Best Stamped Shortbread Cookies Recipe
These shortbread-stamped cookies are a treat for both kids and adults. This is a simple and easy recipe to make. They are butter based with a soft crumb that melts in the mouth. This a must-have recipe when you need an afternoon tea cookie. Also, you can use them as a gift or festive treat during the holidays or any time of the year.
Growing up, festive cookies like these were a treat, especially during the holidays. We didn’t have fancy cookie stamps back then, but today, my kids love using them for these buttery, crisp shortbread cookies that hold their beautiful designs.
My mom only made them during Christmas time. The best part? She made tons of these. She used to sell little Christmas hampers with different goodies in them like these Shortbread Stamped Cookies, 3 minute Dark Chocolate Fudge, Coconut Macaroons, Linzer Cookies, Marzipan/Almond Fruits… ah, the lists go on. Now you know why I have a sweet tooth, don’t you?
I loved helping Mom with making these treats, and she loved having a little help from me and my sister. Being a single mom was really hard, yet she made it look effortless.
Back then, she had a few treasured Christmas designs and stamp cookie cutters. And yet, nowadays we are spoiled with lots of choices. Whenever I ever see a stamp cookie cutter – I’m buying it! I have already collected quite a few.
Why You’ll Love This Shortbread Stamped Cookies Recipe
- Holds shape: This cookie stamp recipe keeps designs clear without spreading.
- Crumbly texture: Buttery, soft, melts in your mouth.
- Easy to make: Simple ingredients, no complicated steps.
- Fun for kids: Let them press designs using cookie stamps or textured mats.
- Versatile: Perfect for holiday stamped cookies or any occasion.
Ingredients and substitutes
- All-purpose flour – yes, plain all-purpose flour is what you need for these cookies. NO self-raising flour, no pastry flour. These will spread out.
- Cornstarch – This makes these cookies crumble in the mouth texture. If you omit cornstarch, add some rice flour. Also, you can add all-purpose flour. And yet, the cornstarch and rice flour add nice crispiness.
- Sugars – white sugar adds lightness to the cookies when the creaming method while powdered sugar works best for the texture and consistency of the dough. You can add all white sugar and make sure to cream it well but I find this balance works just perfectly with these cookies keep them crumbly without spreading.
- Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter in my baking. And yet if you have to use salted butter – go ahead and just omit the salt in the recipe.
- Vanilla – A good quality vanilla will make a huge difference in anything you make. Premium vanilla can be expensive which is why I make my own homemade vanilla extract, bean paste or sugar.
How to Make Stamped Shortbread Cookies (Step-by-Step)
- Dry ingredients – In a bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt.
- Dough – In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream butter, sugar, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Followed by the flour mixture. This is a soft dough.
- Chill – Divide the dough into two discs and wrap them in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours or until cold enough to roll
- Roll – Working with one disc at a time. roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness.
- Stamp – Dip the cookie stamps in flour and dust off excess. Press firmly to impress but not too much that it cracks the dough. Cut out the cookies.
Pro tip 1 – some stamps come in two parts. Stamp the dough then center the cutter and cut the disc.
Pro tip 2 – Also note, If the dough is too chilled, it will crack when rolling and the stamps will not create an impression.
- Tray – Place cookies on a parchment or silicone-lined baking tray. Chill the cookies for 10 to 15 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F /180 °C / Gas Mark 4
- Bake – Transfer the cookie sheet to the oven. Bake the cookies on the center rack for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Cool – Once baked cool on the cookie sheet for 10 mins then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Pro tip – try not to move them as soon as they are baked. The soft cookies could lose shape.
Tips for Using Cookie Stamps Successfully
- Chill the cookie dough before rolling and baking to prevent spreading.
- Don’t overwork the dough; if it’s stiff, let it sit for a few minutes instead of kneading.
- Keep cookies thick so the stamped pattern stays visible. Thin cookies lose the design while baking.
- Dust cookie stamps with flour to prevent sticking and ensure a clean impression.
- Brush off excess flour after stamping, before baking.
- Bake at 180°C / 360°F for 8–10 minutes. Too low will cause spreading; too high will make cookies hard.
- Use a rolling pin with spacers for even ¼ inch thickness.
- My cookie stamps were 3 inches round and ¼ inch thick.
