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.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- This recipe takes just 10 minutes to prepare and uses simple ingredients making it perfect for beginner bakers. Shortbread dough can also be made ahead of time (up to one month!) allowing you to bake cookies when it's convenient for you
- Slice and bake shortbread can be used to make round shape cookies, rectangular cookies or it can be rolled flat with a rolling pin to cut out using cookie cutters
- Use different extracts or flavorings, top with coarse sugar or sanding sugar for festive cookies for the holiday season, or dip in melted chocolate to make a variety of shortbread recipes. Try mixing in ½ cup of homemade toffee bits to the dough just before chilling for a tasty variation!
Ingredients needed to make shortbread cookie dough
- Butter: Butter is the star of the show in shortbread cookie dough. It is important to use room temperature butter so it incorporates easily and evenly into the dough. Otherwise you will be left with chunks of butter in some pieces of the dough and dry flour in other parts of the dough. Be sure to remove the butter from the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to baking to allow it time to come to room temperature. Use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in this recipe. If using salted butter, omit the added salt in the ingredient list
- Granulated sugar: Two different kinds of sugar are used in this slice and bake shortbread dough. White sugar is used to create crisp cookies. Do not substitute with brown sugar; the added moisture in brown sugar will change the consistency of the cookie and it will not hold together
- Powdered sugar: The second kind of sugar used is powdered sugar, or confectioners' sugar. This type of sugar serves two purposes: it gives the cookies sweetness and it creates a tender crumb on the inside of the baked cookie
- Salt: It may seem contradictory to add salt to sweet treats, however, a touch of salt helps balance out the sweetness in baking. This recipe uses just ¼ teaspoon of salt
- Vanilla extract: While traditional shortbread only contains butter, sugar and flour, using vanilla helps enhance the flavor of shortbread dough. Substitute with almond extract, peppermint extract, lemon extract or a other flavorings to switch up the flavor. Please note, some extracts are more potent and concentrated in flavor than others. If substituting the vanilla with another extract, start with half the amount (½ teaspoon) and taste to ensure the balance of flavor is correct
- All-purpose flour: Some recipes call for cake flour or a mixture of cake flour and all-purpose flour. To make this recipe as easy as possible, I opted for only all-purpose flour. I tested the recipe using half cake flour and half all-purpose flour and did not notice a huge difference in the texture of the baked cookie. I do have other shortbread cookie recipes on my site that call for cake flour and all-purpose. You can substitute all-purpose for cake flour in those recipes.
Why is shortbread called shortbread?
Unlike most cookie recipes, shortbread dough does not contain any leavening agent such as baking powder or baking soda nor does it contain egg, egg yolk, or other liquid ingredients.
The reason for this is the texture is intended to be "short" or crumbly, hence the name "shortbread". "Short" refers to the fact that the dough has a high fat content from all the butter and that there are no "long" or stretchy gluten strands that are created when more liquid is present in the dough.
The high butter content and absence of liquids in the dough prevent gluten development making for tender, crumbly cookies.
How to make slice and bake shortbread dough
Step 1
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer or electric mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla by mixing on medium to medium-high speed until thoroughly combined and creamy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Step 2
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.
This process of adding the flour gradually allows for the flour to be absorbed evenly into the butter mixture without leaving any dry spots or overly buttery patches of dough.
Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix on low one more time to ensure everything is combined. Shortbread dough is crumbly and likely will not be combined in one mass of dough in your mixing bowl. Resist the urge to continue mixing to combine the dough; this will result in tough cookies.
If adding any mix-ins such as homemade toffee bits, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips, add them at this stage by gently stirring in.
Step 3
Spread out a long piece of plastic wrap on a clean counter. Dump the shortbread dough onto the plastic wrap. Divide dough between two pieces of plastic wrap, if desired, to have to batches of dough available for different purposes later on.
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 smooth cookie dough logs about 2 ½ inches in diameter.
Twist the ends of the plastic wrap to seal the logs 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.
For rectangular shaped shortbread cookies, form the dough into a rectangle about 2 inches high. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill.
For cut-out shortbread cookies, instead of using plastic wrap, place a sheet of parchment paper on a clean work surface. Dump the dough out of the mixing bowl onto the parchment and press the dough together gently with your hands to form a mass.
Place a second sheet of parchment paper over top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough out until it is about ¼-inch to ½-inch thick. Slide the dough sandwiched between the parchment paper onto a baking sheet and place in the fridge to chill.
Step 4
Once cookie dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 325°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Step 5
Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, unwrap the plastic wrap and place on a clean cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice the cookie dough into ½-inch thick slices.
Place cookie dough about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. 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.
I have tested baking the dough that has been docked (holes poked on the top) and not docked, as you can see from the photos. It is not necessary to poke holes in the tops of the cookie dough, however, do so if desired for an appearance similar to that of traditional shortbread.
For cut-out cookies, remove the top layer of parchment paper and cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Use an offset spatula to gently lift the cut-out cookies from the bottom layer of parchment, if needed.
Step 6
Bake shortbread cookies until just golden brown 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 on a wire rack until cooled completely before serving.
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FAQs
What is the best way to store baked shortbread cookies?
Store cooled cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Cookies may be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature and serve.
Can I prepared shortbread cookie dough ahead of time?
One of the best parts about slice and bake shortbread cookie dough is that it can be prepared up to one week in advance. Store in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and bake as directed.
More Shortbread Cookie recipes
Holiday Shortbread Cookies
Cut-out Shortbread Cookies come together in a snap and offer the perfect canvas for fun and festive decorations such as drizzles of chocolate and sprinkles of crushed candy canes.
Lemon Thyme Shortbread Cookies
For these cut-out Lemon Thyme Shortbread cookies, we use a mix of bright, sunshiny bursts of lemon flavor coupled with the subtle earthiness of thyme.
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry orange shortbread in the style of Alison Roman with those crispy, sugary edges are perfect for the holidays or anytime. I used Alison’s base shortbread recipe and I amped up the orange flavor with lots of zest and swapped the chocolate for tangy cranberries.
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Equipment
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 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 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 thicket 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