If you love mini desserts as much as I do, these fairy shortbread bites are for you. This easy recipe for shortbread bites calls for just a few simple ingredients. These tiny cookies are packed with flavor and charm, and are perfect for your next magical party or event.
Whether you are hosting an epic fairy tea party, throwing a woodland fairy themed baby shower, or just love shortbread cookie bites, get ready to create some magic in your kitchen.
Mini Shortbread Bites for a Fairy Party
I just adore these tiny fairy cookies! They combine my love for mini treats with my lifelong fascination with the mystical fairy realm. Of course, you can call them whatever you want. These shortbread cookie bites with rainbow sprinkles are perfect to serve for so many different occasions.
Let’s add some wonder and enchantment to your life and get to baking these fun bites!
Reasons to Love Fairy Shortbread Cookies
- Easy: With just a few simple ingredients, this recipe is easy to follow and to make, making it perfect for both beginner and experienced bakers.
- Versatile: This recipe can be easily customized to fit any theme or event. Simply change the color of the sprinkles, or cut the dough into different shapes to create what you need. See these galaxy shortbread bites and these mermaid shortbread cookies for an example.
- No eggs: If you’re reading this during the big egg shortage of 2023, you’ll appreciate that this is a cookie recipe that doesn’t require eggs!
- Perfect for parties: Since this recipe makes about 100 teeny tiny cookies, it is ideal for parties. Guests will have a blast trying the tasty poppable bites.
- Delicious: These cookies are buttery delicious. They can actually be dangerous once you start popping them into your mouth!
Fairy Shortbread Bites Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this mini dessert recipe. The measurements are in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Butter
- Water
- Rainbow nonpareils
How to Make Shortbread Bites
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set it aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar and mix them together.
Then, add in the cold butter chunks and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it becomes a crumbly texture.
Gently fold in the rainbow nonpareils.
Slowly pour in the water, and use a spoon to bring the dough together.
Once it’s formed, remove it from the bowl and knead it a few times until it becomes smooth.
Take the dough and press it onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a rolling pin to roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares using a pastry cutter or pizza cutter.
Make sure to spread the cookies out on the baking sheet, leaving enough space between them.
Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the bottoms begin to turn golden brown.
Once done, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before serving.
These tiny fairy shortbread bites will make about 100 cookies.
Ideas for Serving
Tea Party: If you take a look at the mini fairy cakes tea party post, you will see that these cookies would make a great addition to a tea party for any little girl or boy who loves a magical garden theme.
Mini Mania: Load up your dessert table with more tiny desserts like, mini macarons, mini fruit tarts, mini donuts, mini caramel apples, or anything else that fits your theme. You can also make these confetti sugar cookies into minis.
Toppings: You can add these tiny cookies to other desserts like the woodland toadstool trifle, unicorn ice cream, or magical door cupcakes.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations:
Sprinkles: Feel free to use any color of nonpareils. These cookies can work for any holiday if you use the appropriate color of sprinkles. You can call them fun names like, Bunny Bait for Easter, Leprechaun Munch for St. Patrick’s Day, Elf Snacks for Christmas, Cupid Crunch for Valentine’s Day, get creative! Use shades of purple colored sugar and call them Sugar Plum Fairy cookies for the holidays.
Shapes: Cut the dough into other tiny shapes you want. They actually make mini 1″ cookie cutters that you can play around with.
Decorations: If you want to make the fairy bites even more whimsical, consider brushing on some edible glitter or luster dust.
Chocolate: If you want a little flavor burst of chocolate, consider adding a chocolate drizzle on top of the cooled cookies.
Kitchen Tools Needed
Equipment needed to make this recipe:
- Mixing bowl
- Pastry blender
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Rolling pin
- Pastry cutter or pizza cutter
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
How to Store the Cookies
Once the Fairy Shortbread Bites are completely cool, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If you want to store them for a longer period of time, you can freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to three months.
Recipe Notes and FAQ
Do I have to use cold butter?
Yes, make sure that the butter is cold before you add it to the dough, because you want the dough to be crumbly.
What if the dough looks too crumbly?
The dough may look too crumbly, but once you add water and knead it, it will come together.
How do I know if the cookies are done?
Since each oven is different, keep an eye on the cookies as they bake. Once the bottoms start to brown, take them out of the oven.
Fairy Shortbread Bites Recipe
Adorably fun-to-eat little shortbread bites. These tiny cookies are perfect for your next fairy tea party, woodland fairy themed event, or any time you want small treats.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick, 1/2 cup, butter, cold and cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons rainbow nonpareils
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine flour and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Add butter and use a pastry blender to cut butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture is crumbly. Fold in rainbow nonpareils. Add water for dough to come together with a spoon. Remove from the bowl with your hands and knead a few times until dough is smooth.
- Gently press dough onto prepared baking sheet and use a rolling pin to roll into 1/4" thickness. Use a pastry cutter or pizza cutter to cut dough into 1/2" squares. Spread cookies apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the bottoms just begin to brown. Remove from oven and let stand to cool completely until ready to serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
100Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 16Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 7mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g
Nutrition facts are an estimate only.
This recipe was first published on January 26, 2023.
Fairy Dessert Recipes
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