This easy Shortbread Cookie recipe produces the most delicious shortbread you will ever have. It's hard to believe they can taste so good with only 5 ingredients including salt and vanilla!
We couldn't keep these on the shelf back when I had my bakery! Trust me they are addictive! Just like these, Spiced Ginger Cookies, Chewy Cocoa Brownies, and Butter Tarts. And for a perfect pie dough here's my recipe for All Butter Pie Crust.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- They are super simple to make.
- They aren't too sweet. It's all about the butter!
- They last for weeks and also freeze well.
- They make perfect gifts. Just wrap in cellophane, tie with a ribbon and everyone is happy!
- You only need 5 ingredients.
- It only takes a few minutes to get them into the oven.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutes
Here's what you will need to make this recipe with substitutes where applicable.
- Unsalted butter - If using salted butter reduce salt in recipe to ¾ teaspoon.
- All purpose flour - Gluten free all purpose flour works as a straight swap.
- Kosher salt - if using regular or fine salt reduce amount to 1 teaspoon.
For the full list of ingredients and quantities see the recipe card below.
🔪How to make this recipe
Here's how this recipe comes together. For full instructions see the recipe card below.
- First, lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper.
2. In a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream together the soft butter and sugar on high speed until it's light and fluffy. You can also do this with a hand mixer. Add the vanilla and mix on low until incorporated.
3. Next, with the machine off, add flour and salt and mix on low speed until all the flour is incorporated and the dough comes together.
Then pat the dough into the pan using your fingers. Flatten it evenly. Cut into rectangles and then pierce with a fork. Bake at 300 degrees F. for 50-60 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cut and pierce again while the cookies are still hot. Let cool for 15 minutes then remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storage
One of the best things about these shortbread cookies is how long they last. Not to mention they get better as they sit!
Store shortbread at room temperature, in an airtight container or tin, for 3 weeks or freeze for 6 months.
Pro-Tips
- Whip the butter and sugar well to incorporate air. This helps create a flaky texture.
- Pre-cut the pieces before baking so you can correct any cutting mistakes.
- Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt. This recipe has a perfect balance of salty-sweetness when followed as written.
Frequently Asked Questions
One isn't necessarily better than the other but they will each produce entirely different results. Powdered sugar produces a softer texture while granulated sugar produces a more crisp texture. Granulated sugar is used in this recipe to create an old fashioned Scottish-type shortbread.
The word "short" is an old word used in baking that means crisp and crumbly as apposed to long and stringy (think bread dough). The word "bread" comes from "biscuit bread" which was made from leftover bread dough that was sweetened and dried out in the oven to make biscuits.
The holes allow the moisture to escape during baking and more even heat distribution. This helps dry out and crisp up the cookies.
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Tried this recipe? I would love it if you could leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and/or a comment below. You can also follow me on social media here on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Want to say thank you?📖 Recipe
Best Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, soft
- ¾ cups sugar, granulated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, pure extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Using a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix on low until incorporated.
- Stop the machine and add the flour and salt. Mix on low just until the flour is incorporated and it comes together.
- Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Using your hands, press the cookie dough evenly into the pan. Cut into rectangles by dividing the pan into 24 pieces (8x3). Poke each piece, all the way through, with a fork 3 or 4 times.
- Bake in center of preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. The cookies should just be starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Remove from oven. Cut and poke holes again while still hot. Let cool for 15 minutes then remove from pan onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Shortbread can be stored in an airtight container or tin, on the counter, for several weeks and frozen in an airtight container for 6 months.
- Cutting the dough before baking allows for mistakes or correcting crooked lines. If you make a mistake simply use your fingers to “erase” the line and start again. Poking holes allows the moisture to escape for more even baking and crispier texture.
Debbie says
Delicious. My family loved the shortbread cookies, and they were very easy to make. I'll definitely be making these again! Thank you😊
Andrea says
My pleasure! So happy you enjoyed them!
Deb M says
These are melt in your mouth delicious, and so easy to make!
Beatrice Schori says
They turned out excellent. The recipe is perfect.
Lynda says
Hi Andrea! Could I use cookie cutters with this recipe? If I can would I change the baking time?
Andrea says
Hi Lynda! I’m not sure how well this dough will roll out. Because the cookies have a more crumbly texture they may not hold their shape as well if rolled out thin. I haven’t tested this myself so it’s hard to say. You could try rolling with a smaller portion of the dough and see how it goes. Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions
Theresa says
I JUST finished baking my 3rd batch for this Christmas season! So, so, soooo goood! And EASY!
