Christmas Meltaway Cookies + Video
Meltaway cookies are a soft, lightly sweet shortbread cookie that literally melts away in your mouth. Top it with a thin glaze and red and green sprinkles for a festive Christmas cookie treat.
These meltaway cookies remind me of when I was working in a bakery about 8 years ago now. We made them a lot for weddings and such. They were actually quite popular and easy to make.
Meltaway cookies are very basic — butter, powdered sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, salt and flour. NO EGGS OR BAKING SODA. The reason being, is that they are a shortbread cookie, not a sugar cookie, even though they look like one.
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The cornstarch and powdered sugar make these meltaway cookies literally melt away into a buttery pleasure of sweet powder in your mouth.
The glaze on top adds just enough sweetness to the meltaway cookies to have a complete treat, and the red and green sprinkles are just for fun. These are great cookies for Christmas neighbor gifts!
Christmas Meltaway Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, (1 ½ sticks or 12 Tbsp) room temperature
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (80 g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
Glaze:
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
- 3 to 4 Tbsp milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla or almond extract
Optional:
- red & green sprinkles/nonpareils
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter with the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Add vanilla. Mix well.
- Combine the salt and flour. Add to the batter. Mix until dough clumps together.
- Scoop cookie dough onto silicone lined baking sheets. Flatten dough balls with the bottom of a measuring cup dipped in powdered sugar.
- Bake at 350˚F for 8 to 12 minutes until just set. Do not over-bake.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze adding extra milk 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency. (Keep it slightly thick, a little milk goes a long way.) Spoon on top of cooled cookies.
- Immediately shake sprinkles on top of wet glaze. Allow glaze to harden. Store cookies in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Video
Nutrition
Did you make this?
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Are these more like a shortbread cookie
Yes, they are definitely like a shortbread cookie.
Do you use salted butter
You can use which ever you prefer. I typically use unsalted.
Amber isnt 3/4 cup of butter 12 tablespoons, not 14?
You’re right! Thanks for catching that! All fixed now!
How many does this make
20 small cookies.
Not sure what we did wrong. Followed step by step and ours tasted like play dough, Blah!
This is definitely a cookie that you either love or hate. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy them. You can consider lowering the cornstarch and increasing the powdered sugar. Because a lot of powdered sugars have cornstarch in them, it may have given off more of that taste.
Butter shows 4 cups bit 1-1/2 sticks?
It says 3/4 (three-quarter) cups butter, which is 1 1/2 sticks or 14 Tablespoons.
1/2 cup of cornstarch? is that too much? isnt it usually tablespoons?
I know it seems like a lot, but that is the correct measurement. It’s one of the elements that make these cookies melt away in your mouth.
Perfect! Just wanted to double check. Can’t wait to try them later tonight 🙂
Cookie tastes like cornstarch, Way Too much cornstarch. Even with lots of icing. Something is wrong with this recipe!!
Sorry
Nothing wrong with the recipe. It’s like cilantro. You either love it or you don’t. Sorry this recipe wasn’t your favorite.
These look delicious! Would I be able to cut out these cookies with my christmas cookie cutters?
I would try just a few and bake them and see how it goes. Keep the dough thick. Probably 1/2-inch. This cookie is more delicate than sugar cookies. Let me know how it goes!
Totally making these! They look amazing!
Awesome! I hope you love them!
Oh yum! These cookies look so good! Pinned it to try later! 🙂
Thanks a bunch Becky!