Shortbread is the easiest cookie dough to prepare making it convenient to make ahead and have on hand to bake as needed. The dough is made using just 6 ingredients and produces tender, buttery shortbread cookies that are perfect for any occasion.
This shortbread cookie dough has both granulated sugar to give the cookies crispness and powdered sugar to keep them tender on the inside. Butter is the star of the show in shortbread dough making for a rich flavor in the baked cookies. A touch of vanilla extract is added in this version of classic shortbread cookies to give more flavor; substitute with different extracts for variations of shortbread cookies.
This recipe needs to be chilled for only 30 minutes and yields 24 cookies. Try adding homemade toffee bits to shortbread in my Slice & Bake Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Why you'll love this recipe
This dough comes together in 10 minutes with 6 pantry ingredients, and it keeps in the fridge for up to a week — so you can mix it now and bake a few cookies whenever the craving hits.
It's also endlessly adaptable: slice it into rounds, shape it into a rectangle for clean-edged bars, or roll it flat and cut it into shapes. Swap the vanilla for almond or peppermint extract, roll the log in coarse sugar before slicing, or stir in ½ cup of homemade toffee bits for a Toffee Shortbread spin.
The Ingredients That Actually Matter
Six ingredients, but two of them are doing more work than you'd think:
- Butter. Room temperature, unsalted, non-negotiable. Cold butter won't cream evenly and you'll end up with streaks of dry flour running through the dough — pull it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you start.
- The two sugars. This is the real trick to this recipe: granulated sugar gives the cookies their crisp edge, powdered sugar keeps the inside tender. Use only granulated and you'll get a sandier, less refined crumb; use only powdered and the cookies lose their snap. Together, they're why these come out both crisp and tender — proper buttery shortbread cookies, not just a plain butter cookie.
💡 Testing note: I tried this dough with half cake flour, half all-purpose, since a lot of shortbread recipes call for it. Honestly? I couldn't tell the difference in the finished cookie. I kept it all-purpose here to keep your grocery list short — if you want to compare for yourself, I use the cake flour blend in my other shortbread recipes on the site.
Everything else — the ¼ teaspoon of salt to balance the sweetness, the vanilla — is straightforward and in the recipe card below with exact amounts.
💡 If your dough looks crumbly, not combined into one smooth mass — that's correct. Resist the urge to keep mixing. Shortbread dough is supposed to look shaggy in the bowl; it comes together once you squeeze it into a log by hand. Overmixing at this stage is the #1 way to end up with tough cookies instead of tender ones.
Slicing, Shaping & Baking Notes
A few things that make a real difference once the dough is chilled:
- Keep the log round while it chills. Cut an empty paper towel tube lengthwise and set the wrapped log inside it in the fridge — it stops the bottom from flattening against the shelf, so your sliced cookies stay round instead of D-shaped.
- Docking is optional. Poking fork holes in the tops before baking gives that classic shortbread look and lets steam escape, but skip it if you don't care about appearance — the cookies bake up the same either way.
- Watch the edges, not the clock. Shortbread is done when the edges just start to turn golden and the tops stop looking wet, around 20–22 minutes — thicker slices will need a few extra minutes.
Full step-by-step instructions, exact temperatures, and timing are in the recipe card below.
How to make slice and bake shortbread dough
Like this recipe? Follow me on Pinterest for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on one of the images below the recipe. Or, click on any of the images in this post to save to Pinterest.
More Shortbread to Try
If you're into this dough, these are worth a look:
- Festive cranberry orange shortbread cookies — Alison Roman's base recipe with extra orange zest, perfect for the holidays
- Slice & Bake Brown Sugar Toffee Shortbread Cookies
- Holiday Shortbread Cookies (cut-out style, great for decorating)
- Lemon Thyme Shortbread Cookies
Did you enjoy a KICKASS BAKER recipe? Please share a comment and leave a 5 Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rating on this recipe! We appreciate you sharing your feedback!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt by mixing on medium to medium-high speed until thoroughly combined and creamy, about 3 minutes. 1 cup unsalted butter1 cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Stop the mixer and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer on low speed and add ⅓ of the flour into the butter mixture. Once the flour looks combined, add another ⅓ of the flour, allow it to combine then add the remaining flour. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix on low one more time to ensure everything is combined.2 cups all-purpose flour2 cups all-purpose flour
- Spread out a long piece of plastic wrap on a clean counter. Dump the shortbread dough onto the plastic wrap. Gently squeeze the pieces of dough together to form one mass of dough. Wrap the plastic wrap around the dough to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and gently shape the dough into a smooth log about 2 ½ inches in diameter. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap to seal the log and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 week. Tip: to keep the log smooth and round while it’s chilling, take an empty cardboard paper towel roll or toilet paper roll, cut it lengthwise on one side and place around the shortbread dough before placing it in the fridge. This will prevent the side of the dough that is down on the shelf from becoming flat. Alternately, form the dough into a square about 2 inches high for rectangular shaped shortbread cookies.
- Once cookie dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 325° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, unwrap the plastic wrap and place on a clean cutting board. Slice the cookie dough into ½-inch thick slices. Place cookie dough about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. For traditional looking shortbread, use the tines of a fork to dock or poke holes in the top of the cookie dough. This releases steam and prevents the cookies from puffing up too much during baking.
- Bake the cookies until just golden at the edges, about 20-22 minutes. The baking time will depend on how thick the cookies are. For thicker cookies you may need more time. Check for doneness by looking for edges that are starting to brown and the tops of the cookies no longer look wet. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Prepare cookie dough up to one week in advance and bake as directed.
- To Store: Store cooled cookies at room temperature in a tightly covered container for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze: Cooled cookies may be frozen for up to 3 months. Place in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for at least 1 hour then transfer to a freezer safe ziplock bag. Store in the freezer up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature and serve.