Andrea says
Oh I love hearing that! So happy you are loving the shortbread and thanks for commenting 🤗
Kathy says
This is THE recipe I have been searching for! Beyond delicious, perfect texture. They didn’t last long in my household!!!
Andrea says
I'm so happy you enjoyed them Kathy! I'm putting off making a batch too long before Christmas for the same reason! Thanks for commenting ☺️
Corrine Chapin says
I made the shortbread with gluten free flour. The shortbread is very short, the top of the biscuits separated and crumbled.
Can you tell me what I did incorrectly?
Thanks I love your recipes and this is the first gluten free flour recipe I have used..(my daughter is gluten intolerant)
Andrea says
Hi Corrine, I'm sorry to hear you had trouble with the shortbread. It could be a couple of things. The brand of flour could be the culprit. I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1. It also could be a case of the flour not being measured accurately. Be sure to scoop the flour into dry measuring cups. Don't shake or pack the flour and level it off with a straight edge of a knife or metal spatula. If you nailed both of those things you may want to try refrigerating the pan of dough for about 30 minutes before baking. I hope that helps!
Cecile allard says
The very best “go to” cookie recipe I have ever used!!! Makes up fast and easy, looks and tastes great! Everyone’s favorite, summer like winter!!! Thanks much!!
MaryAnn says
huge hit!
Super easy with your excellent directions and guidance. I don't have a stand mixer but the hand mixer option worked well. I may try the dough hook in my food processor next time though. worth experimenting.
great new tradition! Thank you Andrea.
If it comes from MPK, you know it's going to be great!
Andrea says
Thanks so much for the lovely comment 😊
Karen says
Made these for Christmas 2022. Easy and turned out great- loved them
Pam says
Hosted a Christmas Eve Party and these were a huge hit!!! Made the recipe as it is and these are without a doubt, the best shortbread cookies ever! Thank you and hope you had a Merry Christmas! Happy New Year to you and your family!
Pam says
Sorry, only changed the salt to pink Himalayan; didn’t have kosher. However, it worked great! Thanks again
Andrea says
Happy New Year Pam! So happy you enjoyed cookies!
linda burns says
Thanks Andrea for a new recipe to try. I would say the kosher salt overtook the flavour a bit, I would probably do table salt next time and reduce to 3/4 tsp or ust 1 tsp kosher. It also took 20 mins longer to bake, but that could be my temperamental oven.
Andrea says
Hi Linda! I'm happy you tried the recipe. I so like my shortbread a tad "salty" and will make a note about that in the recipe. Thanks for your feedback!
Heather says
I made these last week and they were super easy and I have never had luck with making shortbread before. This recipe was very easy and they cookies were so delicious. I felt like Ted Lasso making his biscuits for Rebecca:))))
Andrea says
I love this so much! So happy you enjoyed them and they made you feel like a cookie boss! 😎
Karin says
Trying these today. Have you ever added in Skor bits? Wondering if That would work…my family loves shortbread that I’ve bought with skor buts but want to try my own.
Andrea says
I haven't tried adding anything but I don't see why not. Just add them in at the end after mixing the flour half way. Let me know how they turn out!
Lynn K says
Hello Karin,
I used a different recipe last week and added chopped dried cranberries and mini white chocolate chips - delish! So I don't see why not you couldn't add stuff to this recipe.
Karin says
OMG these are definitely the best. Once in the pan I pressed skor bits into one half. This is definitely on my list every Christmas. Thank you for sharing.
Andrea says
I'm so happy to hear they turned out great!
Lynn K says
This is just like my British grandmother's recipe. Until I got a stand mixer I did it the way Nan did - mixing with a wooden spoon (so tiring on the arms!) Now with my new stand mixer I find that when the flour has been added it all clogs up the paddle and is difficult to mix. Do you think I could use the bread hook attachment instead of the paddle?
Andrea says
Hi Lynn!
I haven't tried it but I think it would work. It just might take quite a while for the flour to mix in. Let me know how it goes.
Lynn K says
Hi Andrea,
Using the dough hook was so much better! I added the flour in 3 portions and only scraped down the sides near the end. It was faster than the paddle where I had to stop multiple times to scrape down the sides and the paddle.
Andrea says
I'm so happy to hear it worked! Thanks for letting me know!
Sandy says
Made these delicious shortbread cookies today and they are really really good! I’ve tried other recipes that were not a success but these are a hit. Easy to make! Neighbours will be excited to get them as gifts! Thanks Andrea another winner!
