Christmas Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
Christmas Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies, with Buttercream Icing, are colorful, sweet, buttery shortbread thumbprint cookies, covered in red and green sprinkles and topped with either red, green, or white buttercream frosting!
Servings 36 cookies
Calories 138kcal
Ingredients
Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- red and green sprinkles (I used jimmies)
Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- red and green food coloring
Instructions
Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), add the butter and sugar and beat together until it is smooth. Pour in the vanilla extract and beat until it is mixed well throughout the dough. Mix in the flour until the cookie dough comes together.
- In a shallow bowl add colored sprinkles. (Can be red, green, or multi-colored.)
- Roll the batter into 1/2-inch balls, roll in the sprinkles, and place on a cookie sheet.
- Using your thumb, or the back of a teaspoon, press the center of the cookie to make a circular indentation. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a baking rack.
Buttercream Frosting
- In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth.
- Mix in the vanilla. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk, as necessary to get the right consistency of the icing.
- Divide the icing into 3 bowls. In one bowl, add enough drops of red food coloring and stir until you get a Christmas red color. (This may require a lot of food coloring.) If the frosting gets too thin after adding food coloring, stir in more powdered sugar until it is back to the correct consistency.
- In the second bowl, add a few drops of green food coloring until you get a bright green color. Do not add any food coloring to the third bowl. It will remain white.
- Spoon, or pipe in, about a teaspoon of icing into the center of each cookie, alternating the red, green, and white colors so 1/3 of the cookies have red icing in the center, 1/3 have green icing in the center, and 1/3 have white icing in the center of the cookie. (Should be about 1 dozen of each color.) Place the cookies on a platter to serve.
Video
Notes
- How Do I Prevent The Cookies From Spreading?
- As I mentioned above in the recipe tips, be sure to refrigerate the cookie dough before baking.
- In addition, don't make the cookies too large. Keep them fairly small and roll the dough tightly to prevent spreading.
- How Do I Prevent The Frosting From Getting Too Thin?
- If the food coloring makes the frosting too thin, just add more powdered sugar to compensate and keep adding until you get the right consistency.
- Secondly, freeze the frosting for about 10 minutes before piping in the cookies.
Nutrition
Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 9mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg