Sprinkle Shortbread Cookies

These sprinkle shortbread cookies are cheerful, buttery, and effortlessly beautiful, with a tender gluten free crumb that rolls and cuts cleanly every time. Because allergen safe sprinkles can be hard to find, I made my own by dyeing sugar in the raw with food coloring that I trust, then pressed them directly into the dough before baking. The result is a festive cookie without extra decorating that feels simple, reliable, and perfect for holidays or baking just because.

Ingredients

Gluten Free Rolled Shortbread Dough
420 g White rice flour
180 g Sweet rice flour
60 g Cornstarch
5 g Xanthan gum
170 g Sugar
450 g Butter, room temperature
2 tsp Salt
65 g Vanilla bean paste

Sugar sprinkles, as needed

Instructions

Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and cohesive. Mix in the vanilla bean paste until fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the white rice flour, sweet rice flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until a uniform dough forms.

Place the dough between two sheets of parchment and roll to an even thickness. Sprinkle generously with sprinkles, then gently roll over the surface with a rolling pin to press the sprinkles into the dough.

Cut into desired shapes and transfer to a lined baking sheet. Chill briefly to help the cookies hold their shape.

Bake at 350F until the edges are set and the bottoms are lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely before serving.