Cutout Spiced Cookies For Christmas

Spiced cutout cookies on a black plate.

Let me introduce you to the best cookie cutter shortbread EVER. These spiced cookies are deeply buttery, moderately spiced and glazed with a lip-smacking buttered vanilla glaze. Decorate with your favorite sparkling sugar or sprinkles for Christmas, Easter or just because.

I found this spiced cookie recipe in “The Perfect Cookie: Your Ultimate Guide to Foolproof Cookies, Brownies & Bars (Perfect Baking Cookbooks)” {affiliate link} from America’s Test Kitchen. Their version was a sandwich cookie with a white chocolate filling and it looked divine, but I was out of white chocolate and didn’t want to make a special trip to the store, so simply decorated, vanilla glazed cookie cutter shortbread was the way to go.

  • Caster Sugar
  • All Purpose Flour
  • Cinnamon
  • Ground Ginger
  • Ground Allspice
  • Salt
  • European Butter
  • Cream Cheese
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Lemon Zest
making caster sugar in the food processor.

What is caster sugar?

No doubt you know what granulated sugar is – the everyday stuff that comes in a 5 pound bag. Super fine or caster sugar has smaller granules and dissolves more easily into other ingredients. In this recipe the caster sugar gives the spiced shortbread a more delicate flake and crumb.

Is caster sugar the same as powdered sugar?

No. Caster or superfine sugar is different from powdered (a.k.a. confectioner’s) sugar.

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Do I have to buy caster sugar for this recipe?

Don’t worry, you don’t need to make a special run to the store to get a “different type” of sweetener. You can make your own in the food processor or blender. Trust me, it’s easy.

A close up photo of caster sugar.

How to make caster sugar (a.k.a. superfine sugar)

  1. Measure the sugar and add to a mini food processor or blender.
  2. Process the sugar for 30-45 seconds. You’ll see a cloud of “smoke” develop in the machine. That’s normal, it’s aerating and finely chopping the granulated sugar crystals.
  3. Leave the lid on the processor and let it rest for about 30 seconds before removing, otherwise that sugar cloud will hit you in the face). Voilà! Caster sugar.
mixing spiced cookies with European butter in the stand mixer.

Balanced spices

What I love about this recipe is the spice blend. The flavors are very forward but also balanced. Because there’s no molasses in this recipe, it doesn’t have that assertiveness and the spices have a chance to shine. The lemon zest adds nuance that’s noticeable, but not overpowering.

European Butter

Folks, these are some BUTTERY spiced cookies. Seriously. You. Can. Taste. The. Butter! Why? Because instead of plain American-style sticks, I used European butter — it’s richer, has a higher fat content and in these spiced cutout shortbread cookies, it’s BETTER. Look for Plugra or KerryGold or other premium butter and soften it to room temperature before assembling the dough.

adding cream cheese, vanilla and lemon zest.

Use a stand mixer for the dough

Unlike most cookie recipes that have you creaming together the butter and sugar, before adding eggs, flavorings and finally the dry ingredients, this recipe mixes the whole kit-and caboodle in one bowl at the same time. A stand mixer will make it easy to blend.

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the caster sugar, flour, and spices, whisk or mix to combine.
  2. Add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time with the machine running on low speed. The mixture will look crumbly, like wet sand.
  3. Once the butter is incorporated, add the lemon zest, cream cheese and vanilla and mix until the spiced cookie dough comes together into a cohesive mass.
Dividing cooker cutter shortbread and rolling into discs.

Cold dough is the secret

The secret to working with this dough is to keep it COLD. If it gets too warm, the dough will be too soft to work with. So it needs to be refrigerated for 20 to 30 minutes BEFORE rolling it out.

I find that it’s easier to work with smaller quantities of the spiced cookie dough, so while the recipe in the cookbook recommended dividing the cookie cutter shortbread dough in half before chilling, I go one step further and divide it into quarters, because I live in South Florida and despite keeping the A/C running pretty much year round, our house is rarely as cool as most people’s houses.

