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These Shortbread Chocolate Filled Christmas Cookies are no ordinary shortbread cookies! Buttery shortbread sandwich cookies are filled with semi sweet melted chocolate to form sandwich cookies which are then fully coated in melted white chocolate!

Every bite is pure bliss, and they look stunning too! Drizzle colored chocolate over these Christmas shortbread cookies with festive sprinkles or sanding sugar and you'll have a fight on your hands to keep them from disappearing!

Everyone needs a spectacular Christmas cookie to add to their table of Desserts to spoil the family and impress the guests and this year, and when compared with all of the Cookie Recipes out there, these shortbread chocolate Christmas cookies certainly steal the show!

WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

Holiday Baked Gifts: Shortbread Chocolate Christmas Cookies are so pretty to look at and even better as a tasty treat. They'll make very special home-baked gifts for your loved ones during the festive season. They're also great to give to teachers or bring along to cookie exchange parties. Simply place your cookies in paper gift boxes with decorative ribbon and gift tags!
Get Kids Involved: Once the cookies have been baked and cooled, get the kids to help you decorate them with the melted chocolate and sprinkles. You may need to supervise young children though since the melted chocolate will be hot straight out of the microwave.
Make Ahead: You can either make and decorate your Christmas cookies a day or two ahead of serving or make the shortbread cookie dough to store in the refrigerator or freezer – reducing the overall recipe time substantially!
Versatile: Adapt your Shortbread Chocolate Christmas Cookies with additional ingredient add-ins or ingredient swaps to better suit your taste or cookie decorating preferences. I've listed various options to choose from!
They're Super Festive: These cookies can't be mistaken as anything else but Christmas cookies! They're cheerful and add a great atmosphere to any room.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

These shortbread chocolate Christmas cookies are no strangers to my house and every year, I get begged to whip up endless batches for friends and family. You can rest assured that I've tried and tested this cookie recipe in my kitchen, allowing me to guide you through the process effortlessly with the aid of simple recipe instructions and step-by-step recipe images.
Frequently asked questions and pro recipe tips have been included in this recipe post to ensure that your experience of making these shortbread Christmas Cookies is effortless and enjoyable.
Recipe variations are listed below as easy and scrumptious ways for you to offer some variety.
Most of the recipe time is dedicated to chilling the shortbread cookie dough, which means that you can get on with other things in between the recipe steps.

INGREDIENT NOTES

Below, I discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions if you don't have a specific ingredient. However, if you are looking for the specific measurements of each ingredient, scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card, which includes all the ingredients and the specific amounts of each one.

SHORTBREAD CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS COOKIES INGREDIENTS

Powdered sugar – make sure to measure your powdered sugar as too much can cause an overly sweet cookie batter and also affect the overall texture since it can dry out the cookie batter.
All-purpose flour – if you need these cookies to be gluten-free then I suggest using something like King Arthur gluten-free flour which is a convenient measure-for-measure substitution. Regardless of what you use, ensure that you sift your flour for a smoother cookie dough.
Butter – use unsalted and softened butter. You will also need an additional ⅓ tablespoon of butter when making the cookie filling.
Eggs – it's also best to bring the eggs to room temperature when baking.
Vanilla extract – I use high quality vanilla extract in all my sweet treats and baked goods for best flavor. You could also use almond extract for these cookies if you prefer.
Baking powder – make sure that the baking powder hasn't expired. Fresh is always best to ensure that the cookies rise well while baking.
Semi sweet chocolate chips – white chocolate chips could also be used if you prefer.
White chocolate – if you use a substitute like almond bark or candy melts then you will need to omit the coconut oil below.
Coconut oil – Canola oil or vegetable oil can be used as well since it's another flavorless oil.
Sprinkles and food coloring – this is optional but adds to the festive look of these Christmas cookies!

Instructions

In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter.
Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add the vanilla.
Add the egg.
Little by little add the flour.
Add the baking soda and mix until combined and the batter is smooth.

Roll the dough and extend until it is 1/4 inch evenly distributed on an acrylic sheet or baking tray.
Once it is flat, chill for at least an hour.
Remove from the refrigerator and cut out your cookies. Place on a baking tray and bake for 12to 15 minutes or until the edges are a bit golden.
Let them cool before you begin adding the chocolate.

