Description

These Raspberry Swirl Shortbread Cookies are buttery, delicate, and beautifully marbled with sweet raspberry jam. With their vibrant swirls and melt-in-your-mouth texture, they’re perfect for Christmas cookie trays, Valentine’s treats, tea-time desserts, or edible gifting. Easy to make and irresistibly pretty, these cookies bring sweetness and elegance to every bite.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Shortbread Dough

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

For the Raspberry Swirl

3 tablespoons raspberry jam (seedless preferred)

1–2 drops red gel food coloring (optional, for brighter swirl)

Instructions

Make the Dough:
In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until fluffy and pale. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually add the flour, stirring until a soft and smooth shortbread dough forms.
Add the Raspberry Swirl:
Drop small dollops of raspberry jam across the dough. Gently fold the dough a few times to create a swirled, marbled effect. Be careful not to overmix too much folding will tint the entire dough pink rather than swirled.
Shape the Cookies:
Transfer the swirled dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Shape into a log about 2 inches thick, then wrap tightly. Refrigerate 1–2 hours, or until the dough is firm enough to slice cleanly.
Slice and Bake:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Slice the chilled dough into ¼-inch rounds and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake:
Bake for 12–14 minutes, or until the edges just start turning golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Serve:
Enjoy the delicious buttery texture and festive raspberry swirls perfect with tea, hot cocoa, or holiday celebrations!

Notes

The dough must be well chilled before slicing this helps the cookies hold their shape and swirl.
Seedless raspberry jam spreads best and gives the cleanest swirls.
If the dough becomes too soft while shaping, pop it back into the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12–14 minutes
Category: Cookies, Dessert, Holiday Baking
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 125
Sugar: 4 g
Sodium: 2 mg
Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 12 g
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 1 g
Cholesterol: 20 mg

Keywords: raspberry shortbread, swirl cookies, slice-and-bake cookies, Christmas cookies, small batch holiday cookies