These Christmas Wreath Shortbread Cookies are perfect for the holidays! Flavored with vanilla, orange, and warm spices, these cookies are delicious as they are beautiful!
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy Cookie Season! My favorite time of year for many reasons, and one of those reasons is that I have an excuse to bake an unheard of amount of cookies.
And speaking of cookies, how beautiful are these Christmas Wreath Shortbread Cookies?! I’m obsessed.
All too often, decorated cookies look great, but they don’t always taste great. Not the case with these shortbread cookies, my friends. Not the case. These Christmas Wreath Shortbread Cookies are buttery, tender, with just the right balance of sweet, citrus, vanilla, and spice. And truth be told, they’re super easy (and fun) to make. A wonderfully festive, perfectly delicious Christmas cookie that is sure to impress.
I chose to cut these into Christmas wreath and snowflake shapes, but you can make these shortbread cookies into whatever shape you please and decorate them to your heart’s desire. Have fun with it!
And if you’re looking for more Christmas cookie inspiration, check out my recipes for Chewy Ginger Molasses cookies, Linzer Cookies, Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownie Cookies, and Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies!
Happy cookie season, and happy baking!
What you’ll need to make these shortbread cookies:
Butter: Butter gives these shortbread cookies a buttery, tender texture and wonderful flavor.
Powdered sugar + granulated sugar: I like a combination of powdered sugar and granulated sugar for shortbread. Powdered sugar gives soft, a melt-in-your-mouth texture, while the granulated sugar gives a little crunch and helps give them color in the oven.
Orange zest + orange juice: Zest and juice go into the batter to give these cookies a citrusy winter flavor!
Vanilla extract: I use vanilla bean paste in this recipe, because I love the robust flavor that it brings and the little specks of vanilla bean throughout the dough. But vanilla extract works just fine!
Flour: All-purpose flour gives structure to the cookies. For a lighter, more tender cookie, I like to sift the flour. Be sure to measure the flour correctly first, either by weight or using the spoon and level method, then sift.
Kosher salt: For balance.
Ground ginger + cardamom: Warm spices make these cookies extra cozy and go great with the vanilla and orange flavors. If cardamom isn’t your favorite, use ground cinnamon instead!
Powdered sugar, orange juice, and milk for the glaze.
To decorate the cookies, grab some assorted sprinkles, and make decorative leaves with sprigs of rosemary, an egg white, and granulated sugar.
FAQs:
Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a canister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!
What kind of cookie cutters should I use? Feel free to use any size or shape cookie cutters for your shortbread cookies! To create wreaths, I used a 3-inch and 1 1/2- inch round cutter with a scalloped edge. For the snowflakes, I used a 3-inch cookie cutter.
Can I make these ahead of time and/or freeze the dough? Yes! There are several make ahead options, including freezing the dough. Read my recipe notes for instructions!
A few notes before you bake:
For easy rolling and ensuring that all your cookies are an even thickness, I recommend this rolling pin with adjustable guards.
Make the glaze more or less citrusy based on your flavor preference. Make the glaze what you want! I opted for more orange juice than milk in my glaze because I love the orange flavor. If you want more citrus, use all orange juice; if you want less citrus, use more (or all) milk!
For more Christmas cookie inspiration, check out these recipes!
- Linzer Cookies
- Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownie Cookies
- Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Christmas Wreath Shortbread Cookies
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Chilling and setting time: 4 to 5 hours
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 5 to 6 hours (includes chilling, decorating and setting time)
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert, Snack
Description
These Christmas Wreath Shortbread Cookies are perfect for the holidays! Flavored with vanilla, orange, and warm spices, these cookies are delicious as they are beautiful!
Ingredients
For the shortbread cookies:
- 226 gm (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 60 gm (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
- 50 gm (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 281 gm (2 1/4 cups, spoon and leveled) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
For the decorations and glaze:
- Several sprigs of rosemary
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- Granulated sugar, for sprinkling
- 300 gm (2 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Assorted sprinkles for decoration
Instructions
Cookies:
- Make the dough. Add the butter, powdered sugar, granulated sugar and orange zest to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (alternatively you can use an electric hand mixer). Mix on high speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through and again at the end. Add the orange juice and vanilla and mix to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine the sifted flour, kosher salt and ground spices. Add the dry ingredients to the batter in 2 separate additions, mixing on low speed after each addition until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Turn half of the cookie dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Using lightly floured hands, shape the dough into a disc, about 1/2″ thick, then wrap tightly in the plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough.
- Chill the dough. Place the discs in the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours, up to 3 days (NOTE: for chill times longer than 3 hours, place the wrapped discs in a zip-top bag to keep them from drying out). For freezing instructions, refer to my recipe notes below*.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. If the dough has been chilling for longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften a bit before rolling out.
- Roll and cut the dough into shapes. Working with one disc at a time, place one portion of chilled dough on a clean, floured work surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and your rolling pin. Roll the dough into a 1/4″ thickness, re-flouring the surface and/or dough as needed to prevent sticking. Use a cookie cutter** to cut the dough into shapes, gathering and re-rolling the scraps until you’ve used up all of the dough (TIP: if the dough begins to get too sticky, press it into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up).
- Chill the cutouts. Place the cutouts on the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 to 2-inches apart. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. (If you can’t fit baking sheets in the fridge, place the cutouts on a plate and return them to the baking sheet once they’ve chilled!)
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are just beginning to lightly brown, rotating the pan halfway through bake time. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze/ decorations:
- Make the sugared rosemary. Brush the sprigs of rosemary with the egg white, then sprinkle generously with granulated sugar. Allow to set for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until dry.
- Make the glaze. Add the powdered sugar, orange juice and milk to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add more liquid (orange juice or milk) as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the glaze reaches a thick drizzling consistency.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Dip the top side of each cookie into the icing, holding the cookie over the bowl to let excess drip off. Use a toothpick to pop any bubbles that appear. Place the iced cookie on the prepared baking sheet and top with rosemary leaves and sprinkles. Repeat this process with each cookie.
- Allow the glaze to dry, about 1 hour.
Notes
*Make ahead/ freezing instructions: Cookie dough may be stored wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a zip-top bag for up to 3 days. To freeze discs of dough, wrap the dough in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and store in a freezer-safe zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove foil and leave in fridge overnight. To freeze dough cutouts, place the cutouts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer until the dough is frozen solid. Place frozen cutouts in a freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to 3 months and bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to your bake time.
**Cookie cutters: Feel free to use any size or shape cookie cutters for your shortbread cookies! To create wreaths, I used a 3-inch and 1 1/2- inch round cutters with a scalloped edge. For the snowflakes, I used a 3-inch cookie cutter.
Storage: Make sure the glaze has set completely before storing cookies. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container, placing sheets of wax or parchment paper between layers of cookies.
