Simple Shortbread Cookies – Two Ways
These Simple Shortbread Cookies can be made two ways, both are a delicious easy to make Shortbread Cookie Recipe, a melt in your mouth cookie that you will make year after year. Choose the traditional Shortbread or Brown Sugar version.
Probably the most awaited Christmas Cookies! But to tell the truth I like to make these not just at Christmas Time! They are so good how can you not?
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – softened be sure to use a good quality butter
- Sugar – powdered sugar or brown sugar (depending on the recipe)
- Cornstarch – this helps make a tender cookie and helps keep the cookies from spreading
- Salt – add flavor
- Flour – all purpose flour
Brown Sugar Shortbread Ingredients
- Brown sugar
- Butter – use a good quality butter
- Flour – all purpose with at least 11% protein
How is shortbread different from cookies?
Most cookies have baking powder, baking soda and eggs in the recipe, they are usually lighter and sometimes chewy, whereas shortbread do not have baking powder or soda and contain few ingredients and they tend to be a tender, crumbly and melt in your mouth type of cookie.
How to Make them – Classic Shortbread
Beat butter until creamy. Then add a little at a time the sifted icing sugar, corn starch, salt and flour.
Move to a lightly floured flat surface and knead until mixture cracks slightly. Pat or roll gently to 1/3″ thickness. Cut out cookies with your favourite cookie cutters.
Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheets or an un greased non stick cookie sheet and bake.
Be sure you don’t let them brown they should be a very light golden colour when done. Let cool on cookie sheets, then move to a wire rack.
This dough is so easy to work with you don’t even have to roll it out, but you can if you want, just pat to your desired thickness, (I tend to like them thicker, more cookie for the bite you could say).
I love Simple Shortbread Cookies, they practically melt in your mouth. I always had a friend who said that her Brown Sugar Shortbread was the best and made exactly how it should be made with only 3 ingredients, butter, sugar and flour.
But to make her happy I would make her Brown Sugar Shortbread cookies, and I have to admit she did have a good argument, they are pretty yummy. I love the flavor the brown sugar gives the cookies. Although I would argue that my Mom made the best cookies and hers had five ingredients. And yes I still stand by my Mom’s.
How to make Brown Sugar Shortbread
Cream butter until fluffy, add sugar and cream together, then add the flour gradually and mix until almost combined.
Move the mixture to a lightly floured flat surface and with your hands work the dough until it comes together and forms a ball. If it is too sticky, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface roll to 1/3 inch (1 cm) thickness. Cut out with desired shapes, place on prepared cookie sheets and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheets and then move to a wire rack.
And why is it called Shortbread
According to British Food History – Dating back to the 12th century , shortbread was originally called biscuit bread.
These biscuits were made from left-over bread dough that was sometimes sweetened and dried out in the oven to form a hard, dry rusk. This practise took place over the whole of the British Isles, not just Scotland.
How to make Shortbread Cookies without a cookie cutter
With this Shortbread dough you can actually just roll the dough into a log shape, then slice it and bake on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I would probably refrigerate the log (before cutting) for about 30 minutes.
Can this Shortbread Recipe be made with a stand mixer?
If you can’t or don’t want to knead the dough by hand, then yes a stand up mixer using the paddle attachment will work just fine.
I would only knead up to a point, when the dough just starts to come together (or even better, very coarse crumb mixture) and then knead the dough by hand. Completely kneading by machine can make the dough tough and dry.
As a reader Trina, stated “The dough does come together with elbow grease. I wouldn’t add more butter, it just takes kneading and I found that the mixer does not bring it together, you need to get in there with your hands”.
Recipe FAQs
Powdered sugar will help keep the cookies soft for longer and it helps to keep the cookies from spreading while baking.
Brown sugar will make a softer cookie and a subtle caramel flavor. Because brown sugar can increase spreading in cookies it is a good idea to chill the dough and the cookies before baking.
Be sure to use a higher protein flour, at least 11%, which is most all purpose flours, a low protein flour will cause the cookies to spread, and believe me refrigerating the dough will not help.
I have recently discovered that a lot of people add corn starch (my Mom’s fourth ingredient) to cookie and cake recipes, the reason is because it adds softness to the finished cookie or cake. It also helps keep the dough from spreading.
Variations
To add a twist I even topped a couple of big stars with some Nutella and one with jam, then put some crumbled up dough on top and then baked them. You could also dip the baked cookies in melted chocolate, or sprinkle some nuts, coconut or even nonpariels before baking.
How to keep cookies from spreading
To keep the cookies from spreading it is best to beat the butter and sugar just until combined and not creamed (of course this also depends on the type of cookie), for some cookies including some icing sugar in the mixture also keeps the cookies from spreading.
