Buttery, rich peppermint shortbread cookies that everyone in your family will love. Easy preparation — slice and bake!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: With only six ingredients, they are easy to whip up.
How long it takes: about an hour but that includes 30 minutes chilling time
Equipment you’ll need: mixer, baking sheet, parchment paper
Servings: makes 40 cookies, more or less
This is a sponsored post on behalf of United Dairy Industry of Michigan.
Today I’m bringing you more butter love with one of my favorite types of cookies — shortbread.
It might have a little to do with how easy these cookies are to make (SO easy), but it also has a lot to do with the rich buttery taste and the melt-in-your-mouth texture. I really just adore shortbread. I’ve made a lot of fun versions, some even with cream cheese.
Why You’ll Love Slice-and-Bake Cookies
Make the dough ahead of time. These shortbread cookies are slice-and-bake cookies. Simply put, you can whip up a batch of the dough, form it into a log, and throw it in the fridge or freezer. I have a bunch of these convenient slice and bake cookie recipes.
Bake the cookies when you need them. When you happen to have unexpected guests, all you need to do is slice off what you need, stick them in the oven and voila! Fresh cookies. Everyone will think you’re amazing. And you are!
About These Shortbread Cookies
A simple list of ingredients (butter! flour! sugar! salt!) really lets the flavors of both the butter and the peppermint shine. Peppermint shortbread cookies are great with a cup of coffee or tea. Who knows? Santa might even dig a few with his milk.
What You’ll need
- Butter: Use good-quality unsalted butter for these cookies. Make sure it’s softened or at room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar (Confectioner’s Sugar): Because this sugar is so fine, the cookies just melt in your mouth.
- All-Purpose Flour: I haven’t tried whole wheat flour for these cookies because they just aren’t suited for the hearty quality of whole wheat.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: This baker’s friend really enhances the flavor of the cookie dough.
- Salt: Keeps the cookies from tasting flat.
- Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips: These chips are really the star of the show here. Keep reading for substitutions you can make.
How To Make Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla until creamy and smooth. Add the flour and mix just until blended. Fold in the peppermint chips.
Now I realize that not everyone has a stand mixer (or it’s stored in the basement and you don’t feel like hauling it out). You can make the cookie dough with a good hand mixer or even by hand. You’ll probably have to stir the flour in by hand anyways because the dough gets pretty stiff.
On a sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper, form a nice even log, about 12 to 14 inches long (or two logs, 6 to 7 inches long). Wrap the paper around the dough and freeze it for thirty minutes.
Meanwhile, get your oven preheating. After thirty minutes, remove the dough log from the freezer, unwrap it, and slice it into quarter-inch slices. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and bake them.
Shortbread cookies have a higher amount of butter and a lower amount of sugar than butter cookies or sugar cookies. They are not overly sweet cookies and are fairly dense in texture. They do not contain eggs.
Adding eggs will change the texture of your shortbread. The cookies won’t be as crisp and crumbly.
Shortbread is perfect with most any beverage: coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or even wine. Serve shortbread with homemade eggnog, microwave hot cocoa, or a vanilla bourbon fizz. Shortbread makes good dippers for creamy hot chocolate dip, too.
Make It Your Own
- Like mint with chocolate? I love those thin mint Girl Scout cookies, don’t you? Try drizzling these peppermint cookies with melted chocolate chocolate chips. Or, if you love the peppermint/chocolate connection, check out these peppermint chocolate sugar cookies. They are the easiest cut-out cookies to roll out.
- Can’t find Andes Peppermint Chips? Try their Creme de Menthe chips or substitute English toffee chips.
Baked cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to a week in a tightly covered container or in the freezer for up to a month. Make sure they are completely cool before covering.
Unbaked cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to a month, wrapped thoroughly. To bake, remove log from freezer and allow to warm up for a half hour or so. Slice and bake as directed.
More Slice and Bake Cookies
Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup Andes peppermint crunch baking chips
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Gradually add flour and mix on low until combined. Add Andes baking chips and continue mixing on low until fully combined.
- On wax paper or parchment paper, form into a 12- to 14-inch log and freeze at least 30 minutes or until firm.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the shortbread dough into ¼ -inch slices and bake for 13 to 15 minutes on parchment lined baking sheets.
Notes
- If you want to make these even more festive, dip cookies halfway into melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
- Dough logs can be frozen for up to one month. Wrap well and label. Allow the logs to warm up at room temperature for a half hour before slicing and baking as directed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!Disclosure: This post is a collaboration with United Dairy Industry of Michigan. I was paid to develop and photograph this recipe but my love for butter is 100% the real thing.
Can I make these using the Andes mint chips instead of the andes peppermint chips?
Definitely! Yum!
I am looking to start my Christmas baking a little early this year by making cookies ahead of time and freezing them.
Freezing cookie dough is kind of new to me… do you have any suggestions on how long the dough will keep in the freezer?
As long as it is tightly wrapped, it should be great from now until Christmas!
Made these today…they are awesome! Great recipe, will make again.
So glad you liked them! Thanks for the comment.
I loved the taste of these, and the texture was absolutely melt in your mouth. I did, however, have trouble with the cutting. As I began cutting them, they kind of crumbled, and didn’t really keep their nice, round shape. I had to kind of press them down a little to keep them together. Any suggestions for next time?
Did you freeze the dough for longer than 30 minutes? If so, you may have to let it set out at room temperature for 30 minutes or so to achieve uniform slices. Hope that helps!
I think I want to make these this Christmas – do you think I can sub in crushed candy canes for the baking chips??
I would recommend the Andes mints only because they are a bit softer. Crushed candy canes tend to get pretty hard (and stick in your teeth!) after they are baked.
I am making these right now, the dough is really flakey, and keeps falling apart….did anyone else have this issue? should they be in the freezer longer? thanks.j
Did you roll them into a log before freezing?
Yes one big dry crumbled mess
These are amazingly good! I made 2 batches yesterday for a party. Easy to make. Can’t wait to try some of your other variations.
Good base recipe. I had a movie theme morning tea, and I dyed these green and called it Soylent Green, like the 70’s sci fi movie! The sky’s the limit with shortbread variations.
by 2 sticks of butter do you mean 1/2 a block of butter?
1/2 pound, yes.
I’m definitely adding these to my holiday baking list! Can you add peppermint extract to them? Would you just do a teaspoon along with the teaspoon of vanilla?
You could add peppermint extract but I think 1 teaspoon might be too much — it’s pretty potent! I’d try 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon first.
I actually used 1-1/2 tsp of peppermint schnapps :) Just to add a little spice to the dough. It doesn’t have a strong flavor, but i think did help pull the peppermint throughout the cookie a little bit.