These shortbread cookies are buttery, delicious, and so incredibly soft that they will melt in your mouth! Using only 5 simple ingredients these cookies are perfect for even a beginner baker! Plus, they are so simple to prepare that you can easily enjoy them any time of year!
Traditional Shortbread Recipe
Shortbread is an incredibly versatile treat that can be enjoyed as-is or topped with other delicacies like chocolate, icing, nuts, or jam! These cookies are unique as they have a high butter content which makes them wonderfully delicious!
Their simple recipe and crumbly and buttery consistency make them perfect for every occasion, even the holidays! Not to mention, they are shockingly easy to make!
Jump to:
🌎 Origin
Originally from Scotland, shortbread dates back as far as Medieval times! The variations that we all know and love today originated from a form of Medieval biscuit bread. Mary, Queen of Scots, is commonly associated with shortbread since she had a team of chefs with the ability to work on perfecting the recipe in the 16th century.
As for the name, 'shortbread' refers to the high amount of butter used in the recipe (in which the term 'shortening' is referring to any kind of fat).
If baking gets you in the Christmas spirit, be sure to check out all of my holiday baking recipes! There are cookies, cakes, pies, fudge, candy, and so much more to try!
🥘 Shortbread Ingredients
Shortbread is a very simple recipe that only uses a handful of ingredients. For the best cookies possible, make sure you use real, high-quality butter!
- Butter - 10 tablespoons of butter. I prefer to use unsalted butter and you'll want to make sure that it is at room temperature.
- Vanilla - ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor output.
- Confectioners Sugar - ½ cup of confectioners sugar (also called powdered sugar).
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt. If you are using salted butter, you can leave this out.
- Flour - 1½ cups of all-purpose flour that has been spooned, leveled, and sifted.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Shortbread
Making shortbread is not difficult at all, just make sure to give the dough adequate time to chill in the fridge! For this recipe, you will need a stand mixer (or a hand mixer with a bowl), your measuring utensils, a baking sheet, and a sharp knife for slicing the chilled dough!
Depending on the size you make your dough log, you will have about 16 shortbread cookies!
Prepare The Dough
- Cream the butter. Using your stand mixer (or a mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat together 10 tablespoons of room-temperature butter and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Add powdered sugar. Mix in ½ cup of confectioners' sugar and ½ teaspoon of salt until well combined.
- Mix in flour. Slowly and gradually mix in 1½ cups of all-purpose flour, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, stopping once the flour has been completely incorporated.
- Wrap the dough and chill. Press the shortbread dough into the shape of a rectangular prism and tightly wrap it with plastic wrap. Place the wrapped dough into the refrigerator and allow it to chill for at least an hour.
Bake The Shortbread
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with some parchment paper.
- Slice the dough. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into slices that are about ½-inch thick.
- Transfer to a baking sheet. Place the dough slices onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving them space apart by about an inch.
- Poke the indentions. Use a fork or skewer to poke indentions onto the top of the cookies. This is crucial for even baking, so don't skip this step!
- Bake. Bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the cooking time.
- Cool. Remove the shortbread from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
These classic cookies are perfect for any event or occasion! Add them to a gift basket, serve them at Christmas, or make them just because! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- Feel free to make your cookie dough ahead of time! It can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week (or frozen for up to 1 month). Make sure to tightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to thaw just enough to slice it.
- The indentions on the shortbread can be in any shape or pattern you like! This is a perfect step for the kids to help out with!
- Spoon and level your flour when measuring to avoid adding too much to your dough!
- A classic shortbread recipe only includes flour, butter, and sugar in a 3:2:1 ratio (and no eggs, as they lead to too much moisture). This is how you will typically make British, Scottish, and Irish shortbread!
🥡 Storing
If you want to repurpose your leftover shortbread cookies, take a look at my post on what to do with leftover Christmas cookies!
Keep these tasty cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
To freeze, place your cookies into a zip-top freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to come back up to room temperature before serving.
>>>>See all of my recipes HERE<<<<
❓ FAQ
Butter cookies contain a higher amount of sugar and are also baked at a higher temperature than shortbread. As a result, the cookies aren't as crumbly as shortbread.
Believe it or not, docking the shortbread (adding the indentions) has more purpose than just customizing the way the cookies look. These holes help the moisture to escape from the shortbread while it is baking, which helps the cookies bake evenly. In fact, this is one of the key components to getting the perfect shortbread cookie texture!
If your dough is too crumbly, there may be a few reasons why. First of all, make sure that you spoon and level your flour so that you aren't adding too much.
Additionally, using real butter is ideal (as the fat content can impact the moisture content). AND, European butter is best. It has the highest fat content you can get in most butter brands.
🎄 More Holiday Treats
- Christmas Fudge - This quick and effortless fudge is topped with festive Christmas sprinkles for a simple holiday treat!
- Eggnog Creme Brulee - A rich custard filling and a crisp caramelized coating make up this stunning dessert!
- Crockpot Christmas Crack - Using your crockpot for these chocolate and peanut butter clusters makes this recipe extra simple!
- Sticky Toffee Pudding - Moist spiced cake is topped with a sticky and sweet homemade toffee sauce!
- Nutter Butter Snowmen - A perfect activity for the kids, these Nutter Butter snowmen are absolutely adorable!
- Jamaican Black Cake - Dried fruit is soaked in rum and then into a spice cake for this flavorful twist on fruit cake!
📋 Recipe
Shortbread
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoon butter (unsalted, softened at room temperature)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (spoon and leveled, sifted)
Instructions
- Using your stand mixer (or a mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat together the room-temperature butter and vanilla extract.10 tablespoon butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix in the confectioners' sugar and salt until well combined.½ cup confectioners sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Slowly and gradually mix in the all-purpose flour, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, stopping once the flour has been completely incorporated.1½ cups all-purpose flour
- Press the shortbread dough into the shape of a rectangular prism and tightly wrap it with plastic wrap. Place the wrapped dough into the refrigerator and allow it to chill for at least an hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with some parchment paper.
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into slices that are about ½-inch thick.
- Place the dough slices onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving them space apart by about an inch.
- Use a fork or skewer to poke indentions onto the top of the cookies.
- Bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the cooking time.
- Remove the shortbread from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- Feel free to make your cookie dough ahead of time! It can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week (or frozen for up to 1 month). Make sure to tightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to thaw just enough to slice it.
- The indentions on the shortbread can be in any shape or pattern you like! This is a perfect step for the kids to help out with!
- Spoon and level your flour when measuring to avoid adding too much to your dough!
- A classic shortbread recipe only includes flour, butter, and sugar in a 3:2:1 ratio (and no eggs, as they lead to too much moisture). This is how you will typically make British, Scottish, and Irish shortbread!
- To store: Keep these tasty cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- To freeze: Place your cookies into a zip-top freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to come back up to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think: