This is truly the Best Shortbread Cookies Recipe! It yields tender, crisp, buttery, and perfect cookies every time. A simple straightforward recipe with under 30 minutes of prep time. Includes a how-to video!
I feel like shortbread cookies are underrated.
They’re simple, admittedly a little plain looking, and not nearly as flashy as a stack of Monster Cookies or even Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re probably not the first cookie you’d reach for on a cookie tray, at least I know they never were my first choice.
But maybe they should be. Yes, they’re simple (only 5 ingredients), no, they’re not very flashy (though dressing them up with a chocolate drizzle helps), but the taste is sheer, simple, perfection. Buttery and tender, shortbread cookies have a delicate crispness to them, a light airiness that’s detectable as the crumb crumbles with that first bite. It’s their simplicity that actually makes them so good.
And for such a simple recipe, there are so many variations out there! Months ago I began testing recipes and tried a lot of variations before I settled on this one. I tested with powdered sugar, granulated, a mix of the two, and cornstarch. I creamed the butter, melted the butter, and cut it in with a food processor, a pastry cutter, and even a grater (it worked well with my biscuits, thought it was worth a try here). This recipe not only came out on top in terms of taste and texture, it was also one of the easiest variations that I tried.
Ingredients
A sister to my super popular butter cookies, these also require only a few basic ingredients. I’d bet you probably already have these in your pantry:
- Butter. I like to use unsalted and add salt (it allows us to control the flavor!), but here’s a post I wrote on how to substitute salted butter for unsalted, if needed.
- Sugar. I was so sure I’d be using powdered sugar here like I did in my shortbread-esque crust for my fruit tart, but after dozens and dozens of taste tests, granulated sugar actually came out on top.
- Vanilla extract. This is not a traditional ingredient for shortbread cookies and you can leave it out if you’d like. I, however, have trouble saying no to the flavor of vanilla and love the way it deepens the flavor of shortbread.
- Salt. For flavor, of course. See my note above with the butter.
- Flour. Use all-purpose (also often known as “plain”) flour. Self-rising flour will not work here.
There is no baking powder or baking soda needed in this recipe, their omission is not accidental! This is just a brief overview of the ingredients I use and why, for full amounts and the entire recipe, please scroll down to the recipe box below.
What’s the Difference Between a Sugar Cookie and Shortbread Cookies?
The main difference between these two cookies is the ingredients and the ratios of the ingredients. Sugar cookies typically contain eggs, while shortbread cookie recipes do not. Shortbread also has a higher ratio of butter to flour, and the resulting cookies are usually more crumbly and tender.
Here is a great sugar cookie recipe if you happen to be on the hunt for one!
Do You Have to Refrigerate Shortbread Dough?
For my shortbread cookies refrigerating the dough is required. A minimum of 15 minutes is needed to ensure that the dough is manageable and that it’s not going to spread in the oven.
You need to refrigerate this recipe for at least 15-30 minutes, but it can stay wrapped up in the refrigerator for up to five days. Keep in mind that if the dough is chilled for longer than an hour, it will become really firm and difficult to roll. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes and it should be softened enough to roll and cut out.
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Enjoy!
Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (226g)
- ¾ cups granulated sugar (150g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional¹
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (280g)
- 1 cup dark chocolate melting wafers or semisweet chocolate chips for drizzling/dipping optional (170g)
Instructions
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer (or using a stand mixer) beat butter until creamy.
- Add sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and beat until completely combined.
- Gradually add flour until completely combined into butter mixture. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed so all flour is incorporated. Stir until combined, but try not to over-work the batter as this can warm it up and make it sticky/difficult to manage and make your resulting cookies tough.
- Use a spoon or spatula to work dough together into a ball and then transfer to a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper. Work into a disk then transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least 15-30 minutes.
- Once dough has nearly finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Once dough has finished chilling, transfer to a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll out to just over ¼" thickness. Use round, 2 ½" cookie cutter to cut into shapes. Use a spatula to transfer to prepared baking sheet. Space cookies at least 1" apart.
