These easy funfetti shortbread bites are the perfect little treat to whip up when time and/or ingredients are low! They are super cute AND super tasty.
These colorful, EASY, and most importantly, super yummy, funfetti shortbread bites make me really happy.
Not only are they adorable, but they are totally irresistible. And I don’t think that’s just because I’ve been stuck at home for a really, really, really long time.
They’re legitimately delicious. Like a melt-in-your-mouth taste of sprinkled sugar cookie in one teensy bite. Except there’s absolutely 100% no way you can eat just one.
The dough comes together extremely fast, and they are egg-free, which is awesome if eggs are hard to find or you’re working around an egg allergy.
Let’s talk about sprinkles
The funfetti shortbread dough calls for colorful nonpareil sprinkles.
Those are the tiny, round sprinkles that wreak bouncy havoc on your floor if they get spilled.
If you don’t have these on hand, try subbing any other variety of small sprinkles. OR, omit the sprinkles completely and go straight for the mini chocolate chips or toffee bits. You could also leave them plain – the shortbread on its own is crazy delicious.
The simple shortbread dough can be mixed:
- in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment
- in a food processor (as you can see below)
- or with an electric hand mixer
Two special ingredients for shortbread
I use a combination of granulated sugar + powdered sugar in the dough for a super tender shortbread experience.
I also like to add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with the flour. It gives the shortbread that melt-in-your-mouth quality that is so yummy. But you can leave out the cornstarch if you don’t have it.
Once the funfetti shortbread dough is mixed, press it into a rectangle on a parchment lined baking sheet (the same pan you’ll use to actually bake them on).
And then add more sprinkles on top! Life lesson #58: You can never have too many sprinkles.
Refrigerate the shortbread for about 30 minutes (or longer). This keeps the shortbread bites from melting into tasty little puddles while they bake.
Cut the chilled shortbread rectangle into 1/4 to 1/2-inch squares (a long knife or bench scraper works great – aff. link). You can see from the visual below that this does not have to be exact. Or even close to exact. Haha.
They’re delicious no matter what wonky rhomboid shape they end up in.
Space the little shortbread bites out on parchment lined baking sheets and pop them in the oven for about 8 minutes. I like to pull them out before there are any signs of browning.
But if you like crispier shortbread, keep them in a few minutes longer.
If you like sugar cookies or sweet shortbread, these easy funfetti shortbread bites are a little taste of heaven.
The only downside to them being so cute and small is that it’s very easy to lose track about how many of them you’ve actually eaten. They disappear fast.
And don’t even get me started on how yummy they are kind of half crumbled up over vanilla ice cream.
If you’re looking for a fun baking project with kids (or by yourself!), these shortbread bites should make the list!
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Yield: 100-120 little bites
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 3 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) powdered sugar
- Pinch table salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups (11.25 ounces) all-purpose flour (see note!)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons nonpareil sprinkles (see note)
Instructions
- Line half sheet pans with parchment paper. Don’t grease. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a handheld mixer or in a food processor), combine the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar, and mix until well-combined. Add the salt and vanilla and mix.
- Add the flour and cornstarch and mix until about half of the dry ingredients are combind. Add the sprinkles and mix until evenly combined and no dry streaks remain. Try not to over mix.
- On one of the parchment-lined baking sheets, press the shortbread into a 1/4-inch (or slightly thicker) rectangle. Press additional sprinkles on top of the dough, if desired. Refrigerate the shortbread for 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours).
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Using a long knife or bench scraper, cut the rectangle into small squares, about 1/4- to 1/2-inch in size.
- Spread the shortbread bites out on the prepared baking sheets. They won’t spread much but they shouldn’t be touching. Bake for 7-9 minutes until set. For crispier shortbread, bake 1-2 minutes longer.
Notes
Flour: some people at higher elevations have reported the dough is crumbly with the full amount of flour. My recommendation if you live at high elevation or in a super dry climate is to start with just 2 cups of the flour and add the additional 1/4 cup only if the dough is sticky and hard to work with.
Sprinkles: small round nonpareils work best in this recipe, but you can definitely experiment with other types of sprinkles you have on hand. Or sub in mini chocolate chips or toffee bits for the sprinkles.
Cornstarch: you can leave the cornstarch out if you don’t have it. The shortbread won’t be quite as melt-in-your-mouth tender.
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Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (shortbread adapted from this favorite Scottish shortbread recipe)
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