These festive Peppermint Shortbread Cookies are the perfect addition to your holiday cookie trays this year! With only five ingredients, they are quick and easy to make and look so gosh darn pretty!
Baking Christmas cookies this week? Make sure to add these to your list: Kolaczki (Polish Cookies), Peanut Butter Blossoms and Snickerdoodles!
There is something about the holidays that brings out the best in people. We’re happier, friendlier, and full of joy. That’s why it’s the best time of the year. The true spirit of the holiday season is all about giving though. I used to stress about the gifts I gave at Christmas. I mean, talk about pressure. It’s the one time of year when many are expecting gifts and the thought of disappointing someone just doesn’t sit well with me.
As I grow older, and wiser, I’ve learned that giving to others is the best gift I can give myself. Truly. There is nothing that fills with me with thankfulness and joy more than the act of giving selflessly to another. And the holidays are certainly the perfect time to do it.
The boys have been busy working on their Christmas Wish Lists and as much fun as it is to surprise them each year, our focus has always been on the act of giving. Teaching our boys to want to give to others is a top priority in our family. We participate in Operation Bear Hug, Operation Christmas Child, and various other charities to show them how good it feels to give. And it does. There’s no denying the thrill in giving to someone you love or someone in need.
The great thing is that giving doesn’t need to be complicated OR expensive. Anyone can give. It only matters that it comes from your heart. Take these Peppermint Shortbread Cookies. Easy. Easy Easy. Yet totally festive and delicious. And boy oh boy do they look pretty on a platter! Tie it up with a ribbon and you have the perfect holiday gift.
Many people may be like, oh, shortbread, but it’s so dry. No sir. Not if you do it right! These shortbread cookies are delightful and pack a peppermint punch that’s sure to please.
There’s a whopping 5 ingredients in this shortbread. I roll mine in sugar before baking for an extra special sparkle. Come on now! It’s Christmas! We have to have sparkle 🙂
More Peppermint Treats
- Peppermint Snowball Cookies
- Peppermint Fudge
- Holiday Dipped Peppermint Oreos
- Peppermint Mocha Fudge
- Peppermint Fluff
How To Make Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cups sugar
- 1 cup butter cubed (and cold)
- 1 ¼ cups Andes peppermint crunch chips found in baking aisle or here
- 1 tsp extract vanilla, almond, or peppermint
- red food coloring optional
- more sugar to coat cookies before baking if desired
Instructions
- Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl.
- Use a pastry blender to cut in butter. You want very fine crumbs.
- Stir in extract, food coloring, and Andes peppermint crunch chips.
- Use your hands to knead the dough until it comes together and forms a ball.
- Shape dough into a log about two inches in a diameter and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for two hours.
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut slices of cookie dough about 1/4 inch thick and place on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or just until cookies are set. Do not over bake.
- Let cool for several minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack. Let cool completely.
- Store in airtight container for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Jacque Kvanvig says
I wanted to love these! I followed the recipe to the letter but mine melted into one giant cookie with lacy edges. 🙁 They are so pretty, though.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Did you refrigerate the dough Jacque? It sounds like the cookies weren’t cold going into the oven to me.
Jo says
These cookie were a mess! The dough was so dry it wouldn’t form a log-trashed the whole thing!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Sorry you had such a bad experience Jo. Sounds like the dough wasn’t kneaded long enough and the butter wasn’t full incorporated. The dough needs to be able to form a ball before you attempt to form a log. Hope that helps!
Janis says
Did you use unsalted or salted butter?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Unsalted Janis but either would work.
Jen says
I tried making these cookies last night and spent a lot of time working the cold butter into the flour and sugar but was unable to get the dough to come together. I ended up adding a little water and eventually formed the log but had a difficult time cutting the cookies as they were falling apart. I found another recipe with almost the same ingredients but the butter was at room temperature was creamed with the sugar. The cookies turned out great using this method.
Judy says
Thanks, Jen, for your remarks. I am in the process of cutting in the butter and everything is so dry. I am going to let the mixture set, or might microwave a bit, to soften the butter. The recipe definitely needs to be tweaked to work.
Linda says
These are beautiful cookies! I searched all over town and finally found the Andes Peppermint Chips. Now I can’t wait to try them. Do you recall how many drops of food coloring you used to get that beautiful pink color?
Judi says
Target usually sells Andes Peppermint Chips
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Mine does every year Judi! That’s where I buy them from 🙂 Thank you!
Michelle K says
I am planning on baking a lot of cookies this holiday season, anything that I can prep ahead of time is key! Can the dough be frozen then thawed before baking? Can the cookies be frozen after they are baked and cooled?