Marianne says
This recipe is a wow!
Perfect shortbread and so much easier than I thought! Big thank you Andrea!
Andrea says
My pleasure Marianne! So happy you enjoyed them!
Becky says
Excited to try this! I don't have a 9x13 pan. Do you think I could use a 9x9 pan instead?
Andrea says
Hi Becky!
A 9x9 would be too small so the cookies would be very thick. 9x13 is 117 square inces where as 9x9 is only 81. You could bake half the dough at a time in the 9x9. They will be a bit thinner so you should reduce the baking time. Start checking them after 35 minutes or so. Hope that helps!
Janice says
I was pleasantly surprised how easy the shortbread was to make and you are correct, the perfect balance of sweet and salty. My husband wholeheartedly approved. They are currently in boxes on the way to my children's homes in Tennessee. My thoughts they would be the perfect "travelling" cookie.
Andrea says
Oh I love that so much! You are right, they do make great travelling cookies! So happy you enjoyed them!
Shannon says
Do you freeze the baked cookies or the raw dough. Or both?
Looking forward to making these.
Andrea says
Hi Shannon! You want to freeze the cookies after baking and once they have completely cooled. Hope you enjoy them!
Kathy Wilson says
These are absolutely wonderful, amazing and delicious! The taste and texture, balance of salt and sweet…all are just right! Great recipe, Andrea!
Carolyn Campbell says
THE best shortbread EVER! So flakey! I like it so much better than shortbread made with icing sugar. Thanks Andrea - this one is on permanent repeat at our place. xox
Andrea says
I'm so happy you enjoyed the shortbread! Thanks so much for the comment 😊
Theresa says
My only advice when making these cookies is to have someone hide them from you when they are done! They are truly sooooo gooood…This is the FIRST time I have made shortbread that I didn’t have to throw out. I knew Andrea’s recipe would be the keeper….like all her creations 😊
I had to stop finding reasons to go into my kitchen, but the cookies were yelling for me…I had to respond. 😮 I am currently packaging up to give to family members….”Some for you and one for me”. I have a big family…am getting lots of “one’s” 🎄….
I see another batch in the making this weekend…so easy, so good! 😁
Thank you Andrea !!! 👩🍳
Andrea says
I love this so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed them Theresa and thanks so much for the comment!
Deb Hobby says
Absolutely delightful flavor , the better half says simple scrumptious.
They are so delicious and tasty . This will be my new good too ,for a easy to bake desert . Thank you Andrea there really are amazing .
Deb
Andrea says
So happy you enjoyed them! Thanks for commenting!
Pat Estabrooks says
Made these delicious shortbread cookies and they turned out amazing….thank you, Andrea! How would they taste with the end dipped in some chocolate?
Andrea says
I think that would be delicious! So happy you enjoyed them!
Cathy says
Yikes! This recipe did not work for me. Too much flour, I measured the flour and salt mixture twice ? Not enough mixing? Temperature of the butter? It was too granular and would not really ball up into a workable pastry. It was my first attempt at shortbread but I would like to try again… do you have any suggestions?
Andrea says
Hi Cathy! Sorry to hear you had trouble with the shortbread. Make sure the butter is soft and you mix it on high until it's light and fluffy. This will take 1-2 minutes. It will also take a minute or so of mixing for the dough to come together with the flour. I'm not sure if that was the issue but I hope these tips help!
Cathy says
Thanks! The shortbread tastes great so I will try the recipe again following your tips.
Cathy says
I tried the shortbread recipe again. This time the butter was a bit warmer and I hand mixed until it was soft. I creamed in the sugar and then half-portions of the flour until it was a smooth, workable batter. I have a feeling that they won’t last long. Thanks!
Andrea says
I'm so happy to hear you tried it again and they worked out!
Sonya says
Easy and delicious!
Lucianna says
Do you think I could bake these in one of those patterned shortbread moulds? I have a beautiful stoneware one but worried they might stick with no parchment
Andrea says
Hi Lucianna! If the mould was made for making shortbread it should work. Truth be told, the parchment isn't even necessary. I just use it as insurance. Spray the mould lightly with cooking spray and it should be fine. Let me know how it turns out!
Vickie Antoniak says
I am celiac so can I substitute gluten free flour?
Andrea says
Hi Vickie! I haven't tested it out but you should be able to substitute with an all-purpose gluten free flour. If you give it a try let me know how they turn out!