These Spiced Shortbread Cookies are delicate, crumbly, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth cookies. They are packed with warming and festive flavours such as honey, orange, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom. These are perfect festive cookies that Santa will approve!
Hello everyone – how are you doing? I hope this week has been treating you well.
I am trying to squeeze more recipes than normally this week. So I am keeping it sweet and short (shortbread LOL) today again. Should we shortbread then?
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
Shortbread cookies, perhaps, are my favourite. They are rich, buttery, and most importantly, not overly sweet. They are easy to make, too. The dough is also forgiving, too. That means you can simply combine the soften (nearly melted) butter with the remaining ingredients until resembles dough. And you do not need to chill it, either – although resting for 5-10 minutes will not hurt. Traditional method makes shortbread slightly more delicate and light. But honestly there is no any significant difference, and I often opt for a simplified method.
Spiced Shortbread Cookies
These Spiced Shortbread Cookies are so good. They also have a buttery, crumbly, sandy, and melty texture. And the flavour profile? Honey, brown sugar, orange zest, and warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. That is a quintessence of the holiday season!
Please note this is quite a big batch resulting in about 35 small-medium size of cookies. Perfect for gifting or big gathering! If you do not need so many cookies, please make sure to cut the recipe in half.
More Christmas Cookies Recipes
Looking for more festive cookie ideas? You can find plenty on Havoc In The Kitchen:
Cranberry Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
Orange Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
I hope you like these Spiced Shortbread Cookies recipe, and you will give it a try. If you make it, let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share you photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.
Cheers!
Spiced Shortbread Cookies
30-40
servings15
minutes30
minutes20-30
minutesThese Spiced Shortbread Cookies are delicate, crumbly, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth cookies. They are packed with warming and festive flavours such as honey, orange, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom. These are perfect festive cookies that Santa will approve!
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Ingredients
2 and 1/2 cups (~315 gr.) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (~60 gr.) corn starch
1 cup (225 gr.) butter, softened
1/4 cup (85 gr.) honey
2-3 tbsp. (25-35 gr.) old-fashioned brown sugar
zest of 1 orange
2/3 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cardamom
a pinch of clove and allspice, each
1 vanilla been, seeds – or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
- First Method (Requires Use of a Mixer and Chilling):
- Make sure to remove the butter from the fridge 1-2 hours prior to baking. In a bowl, using a mixer, cream the softened butter, honey, sugar, vanilla seeds (or extract) and salt on medium speed, 2 minute or so.
- Stir in the flour, corn starch, zest, and spices, and mix with a spoon or spatula until the mixture starts to remain dough; it might be quite sticky, so you could dust with a little of extra flour (if it’s only slightly sticky, don’t add any extra flour as it could be fine after chilling.) Don’t overmix the dough.
- Chill the dough for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (~175 degrees C).
- Roll the dough out with a rolling-pin. Cut cookies using cookie cutters of your choice. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet(s).
- Bake for about 10-14 minutes (depending on size) or until edges are lightly golden but the cookies are still quite pale. If you prefer delicate, moist, and soft cookies, bake them just for 10 minutes depending on your oven. If you prefer them crisp and more browned, bake them for extra 2-3 minutes or so. Either way, they will be delicious! Enjoy!
- First Method (No Mixer and Chilling is Required):
- Cut the butter into few large pieces, place in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat for about 25-40 seconds or until very soft (partly melted); or melt a small saucepan over stovetop heat.
- Combine the soften/melted butter with sugar, honey, vanilla, spices, and zest. Beat with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds until well-incorporated.
- Stir in the flour and starch and mix until remains dough; don’t overmix. If the dough feels too sticky, dust with a little of flour. If it feels to crumbly / dry (that happens as density of ingredients could wary), you can fix it by stirring in a little more of melted butter or a splash of milk.
- You do not need to refrigerate the dough, but if you have time, giving it 5-10 minutes of resting will improve the texture even more. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (~175 degrees C). Repeat steps 4 and 5 from the 1st method. Enjoy!
These spiced shortbread cookies look like the perfect treat for the holidays! The addition of spices must add such a wonderful depth of flavor. Yum!
These Spiced Shortbread Cookies sound absolutely heavenly! I can practically taste the buttery, crumbly goodness and the warm, festive spices. They would be perfect for a holiday cookie platter or as a homemade gift.
Thanks Raymund!
You’ve combined two of my faves! They are so pretty with you cookie cutters as well. Adding to my must try list.
Thanks Tasia!
They look very pretty and I bet they are amazingly delicious with all the wonderful holiday spices.
Thanks Angie!