This Best Shortbread Cookie Recipe yields tender, crisp, buttery, and perfect shortbread cookies every time. A simple straightforward recipe with under 30 minutes of prep time.
Shortbread Cookies
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 shortbread cookie recipe 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, and a mix of the two. 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. Let’s get to it.
Shortbread Cookie Ingredients
There are only a few basic ingredients in my shortbread cookie recipe! I’d bet you probably already have these in your pantry:
- Butter
- Sugar (granulated, not powdered)
- Vanilla extract.
- Salt
- Flour
The vanilla extract is not a traditional shortbread ingredient. You can leave this out if you’d like, but I have trouble saying no to the flavor of vanilla.
What’s the Difference Between a Sugar Cookie and a Shortbread Cookie?
The main difference between a sugar cookie and a shortbread cookie is the ingredients and the ratios of the ingredients. Sugar cookies typically contain eggs, while shortbread cookies do not. Shortbread cookies also have 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 recipe, 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. Jeep 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.
Enjoy!
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Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (226g)
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar (150g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional¹
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 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 1/4" thickness. Use round, 2 1/2" 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.
Sherry says
Can this be made gluten free by substituting the flour?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, Sherry! I am not familiar with gluten-free baking so unfortuantely, I can not advise. If you try it, let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Patty says
I have salted butter. What would you recommend for the difference as per the salt amount?
Thank you
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, Patty! If you use salted butter, I recommend omitting the 1/2 teaspoon salt listed. I hope you enjoy the shortbread cookies. 🙂
Loretta M Rossi says
These are the most buttery and delicious shortbread cookies….I use this recipe only…I also leave some plain, but do drizzle and dip them into a good quality melted chocolate… the best ever…..
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Loretta! I am so glad that you enjoyed the shortbread cookies. 🙂
Susan Roberts says
Katie and Noki 28 now days it’s very confusing when a recipe ask for a stick. I know some stores carry the 1/2 lb butter in stick. I know because I had bought one thinking it was 1 lb with a 4 half cup sticks. But thank goodness I bake long enough to know the difference. Look for the 1 lb weight and it should have 4 half a stick or just buy a solid butter and it normally have how much they are on the side. One pound of butter is a total of 2 measuring cup. I hope this help.
Jamie says
Amazing ! Simply wonderful ! Got to try not to eat them all by myself !
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi Jamie! I am so glad that you enjoyed the shortbread cookies. I have been known to eat an entire batch myself too. lol Enjoy! 🙂
Katie says
I had some trouble with my dough. It is super crumbly and won’t hold together. When you said one cup or two sticks of butter did you mean the big sticks or the little half sticks? I used the little half sticks which is supposed to equal one cup but clearly not??
Sam says
Hi Katie, two of the half sticks only would be half a cup, so you would have needed to use 4 of those. Unfortunately that would’ve been the problem 🙁
m says
So fix the recipe. I just made the same mistake.
Sam says
I’m not sure what to tell you. Unfortunately you used 1/2 cup of butter instead of the 1 cup of butter that the recipe calls for, or two half sticks instead of the two whole sticks that are needed. I would recommend reading the ingredients more carefully next time.
I indicate 1 cup and to try and be helpful I mentioned that this is two sticks of butter… not 2 half sticks. If you are using half sticks then you would need 4 to get to the equivalent of two sticks. The half sticks are labeled as such (“half” sticks, not full sticks, which my recipe calls for).
Noki28 says
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I look forward to making these. And I will read the recipe. I can read where it says 1 cup butter so I will use that amount. I’ll let you know how they turn out. Thanks again!