Cookie season is here in full swing! If you're looking for an easy and delicious cookie recipe to add to your Christmas cookie list this year, look no further. Classic Shortbread Cookies made 4 Ways! One dough, 4 variations and an endless variety of flavor combinations.

Ingredients for Shortbread Cookies 4 Ways

Unsalted Butter - Make sure your butter is at room temperature butter, which is around 68ºF (20ºC). You can quickly bring butter to room temp by cutting into small cubes and leaving it on the counter.
Confectioners' Sugar - The key to soft, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies is using confectioners' sugar.
Vanilla Paste or Extra - Adds flavor.
All-Purpose Flour - Use a high quality flour, such as King Arthur for best results.
Salt - Use fine salt for best results.

Cookie #1

Mini Chocolate Chips - I like to use mini semi-sweet chips as it's easier to roll out and it looks so cute! You can also use finely chopped chocolate.
Espresso Powder - Adds so much flavor and enhances the chocolate.

Cookie #2

Candied Pecans - You can also use plain toasted pecans or any nut of your choice.

Cookie #3

Nonpareil Christmas Sprinkles - Adds a nice crunchy texture. When mixing nonpareil sprinkles into the dough, try not to overwork it as the color can bleed.

Cookie #4

Coated in confectioners' sugar - The plain cookie will get rolled in powdered sugar. You can also leave it plain or drizzle chocolate on top.

Instructions for Shortbread Cookies 4 Ways

Step 1 - With a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix room temperature butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. About 2 minutes on medium. *You can also mix by hand.

Step 2 - Add sifted confectioners' sugar and mix until incorporated.

Step 3 - Next, sift in flour and salt and mix on the lowest setting just until combined.

Step 4 - Using a kitchen scale (or eyeball it), divide the dough into 4 equal portions and transfer to 4 clean bowls.

Step 5 - Add mini chocolate chips & espresso powder to one bowl, finely chopped candied pecans to another, sprinkles to the third bowl and the last one will be remain plain as that will be dusted with powdered sugar.

Step 6 - Individually wrap each dough ball with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. I like to shape the dough into a rectangle, about half an inch (1.27 cm) thickness to make it easier to roll out later.

Step 7 - Generously flour your work surface and roll your dough out to ¼ to ⅛ inch (6.35 to 3.1 mm) thickness. Lightly dip your cookie cutter of choice into flour and cut out your cookies. With a thin metal spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to 2 to 3 parchment lined baking trays. Gather the scraps, reroll and cut out more cookies. My cookie cutters varied between 1.5 to 2.5 inches (3.8 to 6.3 cm). Continue rolling out the remaining dough and cutting out all your cookies.

If at any point the dough gets too warm from handling, don't fret, pop it back in the fridge for 15 minutes or so to firm up!

Step 8 - Once all your cookies are cut out, place the trays of cookies into the freezer for 20 minutes or 45 minutes in the fridge.

Step 9 - Preheat your oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and bake each tray one at a time for 10 to 14 minutes. Make sure the cookies are about ½ inch apart. They don't spread, but you don't want them to be touching. The time varies depending on how thin you've rolled out your dough and how large your cookies are. Just keep an eye on them. They are ready when the are slightly golden brown on the edges. Allow the cookies to sit on the tray for a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 10 - Put the finishing touches on your cookies. Dip the plain cookie in powdered sugar. Give the cookies as gifts or make for your holiday gathering. Enjoy!!

Expert Tips

For best results, weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale, as it's the most accurate way to bake. You can read more about this below!
If you are not using a kitchen scale, measure your flour correctly. Fluff and aerate your flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and finally level off with the back of a butter knife. Do not pack it in as it will add too much flour.
Chill, chill and chill! The best part about shortbread cookies is that it's full of butter. To prevent the cookies from spreading and losing its beautiful shape, we will need to chill the dough several times.
When cutting the cookies, you can also dip the cutter into flour to help them release easier.
You can make the dough 5 days in advanced. Just wrap tightly in cling wrap and store in the fridge. When you are ready to roll out your dough, allow to sit on the counter to soften a bit before rolling out.
Do not underbake these cookies. They should be cooked through and somewhat crisp.