Sometimes, the simplest cookies are the most delicious—and it doesn’t get much more effortless than a three-ingredient recipe. That’s why our best shortbread cookie recipe deserves a place in your recipe box. The cookies have classic shortbread flavor and texture: buttery and lightly sweet with a delicate, crisp bite.
Because the shortbread cookies recipe is so easy to make and the treats are long-lasting, they are perfect to keep on hand for visitors or to store in a cookie jar. Like biscotti recipes, shortbread cookies make a fabulous match for coffee and tea. And, of course, they’re a favorite to take to Christmas cookie swaps and to prepare as a food gift.
The versatile shortbread cookies recipe can be made in advance and stored in the freezer. Also, the cookies are very customizable! Make them your own with nuts, chocolate or extracts.
Shortbread Cookie Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: All the flavor in these cookies comes from the butter—so this is the time to splurge on a good-quality brand like Kerrygold. And make sure the butter is softened but not greasy or melted. Here are our favorite ways to quickly soften butter.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar in this best shortbread cookie recipe. You’ll cream the butter and sugar to create a light texture in the cookies.
- Flour: The cookie dough comes together with all-purpose flour. For the best results, sift the flour before mixing it with the butter and sugar.
Directions
Step 1: Make the cookie dough
Preheat the oven to 325°F and have ready an ungreased, 9-inch square baking pan. Use a stand or hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Beat them for five to seven minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the sifted flour.
Step 2: Shape and prick the dough
Press the dough into the square baking pan in a smooth layer. Use a fork to prick the dough all over.
Editor’s Tip: While pricking the dough with a fork isn’t absolutely necessary, it does allow some of the steam to escape during baking so that the surface won’t bubble up. It also gives shortbread cookies a classic, attractive pattern—prick the dough in neat rows so that the finished cookie bars will look pretty!
Step 3: Bake the cookies
Bake the shortbread for 30 to 35 minutes, until light brown. Use a sharp knife to cut the shortbread into 16 squares while still warm. Move the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. You can dust the bars with confectioners’ sugar or serve them plain.
Editor’s Tip: The cookies are ready when they’re lightly browned across the top, with edges that are firm and slightly darker. Begin checking for doneness 5 to 10 minutes before the baking time ends—don’t let them overbake or they’ll be hard and burnt.
Recipe Variations
- Add a flavor: These buttery cookies are delicious with 1 to 2 teaspoons flavor extract added to the dough—try vanilla (here are our vanilla extract picks), almond, lemon, mint or anise.
- Incorporate chocolate: Fold mini chocolate chips or finely chopped semisweet chocolate into the cookie dough.
- Go nuts: Finely chopped nuts like pistachios, almonds, macadamias or pecans are divine in this shortbread cookies recipe—add about 1/2 cup and toast the nuts first to make them extra flavorful.
- Dip the cookies: Once the cut cookies are cool, you can dip the bottom or half of each cookie in any variety of melted chocolate. (Here’s how to easily melt your chocolate.) Place the cookies on a wire rack to set. If you’d like, add sprinkles or chopped nuts to the chocolate while it’s wet. The best shortbread cookie recipe can also be drizzled with a simple confectioners’ sugar glaze.
- Make spiced shortbread: Try adding cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice to the shortbread dough for a lightly spiced cookie. A little dried lavender in the dough makes a lovely, floral-scented cookie for a tea party treat.
How to Store Shortbread Cookies
The all-butter shortbread cookies should be handled with care to prevent crumbling. Carefully arrange them in an airtight cookie storage container. If you need to layer them, place a piece of waxed paper or parchment between the tiers. Store the cookies at room temperature, and check our cookie storage guide for more helpful tips.
How long do shortbread cookies last?
Some cookies last only a few days after baking, but our shortbread cookies recipe can be stored for up to three weeks. Make sure the cookies are kept at room temperature in a sealed container to protect the crisp texture and flavor.
Can you freeze shortbread cookies?
Our best shortbread cookie recipe freezes very well. Transfer the cookies to a freezer-proof resealable bag (such as a silicone bag) and press out all the air. Place the bag inside a container to protect the cookies from jostling and breaking. Store shortbread cookies in the freezer for up to three months. Allow them to thaw in the fridge, then move them to the counter to come to room temperature before serving.
Can you make shortbread cookies ahead of time?
Since the baked cookies last for up to three weeks, this is a fantastic make-ahead dessert recipe. The dough can also be made in advance and then baked the day you want the cookies. Store shortbread cookie dough in a resealable bag in the fridge for up to three days. Or, store well-sealed dough in the freezer for up to three months.
Shortbread Cookie Tips
Should you sift the flour when making shortbread cookies?
It’s always worth sifting flour for baking recipes, especially for simple cookies like these. When lumps of flour make it into batters and doughs, they affect the look of the baked goods, leaving an uneven or textured surface. Lumps also leave tiny pockets of raw flour, and no one wants to bite into one of those. If you don’t have a flour sifter, here are a few easy ways to sift flour with other tools.
What’s the best butter for shortbread cookies?
Butter is the star ingredient of this simple and delicious shortbread cookies recipe, so it is worth splurging on a really good variety. European-style butters like Kerrygold are prized for their exceptional flavor and higher butterfat content. There are quality domestic butter makers too—smaller creameries that use milk from grass-fed cows. Our Test Kitchen tested several of the best butter brands to find their favorites to use when baking.
We prefer unsalted butter for these cookies—with so few ingredients, salted butter could affect the final flavor. Unsalted butter puts you in control of how much, if any, salt should be added.
Why are my shortbread cookies too soft?
Due to the low melting point of butter in the dough, shortbread cookie dough can easily become too soft, making it hard to work with. Either before spreading it in the pan or after, place the dough in the fridge to firm up the butter. This will help the structure of the baked cookies as well. If your shortbread cookies are too soft after baking, it could be that they’re slightly underbaked and needed longer in the oven.
How can you tell when shortbread cookies are done?
It’s important to watch your shortbread closely; it’s very easy to pull them out too soon or to let them go a few minutes too long and end up with hard, brittle cookies. Begin checking the shortbread 5 to 10 minutes before the end of the baking time. The cookies are done when they’re lightly and evenly browned across the top with deeper brown at the edges. They should also feel firm to the touch at the edges.