- Bake in 350F (175C) oven for 15 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn a light golden brown. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying or dipping in chocolate.
- If you'd like to dip/drizzle in chocolate, prepare melting wafers according to instructions on packet (or melt chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl in 15 second increments, stirring well between, until completely melted). Dip cooled cookies in chocolate or drizzle chocolate over cookies. Allow chocolate to harden completely before enjoying.
Notes
Nutrition
Treat yourself to a FREE E-BOOK!
Madeleine Cogbill
Hi these tasted delicious; however, thee cookies spread out a bit when they baked. Is that normal or did I make a mistake?
Sam
Hi Madeleine! They should not be spreading, I would make sure the flour was measured properly and that the butter wasn’t too warm, sometimes that can make them spread.
Madeleine Cogbill
I spooned the flour into the measuring cup, and then leveled it, and the butter was pretty soft.
Sam
The butter may have been a little too soft. 🙁
Madeleine Cogbill
I made these cookies again, and this time I weighed the flour, and they spread in the oven and became bubbly. Any idea what the problem is?
Sam
Hmmm was your butter really soft when you started?
Pam Miller
This recipe turned out wonderful, I did have issues with dough cracking when rolling out. I did leave dough in fridge longer than directions, wondering if this was my issue?
Sam
Hi Pam! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The dough can crack on the edges if it is too cold.
Kira Prochaska
My cookies keep spreading out in the oven and I’m not sure why! I chilled for at least 30 minutes before putting in the oven. And my second time around I thought maybe there was too much butter and upped my flour. But still no luck. Spreading like crazy! Any suggestions?
Sam
Hi Kira! You may still need just a little bit more flour or a little longer chilling time. Make sure the dough looks like the consistency of the one in the video. 🙂
Jill Peters
I made these and the cookies came out very bumpy on top – looks like there are air bubbles. Could this mean that I beat the butter too much, or is there something else I did wrong?
Sam
Hmmm that is really odd. I’ve never encountered this problem before. I hope they were still delicious. 🙂
Evelyn Sandefur
Very good shortbread cookie.
Emma Casey
I have a question! I am going to try to make Millionaire Shortbread, which is s layer of shortbread, then caramel and then chocolate. I was wanting to use this recipe, but should I change anything considering they won’t be 2′ cookies, but will be on the bottom of a pan. Should I change the cook time, temperature, ingredients, etc .
Sam
Hi Emma! I actually have a millionaire’s shortbread recipe you can follow. 🙂
Emma
Oh! Great, thanks! I think I’ll try to make it!!
Sarah
Y E S!!! Finally found the perfect shortbread recipe, after trying a couple of recipes with powdered sugar that resulted in a slightly dry/powdery cookie. These are exactly what I have been looking for. Thank you!!
Anne Hawker
I really like the taste of these. I sprinkled some confection sugar to make it more festive using a star cookie cutter. Bake time I used was towards 10 to 12 minutes but it depends. So watch out for them cooking. Instrucions are good to follow.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Anne!
Magda
Thank you for sharing this easy and quick recipe! I made the cookies tonight with my 2 boys for their teachers. Cookies are simply delicious. Just like shortbreads should be.
I measured everything to a dot. I think next time I try to mix in almond crunch, to add a bit more texture, maybe 🙂
Thank you again!!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Mary
I had a hard time bringing these together, the dough was super crumbly. I added a bit of water which helped, but rolling them out was a show. That said they were delicious!
Sam
Hi Mary! Sometimes the dough can be crumbly if the flour is accidentally over-measured, regardless I am so glad they were still delicious!
David E. Valdez
I had the same problem and I weighed the floor to precisely 280g… Suggestions?!
Sam
I’m honestly not sure, I made these over the weekend using weights and they turned out as indicated so I’m just honestly not sure what might’ve happened :-/