few weeks until Christmas. This year, I asked if I could come by and document the annual shortbread cookie making and post about it here. He looked slightly terrified, so I promised to only photograph his hands :)

My Dad didn’t retire until he was 76, so he didn’t have a lot of time for cooking over the years. Since retiring though, he’s turned in to quite the baker. I clearly inherited both my sweet tooth and my baking ways from him.

It was a beautiful sunny day in the kitchen for baking cookies and my Dad had the dough all ready and chilled. My Mom swears by this cloth covered rolling pin and cloth rolling sheet and meant that Dad was able to use only a little flour for rolling out his dough. The less flour for rolling the better for these cookies as you can re-roll your scraps and cut more without introducing more flour in to the dough.

I’m a fan of rolled and cut shortbread cookies. The dough is perfect for it, as the cookies hold their shape really well. My Dad gets the dough out of the cutter by hitting the side of his hand on the pan until the dough drops out of the cutter and on to the baking sheet. This ensures that the cut shape stays perfect.

Traditional toppings for Christmas shortbread are glace cherries, in red and green (cut in quarters) or red or green sugar sprinkles. They make for a festive plate of cookies. You can also use a walnut piece or blanched slivered almond. Once the cookies are cut and topped with cherries or sprinkles, they are put in to the freezer on the cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes to chill again before baking. This helps them hold their shape well.

The cookies took about 30 minutes in the oven and were set onto cooling racks. As I noted above, shortbread cookies are ones that only get better with age, so bake them, cool and store in a cookie tin to age. You can also freeze both the cut dough shapes (to bake later) or the baked cookies.

And here are his beautiful finished cookies. I can attest to the fact that they were delicious since generous sampling was undertaken ;) Thanks Dad for sharing your cookie recipe and your kitchen!

Cook’s Notes

Traditional shortbread cookies need to “age” to develop flavour. In fact, if you try one right after baking, you will discover they have very little flavour. The flavour develops as they age. Simply allow to cool completely and tuck in to a wax paper lined cookie tin. Allow to age a few days, at least and up to several weeks. They will only get better with time. The baked cookies can also be frozen, but best to let them age at room temperature for a few days before freezing.

Decorate your cookies for Christmas with quartered red or green glace cherries, red or green sprinkles or a walnut piece or blanched, slivered almond.

You can use salted or unsalted butter. If using unsalted butter, you can add about 1/8 tsp. of salt with the flour if you’d like.

Both the cut, but unbaked cookies and the baked cookies freeze well.

Remember that shortbread cookies get better with age, so make them ahead and if you can resist, fill up a cookie tin and let them sit for a week or more before Christmas eating.

originally published on Dec 5, 2013 (last updated Dec 1, 2021)

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