Shortbread Cookies

5 from 1 vote

Shortbread Cookies are simple, melt in your mouth cookies with a rich, buttery flavor and crumbly texture. These are a classic cookie that are perfect for the holidays or whenever you need a little treat!

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Author: Tiffany Azure

Ingredients

6 oz softened butter
3 oz sugar
9 oz flour plus extra for dusting

Instructions

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the butter and the sugar until just combined: unlike in other recipes, to not beat until light and pale.
Stir in the flour, switching from the wooden spoon to your hands once the dough becomes too hard to work with, bringing the mixture together in your hands. Don’t worry if it is quite crumbly!
Generously dust a clean countertop with flour before rolling out the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. Using a round, medium-sized cookie cutter, cut out rounds of the shortbread, carefully transferring them to the prepared baking sheets. Bring any scraps of dough together into a ball, roll out and repeat until you either run out of dough or space on the baking sheets.
Prick each cookie twice with the prongs of a fork before chilling for at least 30 minutes, but up to a day ahead. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 285F.
Bake the shortbread in the middle of the oven, rotating the trays halfway through for 30 minutes, checking them at the 20 and then again at the 25 minute mark: if they’re starting to color at all, remove them from the oven and leave to cool on the baking sheets.

Video

Notes

To make Christmas shortbread: Whisk 1 tsp of ground ginger and 1/2 tsp cinnamon together with the flour and cornstarch mixture. Using your fingertips, rub the zest 1/2 a large orange together with the sugar and proceed with the recipe.
These cookies frost well, and will keep plain or frosted in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
The low oven temp is also not a typo: shortbread can turn in moments, the 30 minutes at such a low temperature makes a good cookie with less space for error.
This recipe is written in ounces rather than cups, to achieve a delicious shortbread cookie that doesn’t fall apart when picked up, accuracy in measurement is key!

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