I’m a firm believer that shortbread cookies should be sinfully buttery and delectably tender. There are several ways to make shortbread – with or without rice flour, rubbing butter in, using a food processor or creaming the butter. I’ve provided my “go to” recipe, plus alternatives!
Shortbread Cookies
Butter, flour and sugar. That’s all you need to make Shortbread Cookies! Did you know that? Off you run to the kitchen! 🙂
There’s a few different ways to make shortbread cookies:
- food processor – the fastest method. Blitz butter, flour and sugar, pat into pan and bake. This yields a shortbread with signature crumby texture, but the surface is quite rough, as pictured below. People who like very crumbly shortbread and do not mind about the rough surface use this technique;
- rubber butter in with fingers – this yields almost the same result as using a food processor ie very crumbly shortbread, rough surface
- creamed butter using a beater or wooden spoon – this is the method I use. Still a beautifully delicate, crumbly shortbread, but the surface is smoother so it looks like the shortbread cookies that we all know and love!
Homemade shortbread cookies are WAY more tender and delicate than store bought – with a far better real butter flavour.
I purchased a packet of Walker’s shortbread cookies to compare to these homemade ones. I was just curious – I’ve never tried it before. At least, not to my knowledge – but no doubt they were present on the obligatory plate of biscuits that made an appearance at meetings in my former life in corporate.
And there is a good chance I took one unknowingly, nibbling on it as I sipped extra strong black coffee and desperately tried to appear alert and interested in whatever was being discussed in the uncomfortably warm meeting room (WHY oh WHY where meeting rooms always so warm??). Probably barefoot under the conference table because I did have a penchant for teetering around in painful-but-fabulous sky high heels that I kicked off at every opportunity.
Now look at me. Flour smeared jeans at best, cut off trackies at worst, ugg boots in winter and barefoot in summer. Cooking / creating / recipe testing / photographing / videoing. And oh-so-much dishwashing. 🙂
But I digress.
Shortbread cookies! I’m here for shortbread cookies!
So – the packet of Walker’s shortbread cookies. I purchased it to compare, and there is simply no contest at all.
Homemade Shortbread Cookies are way more tender – no matter which method you use, with or without rice flour. The crumble is softer when you bite into it, they are more buttery.
I truly believe that Shortbread Cookies are one of the iconic cookies in this world. To think that all you need is butter, flour and sugar to make such a delectable treat is just amazing, isn’t it?
The weekend is here. I just know you’ve been good all week. You deserve a treat. Go on! 🙂 – Nagi xx
For Cookie Monsters 🙋🏻♀️
- World’s Easiest BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Anzac Cookies
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Shortbread Cookie recipe video! Note the part at the end re: the cookie being crumbled. This is how it should be! And PS clearly these are not my hands in this video. I had assistance!
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Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 250g / 8 oz salted butter, softened (2 x US sticks, 1 cup) (or unsalted + ¼ tsp salt)
- 3/4 cup (90g) icing sugar (powdered sugar) (Note 2)
- 2 cups (300g) plain / all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160C/325F (standard) or 150C/300F (fan forced / convection).
- Butter and line a 31.5 x 23.5 cm / 9 x 13" pan with baking paper with overhang.
- Beat butter until smooth (or use very soft butter and a wooden spoon). Add icing sugar and beat until combined.
- Add half the flour and beat until mostly combined – it will resemble wet sand. Then beat in the remainder. Use your hands to bring it together into a smooth ball of dough – knead lightly if required.
- Roughly press down into a rectangle shape, then transfer into the pan. Press into the pan. Optional: Roll over the top using a small rolling pin or glass (that’s what I used) for a smooth surface. Don’t press down too hard – it makes the cookies firmer
- Bake for 20 minutes until edges are very light golden and most of the surface is still pale gold.
- Remove from the oven. Working quickly, cut into desired shape (I do 8 x 3 bars, like Walker’s shortbread biscuits) and prick all over with a fork (optional).
- Return to the oven for 8 minutes or until the surface is light golden – not browned. Turn the oven off, crack it open ajar, then leave to cool for at least 1 hour in the oven.
- Remove from the oven, use paper overhang to remove the biscuits from the pan. Cool fully on rack. Serve with tea!!