And probably most important of all, is to use a higher protein flour with at least 11% protein count. And don’t forget to chill the dough for at least 1 hour and again the cut out cookies before baking while the oven is pre-heating. Using most of these will help produce the perfect Christmas Cookies.
How to Store Shortbread Cookies
The baked cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. I sometimes store mine in the fridge because I like cold cookies. They will last up to 10 days by storing them in the fridge.
How to Freeze Shortbread Cookies
To freeze the shortbread cookies, place parchment paper in between the layers of the completely cooled cookies this prevents them from sticking together when they are in the containers for freezing, or you can also place the baked cooled cookies on a cookie sheet and freeze them, then move the frozen cookies to either airtight bags or containers. Baked Shortbread Cookies will last up to 6 months in the freezer.
To thaw the cookies be sure to remove the frozen cookies from the bags or containers (this way no condensation will form) and let them thaw at room temperature. In our house no one waits for them to thaw!
FAQs
Yes you can make the dough in advance, wrap well and place in an airtight bag, it can be refrigerated for up to 2-4 days or frozen for up to a month in the freezer.
I like to bake my shortbread to a very light color, whereas my daughter prefers them a darker golden brown. It’s up to you.
In my opinion no, unsalted butter is not available in my area in Italy so I have never used it and I have never noticed a difference. Just be sure to adjust the salt accordingly.
Shortbread has a buttery melt in your mouth crumbly texture. For some people it can even have a dry sandy texture.
I would advise refrigerating the dough for at least an hour and then refrigerating the cookies for about 15-20 before baking. This can be done while the oven is pre-heating.
Yes you could add for example a teaspoon of vanilla, almond or orange flavoring. Or you could incorporate some chopped chocolate, coconut or even some finely chopped nuts.
I hope you try these Simple Shortbread Cookies, either my Mom’s or the Brown Sugar Shortbread or why not both, and be sure to let me know, which Shortbread Cookie you prefer. Enjoy!
More Shortbread Cookies You May Enjoy!
- Easy Chocolate Chip Whipped Shortbread
- Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
- Lemon Cheesecake Squares
- Almond Crescent Cookies
- Coconut Jam Squares
- Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Simple Shortbread Cookies – Two Ways
Ingredients
MY MOM'S SHORTBREAD (Classic shortbread)
- 1 cup butter softened (salted)*
- ½ cup icing / powdered sugar
- ½ cup corn starch
- 1 pinch salt*
- 2 cups all purpose flour (at least 11% protein)
If you use unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon of salt. Be sure to use a good quality butter, apparently this year 2022, store brand butter quality is not what it used to be. Less fat could mean a dry not so tasty cookie.
MY FRIEND'S SHORTBREAD (Brown sugar shortbread)
- 1 cup butter softened (salted)
- ½ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325° (160 celsius).
My Mom's Shortbread. Line 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat butter until creamy about 3 minutes. Sift icing sugar, corn starch, salt and flour 4 times (I know, but it is worth it). Add the dry sifted ingredients to the creamed butter a little at a time and work in with a wooden spoon as long as possible*, then move to a lightly floured flat surface and knead until the dough cracks slightly.
- Roll gently with a lightly floured rolling pin to 1/3" (1 cm) thickness or pat to desired thickness with the palm of your hand. Cut out with Christmas cutters and place on the prepared cookie sheets, bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, don't let them brown. Let cool on cookie sheets, then move to a wire rack.
My friend's Shortbread
- Cream butter until fluffy, add sugar and cream together, then gradually add the flour and salt, mix with a wooden spoon* as much as you can. Move the mixture to a lightly floured flat surface and with your hands work the dough until it comes together and forms a ball.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for approximately 60 minutes. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough to 1/3 inch (1 cm) thickness. Cut out into desired shapes, place on the prepared cookie sheets. Refrigerate the cookies while the oven is pre-heating. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheets and then move to a wire rack.
*or use the paddle attachment on the mixer until almost combined, then move to a lightly floured flat surface and continue with the recipe.
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from November 30, 2014
My mixture turned out so dry it wouldn’t clump together. I followed your recipe to the letter. Maybe too much flour? I’m in Australia….can’t think what difference that would make though, flours flour right? ….almost impossible to roll out.
HI Del, sorry to hear that, I don’t know if it’s the conversion from cups to grams, but if it doesn’t come together just add more butter a tablespoon at a time. Hope that helps.
Oh, these turned out perfectly! Being Scottish my shortbread recipe is the 3 ingredients only, but I wanted to try yours. They are delicious! I glazed half of them with vanilla bean glaze. Yum!
