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!
We’re crazy about holiday cookies around here. Try the Best Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Snowball Cookies, Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (Santa’s Cookies), Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, and the Best Easy Sugar Cookies!
Why This Recipe Works
Simple and Scrumptious: Did you know that you can make shortbread cookies with just 3 ingredients? It is crazy, but these homemade shortbread cookies are actually super simple to make at home. They are buttery and melt in your mouth, perfect for a holiday get together! Pair them with some jam or citrus curd for an extra special treat!
Cheaper at Home: Shortbread is way more budget friendly to make at home, especially during the holiday season when you might want to curb your spending! Since it uses simple pantry staples, you will probably already have all the ingredients you need at home to make this simple shortbread cookies recipe!
Ingredients
My easy shortbread cookies recipe uses just 3 pantry staple ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butter: Softened to room temperature. You want to be able to mix it with the sugar using a wooden spoon!
- Sugar: Regular, granulated sugar works well here.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is great!
Here’s How to Make It
Step by Step Instructions
- Prep Baking Sheets: Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. (not pictured)
- Beat Butter & Sugar: In a large bowl, stir together with butter and the sugar until just combined: unlike in other recipes, to not beat until like and pale. (photos 1-2)
- Add Flour: 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 with your hands. Don’t worry if it is quite crumbly! (photos 3-4)
- Roll: 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. (photos 5-8)
- Poke with Fork: 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 285 F. (photo 9)
- Bake: Bake the shortbread in the middle of the oven, rotating the trays halfway through for 30 minutes, checking them at 20 and then again at the 25 minutes mark. If they’re starting to color at all, remove them from the oven and leave to cool on the baking sheets. (photo 10)
Expert Tips
- Make a Christmas shortbread cookie version! Add some ginger, cinnamon, and orange zest for a festive Christmas flavor! See notes for exact measurements.
- Add fillings like chocolate chips or roasted or chopped nuts! Shortbread would be delicious with a bit of mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts added into the dough for flavor and texture!
- Don’t over bake! Shortbread cookies will only have a little bit of color on them when they are ready! These are baked at a low temperature for a long time, so that you don’t burn the edges and they set well in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! The cookie dough can be made well in advance and keeps in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to one month. If it is chilled, allow it to warm up enough just to be able to roll it out and cut the cookies out of the dough.
Yes! You can use either salted or unsalted butter in these shortbread cookies. However, you will taste the salt in the salted butter, so if you don’t want any salty sweet bites, then use unsalted butter.
This is a very common questions, and the answer is no! Sugar cookies and shortbread are similar, but sugar cookies usually have eggs and a leavening agent in them to make them a bit fluffier. Shortbread is denser, not as sweet, and has a more buttery flavor!
More Cookie Recipes to Try
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Double Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo on social – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Shortbread Cookies
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.
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!
These bars look awesome! I am usually not a fan of caramel, but yours look very rich and gooey. I would love to try it. Thanks for sharing
These look great and I would love to try them. Just a question….not sure if I missed it but the directions call for water and I don’t see it listed anywhere in the ingredients. How much water is needed? Thanks!!!!
Oh dear, it’s actually the milk that is stirred in, no water 🙂 Sorry about the confusion and thanks for the catch! These are great, still have a few in my pantry, hiding from my husband 😉 Enjoy Marta!!
Hello! I look forward to making these tomorrow. I just have one question before I do, the recipe calls for 2 1/2 sticks butter. Is that 3/4 of a pound or 1 1/4 pound? Thanks so much.
Looks so yummy! Definitely need to try this recipe.
thank you for sharing
These look so yummy!
Oh my, these look sooooo good! Printing the reciped right now.