Christmas Shortbread Cookie Bites

*Mariah Carey voice*

the snow's comin' down
(Christmas) I'm watchin' it fall
(Christmas) lots of people around
(Christmas) baby, please come home

Yup, I've got the lyrics to Mariah Carey's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" stuck in my head which means it's finally Christmas time. You can find me laying on the couch with my mom's new pup and watching Lifetime movie marathons all next week because that's tradition, y'all. 

Christmas is also a great time to do some festive baking. As you probably know by now, cookies are my favorite thing to bake, and shortbread cookies have quickly started to climb their way up my favorite cookie list. They haven't dethroned my favorites, but they're now in consideration. Typical shortbread cookies tend to be bland and too crispy, but this recipe for Christmas Shortbread Cookies are just about perfect.

I really love that these are bite sized because it makes for some great lazy munching while the husband discovers that his Catholic schoolteacher wife and has been conspiring to murder him along with the pool boy and new goldfish...or something like that. Lifetime movies can be pretty unpredictable, that's all I can say.

But one thing I know I'll be doing lots of while I'm home, in addition to cuddling with our latest fur-covered family member, is baking. But before I head out this weekend I'll start getting the Christmas feels started in my own home, and these holiday shortbread bites are helping me get there.

These cookies are so easy to make that they hardly need a recipe. It's seriously just five ingredients, and the only thing you may need to run out and buy to make these are the sprinkles. You can use any color you like, but I found these holiday themed red and green sprinkles for cheap at my local Home Goods, and I'm not mad about it. 

I hope these shortbread cookies become part of your holiday plans. Dig in!

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter, cold and diced into 1 Tbsp pieces
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 3 Tbsp nonpareils sprinkles, divided

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until well combined. Add in almond extract. 
3. Turn mixture down to low speed and slowly add in flour and let it mix until combined (it may seem crumbly at first but will come together after a few minutes). 
4. Mix and fold in the sprinkles. Turn dough out onto an even layer on the baking sheet, using your hands to press it down and smooth it out.
5. Chill dough in refrigerator 20 - 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Lift dough from pan, and cut into 1/2-inch squares using a large sharp knife or pizza cutter. Sprinkle more sprinkles over the top if desired and gently press into dough. 
   
7. Transfer about 1/3 of the cookies to an unbuttered baking sheet (do not line with parchment paper or Silpat, trust me on this). Scatter cookies out, spacing them 1/2-inch apart as they will puff a little bit.
   
8. Bake in preheated oven 8 - 12 minutes (keep remaining that aren't currently baking refrigerated). Repeat process with remaining bites, adding them to a second cool baking sheet.
9. Cool completely and enjoy!

Adapted From: Cooking Classy