Hi Janice, thanks so glad you enjoyed them. And the glaze sounds delicious. 🙂
Hello, would this be a good cookie to dio bottom half on chocolate?
Hi Carrie, yes it would because it is quite sturdy, but I also just posted a shortbread that is perfect for that. 🙂
I love, love, love shortbread cookies. And these look really good.
Hi Veronica, me too :). And they are really good.
I was wondering how well this cookies stand up to decorating opposed to a standard sugar cookie. I use glaze and icing to decorate my Christmas cookies and the sugar cookie recipe I use is rather blah. I wondered how butter cookies would stand up to the decorating processes such as do they break easily? I have been looking for a more flavorful cookie for Christmas Cookie decorating. Thank you!
Hi Amy, this cookie is quite sturdy so I think it would stand up to being decorated. I don’t think it would break easily. Let me know if you try it.
hi rose, I’m nina from Indonesia. Thanks to this cookie-recipe, my family loved it. I have made using your mother’s recipe. But I give a little modification by adding chopped chocolate in the dough ? hhmm .. it was very tasty and the butter smell is very tempting, especially when baked. certainly, makes it even easier (this is what I prefer ?) ps: sorry if my english is not good ?
Hi Nina, so glad you like them and adding chocolate is a great idea. By the way your English is just fine. Have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
Thanks for the recipes you’ve shared, many of the recipes are easy to make. That’s why I love your blog, Rose 🙂 Today I will try to make “Traditional Italian Breakfast Cookies”… once again, thank you, rose 🙂
Hi Nina, so glad you enjoy the recipes and I hope you enjoy the Cookies. Have a wonderful Sunday.
Hi Rose. I love butter cookies. I found your recipe but in my country we use grams, and I prefer measures in grams (or punds and then make the translation) than cups or spoon. That’s why when I try to make the recipe I have a doubt, and I think that it’s just I transcription error: “Ingredients
MY MOM’S SHORTBREAD
1 cup butter softened 250 grams
1/2 cup icing sugar 62 grams (may be you should say: 125 gr)
1/2 cup corn starch 62 grams (may be you should say: 125 gr)
1/2 teaspoon salt 2.8 grams
2 cups flour 260 grams ((may be you should say: 500 gr)
MY FRIEND’S SHORTBREAD
1 cup butter softened 250 grams
1/2 cup brown sugar 100 grams
2 1/2 cups flour 325 grams (may be you should say: 750gr)”
Could be the cause of some poor results. Thanks for your lovely blog and sorry for my bad english
Hi Natalia, thanks for your input, here in Italy we use grams also and I have a scale to measure, these are the right measurements. Believe me 2 1/2 cups of flour cannot possibly be almost a kilo. But thanks anyways. Merry Christmas. And your English is great.
Cookies tasted salty…followed recipe exact. Is it maybe with unsalted butter? Help…
Hi Diana, sorry to hear they were too salty for you, but that is the recipe and my Mom and I have been using for years. I do not use unsalted butter because I cannot find it in Italy. The 3 ingredient (brown sugar) shortbread does not call for salt so if that is the one you made I don’t know why you would find it salty. Have a wonderful Christmas.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I followed it carefully and the cookies were scrumptious.
Hi Danielle, so glad you enjoyed them, have a wonderful Christmas.
Hi Alia, no I meant add the sugar and then cream them (butter and sugar) together. Hope that helps. 🙂
I am excited to try both recipes. I do have a question about freezing the dough. Should I cut the cookies and then freeze or can I roll into a log and then freeze?
Hi Jasmine, what I do is bake the cookies and then freeze them. I have never frozen the dough unbaked. Hope that helps.
Yes, that does help. Thank you!
Glad to hear that Jasmine. Have a great weekend.
Is the icing sugar component referring to pure icing sugar? Thanks
Hi Alex, yes is it pure icing sugar. Have a great week.
Would you believe I have never made shortbread cookies?! I like to eat them though…perhaps I should try my hand at actually making them! Your freezer comment was too funny…that is definitely the case in our house. Unless it is hidden away (and hidden away well), the disappearing act happens often!
Hi Michelle, really? Then you should try them, it is so easy and sooo delicious.
Hi,
Is it possible to substitute the flour with an equal amount of rice flour?
Hi Alexzandria, I just did a little search and interesting enough yes you can substitute rice flour for regular, it’s a one for one. I would love to know how they turn out if you do make them. Hope this helps.
I’m intrigued by your mom’s recipe. Must try it with the cornstarch. I’ve seen other recipes that use cornstarch but haven’t made any of them. Having a mom-approved version makes it a no-brainer:)
Hi Laura, I know everyone asks about the corn starch, but to tell the truth these are the only shortbread she ever made and we loved them, still do!