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Perfect Shortbread Cookies
October 18, 2019
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Get perfect Shortbread Cookies every time with this buttery, yet sweet Shortbread Cookie Recipe. Just in time for Christmas Cookie exchanges!
Whether you want a super simple sweet treat or you’re making desserts around Christmas time, these tasty Shortbread Cookies will always hit the spot. I’ve taken this classic recipe and made it even better. Enjoy with chocolate, jam or on their own, either way, you absolutely should make these Shortbread Cookies this Holiday Season.
Shortbread Cookies
This is not my first rodeo with Shortbread Cookies. In fact, I have three others on my website that I’ll link here: Christmas Shortbread Cookies, Vanilla Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies, and Hazelnut Shortbread Wreath Cookies.
All of these cookies are perfect for the holidays, but what sets this cookie recipe apart from the others is its simplicity. This shortbread cookie recipe is a classic one that you can customize (see notes below) or leave plain. Sometimes, simple is best!
Shortbread Cookies Recipe
You’ll first need to gather these 4 ingredients to make the cookies. You probably don’t even need to go to the store to get them either!
- Butter – softened! This is where that delicious buttery taste comes from.
- Powdered Sugar – instead of using granulated sugar, I’m using powdered sugar. This sweetens the cookie and gives it a smoother consistency.
- Vanilla – to flavor the cookies.
- All-Purpose Flour – this gives the cookie the rest of its structure.
How to Make Shortbread Cookies
Shortbread cookies are some of the easiest cookies you can make! Just make sure you are using soft, room temperature butter and you are measuring your flour correctly! The finished shortbread dough will be crumbly, but when you start to form it together with your hands, it should come together just fine. (The heat of your hands will help with this!)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour. Mix slowly until a crumbly dough forms. I do not recommend mixing by hand.
- Form dough into a ball and roll in between parchment paper to 1/3-1/2-inch thick. Cut into small 3-inch circles (or any shape desired**) and place onto prepared baking sheets. Alternately, you can roll into balls and press out with a flat bottomed glass.
- Bake 12-15 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are barely golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on hot baking trays before transferring to cooling racks.
- Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days.
Troubleshooting your Shortbread
I never knew there could be so much trouble with shortbread until I posted this recipe online! Ha! Here are my best tips and tricks to helping you get perfect shortbread cookies every time!
My Shortbread Dough is Too Crumbly!
Have you tried working the dough together with your hands? The heat of your hands should help it come together. Also, did you use room temperature butter? That will help the dough come together. If you’re trying to roll it out, the edges will be a little crumbly! Just press the extra dough back into place. When in doubt, roll into balls and press with the palm of your hand or a fork. Works like a charm!
Also, how did you measure your flour? This can vary from kitchen to kitchen! Did you fluff the flour first? Flour that sits in a canister or bag over time settles and you have to aerate it before spooning it into your measuring cup, leveling the top and adding to your recipe.
My Cookies Spread Too Much!
Again, I think this comes down to measuring the flour. Cookies spread because there isn’t enough flour in the dough. Shortbread cookies hold their shape so well because there is a lot of flour! So, they shouldn’t be spreading too much in the oven. The good news is if your cookies are spreading, add a little more flour into your dough and that will correct the problem.
Customize
So now that you know how to make this base shortbread cookie you can now customize your next batch however you like. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Extract. Instead of using vanilla extract try using almond, lemon or even lavender extract if you’re into floral flavors.
Chocolate. Add in mini chocolate chips to the dough, dip in melted chocolate or try making sandwich cookies using Nutella as the filling.
Jam. Jams are always a good idea for these shortbread cookies. Try making a jam dipping bar for these cookies.
Nuts. Chop and mix in nuts for a crunchy texture.
Sprinkles. This add-in always goes over well with my kids. Make it festive and roll in Christmas sprinkles to the top of the dough before cutting and baking. Or, after baking and cooling, spread frosting on them and dip in sprinkles.
More Christmas Cookies to Try This Holiday Season!
- Ultimate Sugar Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
- Ginger Cookies “Gingerdoodles”
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
The printable recipe card is below. Make sure you save it so you can make these Shortbread Cookies later. Enjoy!
Shortbread Cookies
Get perfect Shortbread Cookies every time with this buttery, yet sweet Shortbread Cookie Recipe. Just in time for Christmas Cookie exchanges!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two lightly colored baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour. (Be sure to fluff your flour before measuring to get an accurate measurement.) Mix slowly until a crumbly dough forms. It will look like crumbs in the stand mixer, but when squeezed together in your hands will hold its shape.
- Form dough into a ball and roll in between parchment paper to 1/3-1/2-inch thick. Cut into small 3-inch circles (or any shape desired**) and place onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 12-15 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are barely golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on hot baking trays before transferring to cooling racks.
- Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days.
Notes
**feel free to scoop and roll shortbread cookie dough into smooth balls and indenting with a fork.
Nutrition
Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 16mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg
This recipe reminds me of my mama. She would make put pecans in them. Roll up and put in the freezer to get firm so they would cut better. We would sneak in and cut them off and eat raw. You know back then nothing made us sick. But today I would not want my grandkids to eat raw dough.