Melt the Chocolate and Fill The Cookies

Add the chocolate with a tablespoon of butter in a small bowl and melt in the microwave in 20second intervals.
With a spatula or spoon, spread some chocolate on top of a cookie.
Then place another cookie on top, like a cookie sandwich.
Place the cookies on a baking tray and let them seal.

Decorate The Cookies

In a small bowl, add the white chocolate and coconut oil, and melt in the microwave in 20 second intervals until completely melted.
Separate a bit of chocolate in another small bowl in case you want to use other colors for decorating the top of the cookie.
Once the cookies are ready, dip the whole cookie into the white chocolate and let it dry.
Place the colored chocolate in a ziploc bag, and scribble on top of each cookie.
Let them dry once again.
You can add sprinkles as well if you like, but if you do make sure to do it immediately once you add the chocolate if not they will not stick.

PRO RECIPE TIPS

If you're in a rush and need to speed up the chilling of your cookie dough, add your flattened dough, covered with plastic wrap, to the freezer for about 30 minutes prior to cutting out the cookie shapes.
I've used a hand mixer for making the shortbread cookie dough but you could use a standing mixer instead. In fact, many cookie recipes call for the use of a standing mixer – use whatever works best for you!
These Shortbread Chocolate Christmas Cookies are perfect for special occasions or holidays. Consider whipping up a batch for Christmas day or other special occasions that fall within the holiday season.
Consider making the cookie dough overnight or a couple of days in advance to be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator as a great way to reduce recipe prep and overall time required to make these cookies.
White almond bark, candy melts or Ghirardelli white chocolate wafers can be used for dipping your entire sandwich cookies into instead of the white chocolate chips. You will just need to omit the coconut oil from the recipe since these alternative options don't usually contain stabilizers as an ingredient, enabling them to melt much better into a smooth consistency without the aid of oil.
If your melted white chocolate looks and feels too thick, simply stir in some coconut oil untill you achieve the consistency desired.
The white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips can also be melted over a double boiler if you don't have a microwave at your disposal.

RECIPE VARIATIONS

Use different shapes of cookie cutters for an assortment of shortbread Christmas cookies.
Use melted white chocolate instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips to glue the sandwich cookies together. You could get even more creative and add some food coloring for different colored centers to your shortbread cookies!
Use rum extract, peppermint extract or almond extract instead of vanilla for different flavored shortbread cookies.
Sprinkle some green or red sanding sugar over the white chocolate coated cookies while they are still semi wet instead of the drizzled colored chocolate or sprinkles.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH SHORTBREAD CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

These bright and cheerful Chocolate covered Christmas cookies can be added to an attractive themed platter as an assortment of differently decorated cookies, offered throughout the holidays to friends and guests or presented at cookie exchange parties.

These cookies would also make a fantastic addition to a Christmas charcuterie board filled with all sorts of festive sweet treats.

Of course, nothing quite beats serving these shortbread Christmas cookies as a sweet snack or post dinner treat with a mug of hot chocolate or eggnog!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

IS IT REALLY NECESSARY TO CHILL THE SHORTBREAD COOKIE DOUGH?

Yes, it is. Chilling the cookie dough will help prevent the cookies from spreading flat while baking. It's important that your cookies rise well while baking for the cookie sandwich effect.

CAN I MAKE MY SHORTBREAD COOKIES GLUTEN-FREE?

Absolutely! Simply use gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour for gluten-free cookies. Something like King Arthur is a popular gluten-free flour used in baking – it's a measure for measure substitution!

WHY DO I NEED TO ADD COCONUT OIL TO THE WHITE CHOCOLATE COATING?

Melted chocolate (specifically chocolate chips) can sometimes form lumps and bumps due to stabilizer ingredients found in most brands. The addition of oil helps to smooth out the melted chocolate so that you get a lump-free consistency, perfect for coating treats such as these Shortbread Chocolate Christmas Cookies!

While I've used coconut oil, you can also use another flavorless oil such as canola oil or vegetable oil instead.

HOW SHOULD I STORE THESE SHORTBREAD CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS COOKIES?

You can store leftover shortbread sandwich cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week, so long as you don't live in hot and humid conditions this time of the year, otherwise it'll be better to store them in the refrigerator.

You can certainly freeze your chocolate covered sandwich cookies for up to 3 months although the chocolate coating may become somewhat streaky after a while from the freezing. I don't freeze fully baked and decorated cookies that have been coated in chocolate ahead of time for that reason, but they are fine as tasty leftover treats for the family!