Mini Space Cookies: How to Make Galaxy Shortbread Bites
Are you ready for an absolute invasion of space cookies? This recipe makes 120 teeny tiny galaxy shortbread bites, perfect for your next far out party.
Whether you are planning a galaxy party, or just looking to whip up something magical in the kitchen, these mini galaxy cookies are a blast to make and eat. Feel free to get creative with the colors and decorations to create your perfect little galaxy bites.
An Invasion of Mini Galaxy Shortbread Bites
After having so much fun with the fairy shortbread bites, it’s only right to make some for our other magical dimensions. These Galaxy Shortbread Bites are not only delicious and easy to make, but they also have a stunning galaxy-inspired design that’s sure to satisfy your cosmic cravings.
These mini space cookies are perfect for any galaxy party, a snack during a home school space science lesson, or during an astronaut movie night. Whenever you want to capture some magic in the form of a cookie, these little cookies are a great choice!
Reasons to Love this Space Cookie Recipe
- Pretty: These little cookies are adorable and eye-catching, sure to impress your guests.
- Easy: This recipe is relatively easy to make if you take it step-by-step.
- Fun for kids: Kids will get a kick out of the mini size, bright colors, and fun decorations. They can even help decorate the cookies and get involved with the baking with you if you choose.
- Versatile: You can easily tweak these cookies to fit any theme or occasion.
- Delicious: Most importantly, these pretty little bites are also delicious. The rich and buttery shortbread flavor is loved by most!
Galaxy Shortbread Bites Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this mini cookie recipe. The measurements are in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Butter (cold and cut into chunks)
- Water
- Rose color gel
- Violet color gel
- Royal blue color gel
- Black color gel
- White sugar sprinkles
- Candy stars
Tiny Space Shortbread Cookies Directions
Begin by combining the all-purpose flour and granulated sugar in a bowl, and mix well.
Add the cold, cubed butter and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour and sugar mixture until it becomes crumbly.
Add water to the bowl and stir the mixture with a spoon until the dough comes together. Then, remove the dough from the bowl and knead it a few times with your hands until it’s smooth.
Divide the dough into four equal rounds and color each round a separate color using the rose, violet, royal blue, and black color gels.
For the violet color, you can add some rose color gel to create a red-purple hue.
Divide each colored dough round into four equal parts, and mix together one part of each color to create a multicolored dough.
Pat the dough together and use a rolling pin dusted with a little bit of flour to roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick.
Roll up the dough to form a long tube about the diameter of an uncooked hot dog.
Wrap the tube in wax paper and repeat this process until you have four tubes of dough.
Freeze the dough tubes for 20 minutes. While the dough is freezing, preheat your oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the cookie dough tubes from the freezer and remove the wax paper.
Slice the dough into 1/4 inch pieces and dip a portion of each cookie into the white sugar sprinkles before placing them on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until the bottoms just begin to brown.
Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before serving.
Makes about 120 teeny tiny cookies.
What to Serve with Galaxy Cookies
Loading up a space party dessert table? Here are more treats to include:
Space-themed drinks: You could make a blueberry lemonade or a fizzy galaxy soda with different colors of soda and edible glitter.
Cosmic popcorn: Make a far out snack mix like our very popular galaxy popcorn.
Fruit skewers: Create fruit skewers with colorful fruits like strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, and mango or other fruits to match the color of the cookies.
Galaxy-inspired cupcakes: Make some galaxy cupcakes or galaxy fudge for more intergalactic tastiness.
Kitchen Tools Needed
You need the following equipment to make this recipe:
- Mixing bowl
- Pastry blender
- Rolling pin
- Wax paper
- Baking sheet
- Sharp knife
Storage
To store the Galaxy Shortbread Bites, you can keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. If you want to make the dough ahead of time, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before shaping and baking the cookies.
Recipe Notes and FAQ
Notes:
- For these shortbread bites, I used a Wilton sugar sprinkle. I ran out and used some Bob’s Red Mill Sanding Sugar I had, but it didn’t work as well. The Wilton sprinkles have some sort of coloring or shinier coating on them, making them look better.
- I recommend using gloves for mixing colors in this recipe. I tend to use a lot of color to make it nice and vibrant, which can get messy when kneading the dough with bare hands. It’s nearly impossible to mix the colors with a spoon or knife.
- Be careful not to use too much flour when rolling out the dough, as it can prevent the colors from sticking together.
- For the violet color, you can add a small amount of rose color gel to create a more red-purple hue.
- These cookies are best enjoyed when they are fully cooled and the flavors have had a chance to meld together.
Can I use less food coloring?
Yes, you can use less food coloring if you prefer a lighter color. The amount used is up to personal preference.
Can I make these cookies without food coloring?
Yes, you can omit the food coloring and make plain shortbread cookies instead.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, you can make the dough ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before shaping and baking the cookies.
Mini Galaxy Shortbread Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup sugar granulated
- ½ cup butter 1 stick, cold and cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp water
- Rose food coloring gel
- Violet food coloring gel
- Royal Blue food coloring gel
- Black Food Coloring
- Sparkling white sugar
- Wilton Silver Stars
Instructions
- 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. 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.1 ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup butter, 2 tbsp water
- Divide dough into four equal rounds. Color each round a separate color (rose, violet, black and royal blue). For the violet, I added rose color to make it more red purple vs blue purple.Rose food coloring gel, Violet food coloring gel, Royal Blue food coloring gel, Black Food Coloring
- Once all the dough is colored, divide it into four equal parts. Mix together one of each of the colors and pat together. Use a rolling pin, dusted with a little bit of flour to roll the colors together, about 1/2" thick. Don't use too much flour because it will not allow the colors to sick together or the dough to stick to itself. Roll up the dough. Gently roll the dough on a hard surface until you have a long tube about the diameter of an uncooked hot dog. Wrap in wax paper.
- Repeat until you have 4 tubes. Freeze for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove cookie tubes from the freezer and remove the wax paper. Slice the cookies into 1/4" pieces and dip a portion of the cookie into sugar sprinkles and place onto prepared baking sheet, keeping about 1" apart.Sparkling white sugar, Wilton Silver Stars
- 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.
Notes
- Use Wilton sugar sprinkles for the best results, as they have a shinier coating and produce a more vibrant effect.
- It's recommended to use gloves when mixing the colors, as it can get messy and difficult to achieve the desired effect if you stir with a spoon.
Nutrition
Space Treats
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