- Follow this cookie stamp recipe as written for best results. Substitutions may affect the dough.
Troubleshooting Stamped Cookie Dough
- My stamp cookies spread too much in the oven – First, ensure the butter is at room temperature when you start making the cookie dough. Soft butter can cause the cookies to melt when baking. Secondly, bake at the right temperature, a low oven can cause the butter to melt and also spread the cookies.
- My stamped cookies are overbaked – Shortbread cookies typically take between 8 to 10 minutes unless they are rolled too thick. However, the cookies will continue to bake on the hot baking tray even after taking them out of the oven. And yet, if you feel the cookies are very under-baked, you can put them back into the oven for 2 to 3 minutes. But keep a close eye as they can easily over-bake.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Stamped Cookies
Stamped shortbread cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days. If you want to keep them longer, you can freeze them in an airtight box for up to 2 months.
To prevent stamped cookies from spreading, use room-temperature butter (not too soft), measure flour accurately, and chill the dough before stamping and baking. Also, ensure your oven is preheated to the correct temperature.
Yes, chilling helps the stamped design hold shape during baking and prevents spreading.
Yes, you can chill the dough overnight. In fact, chilling stamped cookie dough overnight helps deepen flavor and improve the stamped design during baking.
Yes! Shape and stamp your cookies, then freeze them in a single layer on a tray. Once frozen, transfer to a zip-top bag and bake from frozen, adding 1-2 extra minutes to the baking time.
Absolutely! Try adding lemon zest, orange zest, almond extract, or even spices like cinnamon to give your cookies a festive flavor while using your cookie stamps.
The design may fade if the dough is too warm, rolled too thin, or if you don’t press firmly enough when stamping. Always chill stamped cookies before baking and keep the dough thickness at ¼ inch for best results.
Yes, this shortbread stamped cookie dough works well with an embossed rolling pin or cookie stamp set. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness, emboss, and cut out your shapes.
Definitely! This is a perfect holiday stamped cookie recipe for Christmas, Easter, or any festive occasion. Just swap out the stamps according to the season.
This recipe is specifically developed to hold the shape of cookie stamps and embossed designs, making it one of the best recipes for cookie stamps and embossed cookies.
Shortbread Stamped Cookies Recipe
Learn how to make stamped shortbread cookies that hold their shape and don’t spread! This easy recipe makes buttery, crisp cookies perfect for cookie stamps or embossed rolling pins.
Ingredients
- 335 g (2⅔ cups) All-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- ½ tsp Salt
- 226 g (1 cup) Unsalted butter room temperature
- 100 g (½ cup) Sugar
- 60 g (½ cup) Powdered sugar confectioners
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Method
- Dry ingredients – In a bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt.335 g All-purpose flour, 2 tbsp Cornstarch, ½ tsp Salt
- Dough – In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream butter, sugar, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Followed by the flour mixture. This is a soft dough.226 g Unsalted butter, 100 g Sugar, 60 g Powdered sugar, 1 Egg, 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Chill – Divide the dough into two discs and wrap them in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours or until cold enough to roll.
- Roll – Working with one disc at a time. roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness.
- Stamp – Dip the cookie stamps in flour and dust off excess. Press firmly to impress but not too much that it cracks the dough. Cut out the cookies. Pro tip 1 – some stamps come in two parts. Stamp the dough then center the cutter and cut the disc. Pro tip 2 – Also note, If the dough is too chilled, it will crack when rolling and the stamps will not create an impression.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F /180 °C / Gas Mark 4
- Bake – Transfer the cookie sheet to the oven. Bake the cookies on the center rack for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Cool – Once baked cool on the cookie sheet for 10 mins then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Tips for Perfect Stamped Cookies
- Chill the cookie dough before rolling and baking to prevent spreading.
- Don’t overwork the dough; if it’s stiff, let it sit for a few minutes instead of kneading.
- Keep cookies thick so the stamped pattern stays visible. Thin cookies lose the design while baking.
- Dust cookie stamps with flour to prevent sticking and ensure a clean impression.
- Brush off excess flour after stamping, before baking.
- Bake at 180°C / 360°F for 8–10 minutes. Too low will cause spreading; too high will make cookies hard.
- Use a rolling pin with spacers for even ¼ inch thickness.
- My cookie stamps were 3 inches round and ¼ inch thick.