Recipe Notes:
* Food processor: place all the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor. Pulse 20 times, then whizz on high for 25 seconds until it forms breadcrumbs. Turn out onto work surface and proceed with recipe;
* Rubbing: Place all the flour and sugar in a bowl, then add butter. Use fingertips to rub butter into flour until it forms breadcrumbs (see video for how it should look). Turn out onto work surface and proceed with recipe. 4. HOT WEATHER WARNING! If it is super hot where you are and/or you have very hot hands with the butter rubbing method, press the dough into the pan then refrigerate for 20 minutes or until chilled. 5. PRECUTTING: To cut out into shapes before baking, it is best to add ¼ cup of flour to make a dough that won’t spread as much when baking. Then roll out into 1 cm / 2/5” thickness and cut into desired shape, place on a baking paper lined tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 150C/300F (fan forced) or 170C/340F (standard) then bake for 15 minutes until the edges are just starting to the brown but the surface is still a pale gold. 6. METHOD NOTES: One thing I do a bit differently to most is to take the shortbread out towards the end of the bake time to cut into bars. This is because if you cut before baking, the cuts virtually disappear during baking (same with the holes pricked on top). If you cut the cooked biscuit, it has a tendency to make the surface crack slightly where you cut / poke. My solution is to do it partway through baking. The other thing I do is leave the shortbread in the oven to cool. This is a tip I picked up from Cooks’ Illustrated – it allows the biscuit to finish cooking without the surface browning (shortbread cookies should be very pale). 7. MEASURING CUPS IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES: Shortbread is actually quite forgiving. I've tested this using both US and Australian measures and I couldn't tell the difference. 8. Store in an airtight container for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
LIFE OF DOZER
We had a beautiful sunrise earlier this week. I didn’t get a single photo of it. But I got plenty of Dozer checking it out!!!
This is the best instructions I have ever read for a recipe!! YUMMMY too!!
Thanks so much Jennifer!
Oh yeah, had a craving for shortbread cookies. Tried this recipe and everyone loved it.
Awesome!!
Great foolproof recipe. I made one lot with virtually melting butter (hot day) and the other with softened butter and apart from the too soft texture of both before cooking the texture varied very little after baking. Delicious.
I’m so glad you love them Judith!
I made these for Christmas and they turned out perfect!
Perfect ❤️
Love the recipes
I have always loved shortbreads cookies but this recipe will be now my “go to.”
Thank you Nagi!
These came out perfect. My 13 year old loved them too! Great simple shortbread cookies made quick. My butter was not softened and recently read an article saying Jennifer Garner grates her butter if she does leave it out to soften. I tried this and it works! I am spontaneous when cooking and never ever think about leaving the butter out to soften! Used the largest whole side of a cheese grater tower.
These were a huge hit in our house! I added the zest of an orange to the dough and sprinkled sugar on the top before the second baking – only because my mum always sprinkled sugar on her shortbread 🙂
I’m not sure if it really makes that much difference in the end but just an FYI – 2 sticks of US butter is 226g not 250g.
Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad they were a hit Melissa!! x
Is it possible to cut these cookies using cookie cutters or is the dough to crumbly for the cutters?
Hi Ambar, see note 5 for changes if you wish to use a cutter – I hope you love them!
From Northern California, it’s Flap again. I wanted to tell you these were nothing short of AMAZING!! And I made them! In and of itself, that feat is remarkable. The dough/batter was giving me fits because in my lttle bachelorette kitchen there’s not a huge space to store different sized mixing bowls. I settled for an over-sized Tupperware (plastic) bowl. I lost some dough to flying gobbets which somehow decorated me, the countertop and the floor. I now know that bowl wasn’t the best choice. But it all worked out well, even when the dough tore just a bit from my warm hands. I sort of pasted and molded it back together in the pan. 🙂
In spite of all that, these were wonderful. Such buttery flavor and I managed not only a beautiful, flaky texture, a pale golden top that looked just like yours and a sweetness that only shortbread can have. My friends loved them. They disappeared like magic! These will be what I make for holiday gifts. A huge hit! Thank you for your great recipes. Yours is the only food blog I follow. Best of the holiday season to you and Dozer.
I’m so glad you loved them. They make a perfect holiday gift!
I tried this recipe it’s an excellent recipe, everyone loved it.
Thank you so much 🙂
Great to hear you enjoyed this Mayanka! N x