These shortbread cookies have an exciting play between sugar and salt that when mixed with their buttery flavor and crumbly texture are tantalizing and delicious. Humbly beautiful on their own with tea or coffee, they can also be sandwiched with jam, covered with glaze, or flavored with an endless list of mix-ins. At its most basic, shortbread is a cookie made from flour, butter, and sugar. The cookie gets its name from its “short” texture. The high butter content and absence of liquids in the dough limit gluten development for tender, crumbly cookies rich with butter.

Shortbread Cookies Tips and Tricks

With only three essential ingredients, shortbread cookies may be one of the simplest recipes you’ll bake. However, this dough can be a bit sticky, especially when warm. 

To roll it out, make sure it has chilled for at least 30 minutes. If you’re worried about it sticking to your counter, you can try rolling it between two sheets of parchment paper. This is handy because it’s easy to transfer the dough back into the fridge if it gets too warm.If the dough sticks to your work surface and you’re struggling to free the cut-out cookies, use a small offset spatula or another flat spatula to gently scrape under the cookie and carefully lift them off your work surface.

Shortbread Shortcuts

If you’re worried about the dough sticking or you have less time, you can make slice-and-bake shortbread or bake shortbread wedges in cake pans. 

For slice and bake cookies, gather the dough and form it into a log. Wrap the dough in plastic or parchment paper and chill for at least 1 hour. Slice cookies between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick and bake.  To bake shortbread wedges, you can even skip chilling the dough. Divide the dough between two parchment-lined 8-inch round cake pans, compressing the dough into an even layer. Bake for about 30 minutes at 325°F. Let the shortbread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then use the parchment to lift it out. Slice the shortbread while still warm.

A Note on Butter and Salt

With almost as much butter by weight as flour, the secret to flavorful shortbread cookies is flavorful butter. For these cookies, I prefer to use Kerrygold European-style butter, which has a higher butterfat content and a richer flavor. Look for a brand that has at least 82% butterfat. Kerrygold is my personal favorite. To pick an alternative you can do the math from the information on the back of the package, but many brands have started advertising this number. The best shortbread cookies have a playful balance between salt and sweet. They have a noticeable sparkle of saltiness, but they’re still fundamentally a sweet cookie. The amount listed in this recipe is for Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and unsalted butter. If you’re using Maldon, table salt, or salted butter, reduce the amount to 1/4 teaspoon. The right balance between sweet and salty is often personal, so feel free to adjust to your own taste.

Can You Decorate Shortbread Cookies?

Sugar cookies tend to be the go-to cookie for decorating, but shortbread cookies are just as good of a canvas. If you prefer a crisper, buttery cookie, why not try shortbreads instead?

Add sprinkles: Sprinkle some coarse sugar, granulated sugar, or sprinkles over the cookies before baking them for some extra crunch or a splash of color. Make a glaze: In a small bowl whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze and set them on a wire rack to set. You can try a lemon glaze by substituting lemon juice for the milk and lemon zest for the vanilla extract. Royal icing: Take your cookie decorating to the next level with royal icing. Try your hand at some of these bakery-level techniques for beautiful, professional-looking decorations.

Make-Ahead Shortbread Cookies

When you’ve got a busy schedule, it can be difficult to work on a baking project from start to finish. Luckily, shortbread cookies are simple to make with many opportunities to pause and start back up later.

Shortbread cookie dough, wrapped airtight, keeps for 1 week in the refrigerator or for up to 1 month in the freezer. Let the dough thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To really get ahead, you can freeze the unbaked, cut-out cookies on a baking tray. You can bake them directly from frozen, though it may take a few minutes longer.

Shortbread Cookies Are Excellent for Freezing 

Shortbread cookies are excellent for freezing. After they are baked and cooled completely, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer to freeze them. Once frozen, transfer them into a freezer bag. Baked shortbread cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month. To thaw, remove them from the freezer bag and place them on a plate or baking sheet at room temperature. 

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For slice-and-bake cookies: Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl onto the plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a log about 2 1/2-inch in diameter. You can use the plastic to help shape the dough without it sticking to your hands. Seal the dough in the plastic and place it in the refrigerator to chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Cut out cookies using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter. Space the cookies about 1-inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. The scraps can be gathered a couple more times to roll and cut out more cookies. For slice-and-bake-cookies: Use a sharp knife to slice cookies about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Space the cookies about 1-inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Shortbread cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week. It’s hard to believe they get even better, but the buttery flavor actually improves over time. Did you love this recipe? Give us some stars below!