- Follow this cookie stamp recipe as written for best results. Substitutions may affect the dough.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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Hello! Would these cookies work well to be decorated like traditional sugar cookies for the the holiday with icing? Or would you recommend your sugar cookie recipe instead? Thanks!
Hey Tiffanie, These are sweeter and crumblier. The sugar cookies would work better for icing.
Hi Veena,
I am trying this recipe today. It looks delicious! My question is, do you re roll the scraps?
I do cut them close to minimize the amount of scraps but just curious if you re roll them or just sort of assemble them and bake them as is.
Thanks for your response,
Karyn
Yes, Karyn. I always re roll the scraps. Do not over-knead the dough. I stack them and then shape them into a ball to roll again.
Will it work using gluten free flour? I found a recipe for the flour that is 1 kg tapioca starch, 800 g brown rice flour, 200 g potato starch. Will this hold the print the same way?
I have not tested them with gluten-free flour so I don’t know if it will work. Sorry.
I’m confused about the corn flour. Do you mean corn flour or do you mean corn starch ? When I google it it says they are two different things. Corn starch is the starch only and Corn flour is very finely ground corn meal.
Yes, Robin. here I get them as the same. My packet says cornflour and cornstarch. Yes, you can use cornflour. Thanks
So is cornstarch ok?
Yes, Bobbie
Was looking for a pretty but simple tasting cookie and this fit the bill. They came out great and we’re loved by all! Thanks for the great recipe.
Thank you, Amy
Spectacular! The cookies retained their stamped patterns beautifully through baking and they are yummy!
Thank you for the lovely feedback, Lynn. Happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies.
There is no amount of ingredients…
Sunny, the ingredients and quantities are in the recipe card below.
Where on earth did you get these cookie stamps?! I like that they stamp the cookie and cut it at the same time. I have many single unit stamps but nothing like what you show in this recipe.Most,but not all of my stamps come from Nordic ware
I found them on eBay Karen. Just look for stamped cookie cutters. Thanks
Hi,
Where did you get your cookie stamps? I have looked all over and can’t find anything like them! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Laura.
Hey Laura. I got these stamps at a local shop here. I did buy a few extra and even sent it out to those who asked me. Now I have none so I can’t offer you. These were rare and I hope they do come back soon.
Thank you so much for your reply. That’s very sweet of you to send out your extra cookie stamps 🙂 I wouldn’t have expected that at all! I actually kept searching because I loved the ones you had used – they look so special but not specific to any occasion, so you could use them for all celebrations. In the end I found them – or at least a version with the same patterns – on eBay under ‘Cookie stamp with 6 patterns’. They’re coming from China so I’ll have to wait a few weeks but I am so excited to try this recipe! I hope they work as well as yours 🙂 Thanks again! I will come back and leave a rating once I try the recipe!
Ah, excellent Laura. Happy you found something similar. Thanks for the update. Now I know where to send people next time someone asked me. Let me know how they were when you make these. Thanks
My cookie cutters came sooner than expected and I made these straight away – they turned out perfectly! I am so pleased! Thank you again for sharing the recipe 🙂
Awesome, I am so happy to hear that. Thank you for the lovely feedback.
I have followed your recipe to a T twice and the dough becomes so dry that it cracks so much when I try to roll it out. The first time I left the discs in the fridge for 2 hours. I had to leave them out for quite some time because it was too hard to roll. The second time I could not even get the dough into discs because it was too crumbly. Do I keep beating the dough until it is all formed? To me, that is overmixing? Am I wrong? Do you have a tutorial on this recipe so I can see what the dough should look like? I am a very good baker, but this one has me stumped!
Hey Janet. I am sorry to hear that. No, I don’t have a video for this recipe. You can add a tablespoon or two of water if the dough is too dry. Having said that you don’t want to add too much water or the cookies will spread and you won’t get a good impression. Thanks
Thank you. I’ll try that next time .
I have not made the cookies yet but have a question. Do I need to do anything differently if I am baking at high altitude?
Thank you!
Hey Christy. I presume you would need to make changes by not sure by how much. I have not tried these at high altitude.
I guess you may need a wee bit more flour as well as reduce the oven temperature by 25% – But I’m not sure.
Here cornflour and cornstarch are the same, flour consistency. Cornmeal is different which is semolina consistency. I used cornflour. Thanks