The muffin wells contain spreading and create tall rims; do not bake loose balls on a sheet.
Breton-inspired yolk-rich shortbread baked in rings for a tall, tender, lightly leavened crumb.
The recipe card lists measured ingredients, numbered steps, storage guidance, and a nutrition estimate when available. Total time includes the listed preparation, rest, baking, and cooling periods for this recipe.
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Breton Salted-Butter Christmas Shortbread Recipe
Follow the tray sizes, portions and baking intervals in the instructions below.
Total time includes hands-on preparation, required chilling or resting, whole-batch cooking, cooling and finishing.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- 12-well nonstick standard muffin pan with approximately 2-inch bases
- mixer
- scale
- small offset spatula
- cooling rack
Ingredients
US measures are approximate. Gram weights help keep portions consistent; spice weights vary with density.
Instructions
Mix the dough
- Mix the dough: Beat butter and sugar for 1 minute. Beat in yolks and vanilla. Fold in flour and baking powder just until smooth.
Shape and manage temperature
- Shape and manage temperature: Divide into 12 equal portions, about 31 g. Press into the bottoms of twelve ungreased nonstick standard muffin wells, about 1/2 inch thick. Chill the pan 45 minutes.
Bake the whole batch
- Bake the whole batch: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C) conventional or 325°F (165°C) fan. Bake in the twelve muffin wells. Bake the single pan for 20–25 minutes, until the edges and bases are lightly golden and the centers look dry. Whole-batch cookie baking is 1 pan x up to 25 minutes = 25 minutes.
Cool and finish
- Cool and finish: Cool 15 minutes in the muffin pan, loosen with a small offset spatula and transfer to a rack for 30 minutes.
Timing and scaling
- Timing and scaling: Active preparation is 20 minutes; required chill/rest is 45 minutes; whole-batch oven baking is 25 minutes; cooling/setting is 45 minutes. Start with butter at the stated consistency; ingredient warm-up and frozen-dough thawing are extra. Oven preheating can overlap shaping or chilling. Scale every ingredient weight but keep piece dimensions, oven temperature and per-tray bake range unchanged; extra trays increase whole-batch time.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Ingredient science
Yolks and baking powder create the thicker, tender Breton-style crumb; this is an enriched shortbread relative.
Technique & texture
The muffin wells contain spreading and create tall rims; do not bake loose balls on a sheet.
Finishing & serving
Use aluminum-free baking powder and salted butter as specified to avoid a bitter leavening note.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | 5 days | Up to 5 days. Store completely cooled cookies airtight in a cool, dry room, with parchment between layers. Keep away from moist filled cookies. |
| Refrigeration | up to 7 days | Unnecessary; up to 7 days if needed. Baked refrigeration is unnecessary for these unfilled cookies and may soften the crumb. If the room is warm, seal airtight and bring to room temperature while still covered. |
| Raw freezing | 1 month | Up to 1 month. Freeze wrapped dough or unbaked portions airtight. Thaw covered overnight in the refrigerator; shape as directed, then complete any stated post-shaping chill. Do not add thaw time to the fresh-batch timings. |
| Baked freezing | 2 months | Up to 2 months. Freeze fully cooled cookies airtight with parchment between layers. Thaw in their sealed container at room temperature for about 1–2 hours. |
| Restoring | As described | Serve after thawing; optional 3–5-minute refresh. For plain unfilled cookies only, refresh at 300°F (150°C) conventional or 275°F (135°C) fan for 3–5 minutes, then cool 20 minutes before sealing. This is extra time beyond the fresh recipe. |
Notes
- Scale ingredients, including US measures, without changing cookie size or oven temperature. Extra trays increase whole-batch time.
Nutrition
Approximate values per portion from the listed ingredient weights divided into 12 equal portions. Includes required fillings and finishes. Brands, unused coatings and actual portion size affect the estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why bake in muffin wells?
The 31 g portions are rich and lightly leavened; wells retain their thick round shape.
Is extra salt required?
No; this formula uses 113 g salted butter and no separate salt.
Is this an exact traditional Breton formula?
It is a Breton-inspired adaptation with yolks and baking powder, rather than a claim of one definitive heritage recipe.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Christmas Shortbread Cookies collection.