  1. Roll the dough into a large ball.
  2. Use a pastry cutter or sharp chef’s knife to divide the ball into 4 equal pieces.
  3. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten into a disc.
  4. Wrap each piece of dough in cellophane and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
Cutting cookie cutter spiced shortbread cookies.

Easy way to roll out dough for cutout cookies

Here’s a simple way to roll out cookie dough without adding more flour and NOT STICKING to your countertop. Parchment paper.

The genius with using parchment is that it’s easily transferrable from the counter top to the refrigerator for a quick chill. It also goes seamlessly from a work surface to the sheet pan and oven. And you won’t break a sweat trying to peel sticky spiced cookie dough off the counter top.

  1. Work with one disc of dough at a time. Place the disc on a piece of parchment paper and cover with another piece.
  2. Roll the cookie dough out to about 1/8″ inch thick (about the width of two stacked quarters.)
  3. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for an additional 10 minutes to chill before using the cookie cutters on the shortbread.
  4. Once the dough is chilled, use your favorite cookie cutters to form your spiced shortbread cookies and transfer to a baking sheet.

Baking spiced shortbread cookies

You can bake the spiced cookies on parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (silpat). Bake them just until the edges are just golden. Depending on the size of your cookies that could be anywhere from 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on it.

Vanilla Glaze vs. Royal Icing

I’ll be honest… I don’t have the patience (or skill) to perfectly decorate cookie cutter shortbread cookies with colored royal icing. I respect those that can, but it’s just not me.

But there’s another reason I don’t do it… Royal icing doesn’t taste good. It’s bland. It’s tough and it doesn’t enhance the flavor of the cookie. Sure, it’s pretty. And yes, it’s sweet. But is it good? In my opinion, no.

The icing I used for these spice cookie is a rich buttered vanilla glaze. It tends to be thick, but can be thinned out by adding a bit of warm water, or heating it over the stove for a few seconds. This icing tastes GOOD. It’s the perfect sweet finish to the cookie cutter shortbread.

  1. Let the spiced cookies cool completely before icing.
  2. Dip a pastry brush into the frosting and brush it over the cookies.
  3. The icing sets up pretty quickly, so if you’re adding sprinkles or sparkling sugar, do it immediately after icing the cookie cutter shortbread.
making buttered vanilla glaze and decorating the cookies.

Decorating spiced shortbread cookies

I pulled out ALL OF MY HOLIDAY SPRINKLES for this fun decorating project. I had two kinds of sparkling sugar, sugar pearls and a bevy of holiday sprinkles. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

Adding sprinkles to vanilla glaze.

Great for the holidays

These cookie cutter shortbread are perfect Christmas cookies. Festive, fun and utterly delicious. The vanilla glaze is buttery and rich, enhancing the spices in these Christmas cookies.

Awesome for cookie boards and swaps, these simple spiced cookies are super buttery, redolently spiced and irresistible.

I especially like the ones with the large sparkling sugar, which adds a crunchy texture to these tender shortbread.

cookie cutter shortbread drying on a rack.

FAQ’s

Can I freeze the dough?

Yes, you can make and freeze the dough to have on hand anytime. When you want to make cookies, transfer the dough to the refrigerator to thaw, then roll it out and bake as directed.

How long will the spiced cookies last?

These cookies are at their flaky, crunchy best in the first two days. After that, they tend to get a little softer (also nice).

How do I store cookie cutter shortbread?

Store the iced shortbread cookies in an resealable airtight container.

Can I freeze shortbread?

Yes. You can make and freeze the spiced cookies for up to 3 months when well wrapped. To enjoy, remove them from the freezer and thaw to room temp. (Note: you could eat them frozen, but their buttery spiced goodness is more pronounced at room temp.)

Star shaped spice cookies with sparkling sugar and vanilla glaze.

More shortbread cookies you might like:

A plate of decorated Christmas cookies with a background of twinkling lights.

