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Shortbread Cookie Bites

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter cold and diced into 1 Tbsp pieces
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract*
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 Tablespoons nonpareils sprinkles any color, divided

Instructions

  • Butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper with a 1-inch over hang on all sides. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer (you can also use a hand mixer too), cream together butter and sugar until well combined. Add vanilla extract and salt and mix together. Slowly add flour with mixer set on low and mix until combined. The mixture will start out dry and pebbly but will come together, although it won't be creamy like most cookie dough. Gently fold in 2 1/2 Tablespoons of sprinkles.
  • Press dough into an even layer in prepared pan. Sprinkle with another 1/2 Tablespoon of sprinkles, gently press into dough. Chill for 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using parchment overhand, lift dough from pan. Cut 1/2 squares with a sharp knife (make rows, don't try to individually cut 1/2 pieces).
  • Transfer about 1/3 of the cookies to an unbuttered cookie sheet, spacing cookies 1/2-inch apart. Put remaining cookie batter in the refrigerator.
  • Bake for 8-12 minutes. Remove to another baking sheet to cool. Repeat process with remaining cookies. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

If you use salted butter, eliminate the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Generally, I only unsalted butter so I can salt to my preference.
The original recipe used almond extract, which I don't really like, so I swapped it with vanilla. You chose whichever you prefer as both work fine.
The cookies look the nicest when they are a bit pale, generally that means baking for 8 minutes. I prefer 10 minutes because I think they taste a bit better when browner (even though they look a bit nicer when they are pale).
Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Classy