Jennifer says
Hi! Thanks for sharing this recipe… I am all about recipes wuth just a few ingredients. I had the same experience as Susan. This was my first time ‘cutting in’ butter, so I am sure my lack of experience in that area has something to do with it. However, after watching a few videos on cutting in butter, they all show adding a little bit of cold liquid after the butter is cut in. I left the food coloring out, and while it seemed that the butter was worked well throughout, my ‘dough’ was extremely dry. Do you think the food coloring is necessary to add some moisture? If not, would it hurt to add a little ice water to moisten up the dough and make it easier to work with?
Rose says
The dough was so dry even after kneading I couldn’t make a roll without it falling apart.
So I used a cookie scoop and made balls then refrigerated them like the recipe said for 2 hrs. But it took forever to cook because they are still soft on top from the candy chips. It’s hard to tell when there cooked through.
Deana says
Do not follow the directions from start to finish.
You can not add flour and sugar together. The recipe will not work. It will never hold together. I was so frustrated so looked at another similar recipe. You must blend the sugar and butter first, then slowly add flour. Directions are confusing and will ruin your cookies. Good luck. I suggest looking at other recipes for this cookie.
Susan says
These looked terrific, but when I tried to make them, the dough was dried and crumbly….I could barely get the log to stick together but thought the refrigeration time would help. After 4 hours in the frig, I tried to slice them, but couldn’t get one good slice out, they would just fall apart into crumbs. What did I do wrong?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Hi Susan – I’m sorry you had some trouble. The only thing I can think of is that the butter wasn’t worked throughout the dough. It’s a shortbread so there’s not a lot of wet ingredients here. The refrigeration just helps keep the cookies from spreading while baking, it doesn’t really help the dough hold together.
Melda says
Me too,
Nikki says
Hi Trish,
These look amazing. I will bake these for my company holiday party. As far as the extract, which one did you use?
Kindest Regards,
Nikki
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I used vanilla Nikki. There is a lot of peppermint flavor from the Andes chips. Enjoy!
Brianna B says
Hi Trish,
You should let people know to absolutely not use crushed candy canes! My grocery store didn’t have the Andes peppermint chips so I thought it would be a good substitute, but the cookies turned into one big pan of mush in the oven! Time to start over!
Marie says
Good to know! I almost did that. Do you think it would taste good without putting in the peppermint chips, and just putting in peppermint flavor? Maybe I could sprinkle the cookies after they bake with some crushed candy cane…
Thanks again for the tip!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
You could try just adding the extract Marie but I’m not sure how they would turn out or taste. Sprinkling with crushed candy canes is a great idea though!
Claire says
I should have know to come to the Comments section first! I had a bag of “peppermint crushed baking chips” I used and, after the same issues of struggling to get the dough to stay together as others have mentioned, the cookies turned to mush in the oven! It looks like the Andes called for in the recipe are “creamy chips with bits of peppermint candy,” not straight up crushed peppermint candies you see so often this time of year.
Diane @ The Checkered Apple says
These sounds like a delicious addition to my Christmas baking list! I always make shortbread and love peppermint, so I can’t wait to give these a try. Thanks!
Cammi says
Love your pics! Your son is such a cutie! I’m making these right now (they’re in the fridge, chillin’, LOL). I hope they come out as nice as yours. I really had a tough time kneading it all together and getting it to stick. When it started coming together in a ball, when I’d push down to knead again, it kept coming back apart. Hopefully when I go to slice all will go according to plan! I’ll let ya know how they come out and what the family thinks. My two youngest kids are great taste-testers, LOL.
Maryann says
This recipe is best with the Andes Peppermint Chips. However it will work with crushed candy canes. Lower the temp to 300 degrees and bake about 25 min. The candies do melt, but the cookie tastes good. Mine held their shape.
Sue says
Thanks for the tip. I used both Ghirardellis peppermint chunks and crushed candy canes. Note: Keep the pans on high racks or the candy burns…I tried to hurry the process by moving a tray to the lower rack…Oh well, more rejects for me!! ?
Michele says
Mine would hardly stay together and crumbled apart when I sliced them. I couldn’t get the food coloring to mix in either.
Jeni says
YUM! These look fabulous! Can’t wait to make them this weekend!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks so much Jeni!
Teresa says
Love this cookie! It’s so beautiful.
Melanie @ Carmel Moments says
So festive and fun! I feel like I reach out and grab 1 or 2. Perfection!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Carole from Carole's Chatter says
Oooh, Trish, I do hope you’ll swing by to Food on Friday to add this to Christmas Favourites! Cheers from Carole from Carole’s Chatter