More Christmas cookies you might like:

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decorated spiced cutout cookies.
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5 from 5 votes

Spiced Shortbread Cookies

Simple cutout shortbread cookies spiced with cinnamon, ginger, allspice and lemon with a sweet vanilla glaze. Perfect for holidays. Based on Spiced Shortbread Buttons from The Perfect Cookie via America’s Test Kitchen
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword christmas, cookies
Dietary Restrictions Egg Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 60 cookies

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

  • stand mixer
  • mini food processor

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE SHORTBREAD:

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 16 tablespoons unsalted European style butter (like Plugra or KerryGold), cut into 1 tablespoon chunks and softened to room temperature
  • 1 ounce cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 lemon zested

FOR THE GLAZE:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 8 teaspoons warm water

DIRECTIONS:

FOR THE SHORTBREAD DOUGH:

  • Transfer the sugar to a mini food processor and pulse for 20-30 seconds until the sugar is very fine. (Don’t take the lid off the food processor too quickly, because there will be a sugar cloud).
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt. Whisk to combine.
  • With the stand mixer running on low speed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time over 1-2 minutes until the mixture resembles wet sand.
  • Add the cream cheese, vanilla and lemon zest and mix on medium speed until the dough forms a cohesive mass.
  • Transfer the dough to a work surface and form it into a ball. Cut the ball into two equal portions and form each one into a round flat disc about ¾” to 1″ thick. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat and set aside. Note you can bake two pans of cookies at once, but you’ll want to swap them about half way through cooking if you have them on separate racks.
  • Work with one disc of chilled dough at a time. Sandwich the dough between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ⅛” inch thick or about the thickness of two quarters stacked. Place the rolled dough on a baking sheet (for stability) and refrigerate for 10 minutes. (Note: this dough is easier to work with when chilled. If it starts to get warm, just stick it in the refrigerator for a few minutes.)
  • EMBOSSING: This is optional, but if you want to fancy-up the cookies go for it.
    If you have a cookie stamp, you can use it to emboss the cookies with a decorative design. Be sure the cookie dough is well chilled before embossing.
    If you don’t have an embossing stamp (I don’t) use household items that will leave a pattern. Dip the end of chopsticks halfway into the cookies for small round divots that you can create a pattern with.
    Use the tines of a fork to prick the dough, or lightly run them across the face of the dough to create a striated pattern.
  • Once chilled, use your favorite seasonal cookie cutters or 1½” to 2″ biscuit cutters to cut out the cookies and transfer them to the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes (depending on how large the cookies are), spinning the pan(s) 180° halfway through cooking. When the cookies are lightly golden on the edges, remove them from the oven and cool on the sheet pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Continue cutting and baking cookies in the same method.

FOR THE GLAZE:

  • In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Remove the pan from the burner and stir in the powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of warm water at a time and whisk until smooth. If your glaze is too thick, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time. If it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
  • Brush the glaze over the face of the cookies and immediately sprinkle with your favorite sparkling sugar, non-pareils or decorating confections. Let the cookies dry completely before transferring them to an airtight container.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 77kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 111IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

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7 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Yummy! I like to bake and love spice and shortbread cookies but never made a spiced shortbread before. I was kind of weary of the cream cheese and lemon zest so I just had to try it! Oh my gosh,you are right!!! The cookies came out perfect, they have a yum buttery spice bite, very nice texture and crunch! I cut out stars, leaves and flower cookies and made 2 other colors to the white icing, green and yellow and added sprinkles. The recipe yielded 24 cookies. They came out very pretty and I will definitely be making them again soon! ? Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful spiced shortbread cookie recipe and I’m so glad I found it! ??

  2. 5 stars
    This is the perfect Christmas cookie!

  3. Claudia Lamascolo says:

    5 stars
    I love the spices in this shortbread it really enhances the flavors of that delicious crunchy cookie bursting with fall flavors, a must try.

  4. 5 stars
    The spices are so warm and wintery. Great way to upgrade a basic shortbread cutout.

  5. Lisa these look amazing! Shortbread is my favorite and I never thought to add cream cheese or warm spices! Can’t wait to try these out 🙂

  6. 5 stars
    This easy recipe would be perfect for my family! We love spiced cookies.