This shortbread cookie recipe is straightforward to make with 5 easy elements. The cookies are tender and buttery. They virtually soften in your mouth!
Shortbread cookies are excellent for the vacations, however they’re so scrumptious that I make all of them all year long. They’ve crisp edges, a buttery taste, and a young, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Once I need just a little deal with to take pleasure in with a espresso or tea, shortbread cookies all the time hit the spot.
I’ve beforehand shared a lemon shortbread cookie recipe and an orange shortbread cookie recipe, however this basic shortbread recipe is the one I take advantage of. The cookies are easy, delicious, and simple to make with 5 elements. Add them to a Christmas cookie plate this season, or maintain them readily available for everytime you’re craving one thing candy. I feel you’ll love them!
Substances in Shortbread Cookies
Conventional Scottish shortbread is made with simply 3 elements:
- Granulated sugar – Use common white sugar, not pure cane sugar, for the most effective tender texture.
- Butter – For wealthy, buttery taste. I exploit unsalted butter and add salt to the dough individually. For those who want, use salted butter and omit the salt from the recipe.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and stage it to keep away from packing an excessive amount of into your measuring cup.
In my shortbread cookie recipe, I improve the dough with 2 extra elements:
- Vanilla extract – For heat depth of taste.
- And sea salt – To make the buttery taste pop! Omit it should you’re utilizing salted butter.
Discover the entire recipe with measurements under.
What’s the distinction between butter cookies and shortbread?
Whereas sugar cookies and butter cookies each have lots in frequent with shortbread, they’re not precisely the identical.
Shortbread comprises no leavening, resembling baking powder, baking soda, or eggs. Sugar and butter cookies, then again, typically embrace a number of of those elements. The shortage of a leavening agent in shortbread contributes to its signature crumbly texture.
The right way to Make Shortbread Cookies
This shortbread cookie recipe is straightforward to make! Right here’s the way it goes:
First, make the cookie dough. Use a stand mixer or electrical mixer to cream the butter. Add the sugar and vanilla, and beat till fluffy. Lastly, add the flour and salt and blend on low velocity to mix.
Subsequent, form the dough. Flip it out onto a frivolously floured floor, and divide it in half. Type every half into an oblong block about 2 inches large and 1 inch thick.
Then, chill the dough. Wrap every block tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour, till agency.
When the dough has chilled, lower the cookies. Use a pointy knife to chop the block crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Use a toothpick to poke a number of holes in every cookie. Any sample goes right here! The holes reduce warping within the oven and provides the cookies a basic look.
Lastly, bake the cookies in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, or till the perimeters are simply golden brown. Enable them to chill for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Then, switch them to a wire rack to chill fully.
Discover the entire recipe with measurements under.
What occurs if I don’t chill my shortbread dough?
Once I make cookies, I need to take pleasure in them ASAP, so I’m all the time tempted to skip chilling the dough. However on this shortbread cookie recipe, it actually makes a distinction. Chilling the dough helps the cookies maintain their form. For those who don’t chill your shortbread dough, the cookies will unfold as they bake.
Suggestions for Making Shortbread Cookies
- Plan forward. This shortbread cookie recipe begins with room temperature butter. I like to recommend letting it soften on the counter for an hour earlier than you begin to bake!
- Slice the cookies 1/2 inch thick. Any thinner, they usually’ll come out crisp as a substitute of tender. That’s not essentially a foul factor, relying in your style, however I personally want the fragile texture of a 1/2-inch-thick cookie.
- Baking time determines texture. The longer you bake them, the crisper they’ll be. I like these shortbread cookies greatest after 10 minutes within the oven. At that time, their edges will likely be frivolously golden brown, however they’ll nonetheless look underdone within the center. Take away them from the oven, and allow them to relaxation on the pan for one more 10 minutes. They’ll arrange with a scrumptious crumbly texture!
- Freeze the extras. Shortbread cookies maintain effectively in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as per week. If you wish to maintain them round for longer, I like to recommend freezing them. Saved in an hermetic container or bag within the freezer, they maintain effectively for as much as 3 months. Allow them to thaw at room temperature earlier than having fun with.
Extra Cookie Recipes
For those who love these basic shortbread cookies, strive considered one of these simple cookie recipes subsequent:
Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Serves 24
These basic shortbread cookies have a scrumptious buttery taste and melt-in-your-mouth texture. They’re excellent for the vacations or with a cup of espresso or tea for a day deal with!
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Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or utilizing an electrical hand mixer, cream the butter. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat till fluffy, scraping down the perimeters of the bowl as wanted. Add the flour and salt and blend on low velocity to mix.
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Flip the dough out onto a frivolously floured floor and divide in half. Form every half into an oblong block about 2 inches large and 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour, or till agency.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Unwrap the dough and use a pointy knife to chop it crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices.
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Organize the slices on the ready baking sheets, leaving an inch between cookies. Use a toothpick to poke holes within the cookies, adorning them along with your desired sample. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 10 minutes. The cookies will simply be turning golden brown across the backside edges however will in any other case be very pale and smooth. Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes earlier than transferring to a wire rack to chill fully.