Shortbread is my favourite biscuit! Thank you for posting this recipe and I am so looking forward to making them! My only concern is, I will eat the whole batch in one sitting!!!!!
Buttery, simple, beautiful shortbread! One of my all-time favorites. Making these soon and sandwiching some with jam. 😋 Thanks for sharing delicious-ness!
I love short bread cookies will totally have to try
I love short bread cookies will totally have to try these. Especially for Christmas.
Shortbread cookies are my FAVORITE, but I’ve yet to find a really great recipe, so I cant wait to try this one! The texture looks divine as well 😍
Oh my gosh I am in love with shortbread and this recipe is so easy. I always have these ingredients on hand and can throw them together when the craving hits.
Mmmmm, shortbread! My all time favorite cookie! Trying these this weekend with my 10 yr old budding baker.
I can’t wait to make these for the holidays! I’ve been looking for the perfect shortbread recipe for ages. All others I have seen have been so complicated. Can’t wait to try this one with melted chocolate!
Congratulations for 10 years blogging! These cookies look amazing. Perfectly shaped.
Can’t wait to try!
This recipe is so easy!! I’m definitely using this for Christmas cookies too😋😋😋
Wow! 10 years! Congrats! What a milestone! I have loved your blog from almost the beginning.
I have been buying shortbread cookies for our Air BnB renters. I may try to make them next time!
I can’t wait to try these! Shortbread is one of my favorites!
I must try these shortbread cookies at Christmas!! Been looking for that perfect recipe!!! Hope this is it!!!
Can’t wait to try love shortbreads
These are delicious. Yummmmmmy!
I don’t have a stand mixer-will the hand mixer work okay? I hate that we just don’t have a stand mixer yet. Money and space are the issues. I guess I will see what happens…thanks for this beautiful recipe. I can’t wait to try them.
Our younger son loves shortbread and I need to make these!
I love shortbread but uave never made it before. This recipie looks so easy I will have to add it to my list this year. Or maybe I’ll just make some after the boys go to bed and hide a stash in the pantry…
Great cookies, I used 1/2 cup less flour , due to higher elevation. They didn’t crumble and are delicious. I like to add chocolate chip to half the batter, and save it .
So excited to try this recipe today!! Quick question, on the recipe card next to servings it says 24 cookies. The nutrition fact table seems super low to be per 24 cookies, if it is im not complaining! but thought i’d ask. Is the nutrition facts per 1 cookie or 24?
The calories are per serving, so it’s per 1 cookie.
Although this is the first time I’ve tried making shortbread cookies the dough was very sticky and hard to work with. I had to refrigerate after each batch in order to touch it. Of course they tasted yummy they came out fairly flat? With nay 3 ingredients what could I have done wrong?
The recipe calls for 4 ingredients…did you forget something?
Is parchment necessary?
No, its not necessary!
Made these and like other comment needed to add a little milk. Baked them for 15 minutes and still raw inside. Not a favorite recipe sorry
Milk??? It’s a shortbread cookie – you do not add milk or any other liquid.
My family said these were the best cookies I’ve ever baked! I added 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract and dipped them in semi sweet chocolate. Thanks for the recipe!
I tried the recipe with unsalted butter. Loved the texture of this dough! But, it seemed to be missing something. Maybe salt? Do you recommend salted or unsalted butter? Thank you for sharing your recipe! Best shortbread recipe I have found so far!
I usually use salted butter for most baked goods.
My cookies kind of melted and spread, not sure what went wrong .
Your recipe calls for “lightly colored baking sheets”. What color do the baking sheets have to be?
I just suggest using the non-teflon ones. They should look silver. I highly recommend USA pans.
I used the metric measurements with a scale. I fluffed the flour and had no trouble rolling out the dough after squeezing the dough ball together with my hands.
My grand daughter thinks you’re the bomb (good thing).
These are great!
This one is a keeper! Thank you!
Followed the recipe to a T and my cookies melted down to one big brick on the cookie sheet. So disappointed.
How did you measure your flour?
Hello I’ve tried this recipe and they turned out amazing. I was wondering do they freeze well? Mine didn’t make it that long to try and freeze them.
This was perfect! Thank you so much. This will definitely be my go to recipe from now on. I doubled the batches – was nervous about making two large batches without testing first but I was so pleasantly surprised.
I made an orange zest batch and a rosemary batch. Thank you again.
The shortbread cookies were fantastic. Best ever. I needed to add a little extra flour to keep them from spreading (about 1-2Tbs.).
They were perfect. I cut them in a rectangle and dipped them in chocolate. This recipe is definitely a new “keeper”.
Thanks for sharing!!
I just tried these shortbread cookies and I think they will be my “go to” shortbreads from now on. I used thick chopsticks to keep the thickness consistent and topped each with half of a maraschino cherry. Hubby will let me know for sure when he tries a couple with his afternoon coffee. But for me it’s a big thumbs up.
Using a potato masher I creamed the butter and sugar together , then add flour one cup at a time with a sifter worked perfect.
I made these today and all I can say is WOW !