Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes Shortbread Cookies 4.0 (309) Buttery and crisp, these simple cookies are a cinch to make. Close Credit: Jake Sternquist Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins Servings: 24 Jump to recipe These shortbread cookies couldn’t be easier. Plus, you likely already have everything on hand to make them—our recipe calls for just all-purpose flour, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a touch of salt. They bake up crisp yet tender with buttery, flaky layers. Sturdy yet light, they’re also wonderful for holiday gifting. Keep the cookies plain for a classic taste or customize them with citrus zest or a dip in melted chocolate. The most important part of this recipe is to set aside at least an hour and a half for the dough to chill. The butter needs that time to thoroughly firm up, keeping the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. Quite simply, Martha’s basic shortbread recipe can’t be beat. 12 Clever Ways to Gift-Wrap Your Christmas Cookies A Brief History of Shortbread Shortbread has roots in Scotland, where it has existed in one form or another since the 12th century. Originally known as "biscuit bread," it was made from leftover bread dough slowly baked until hard and crunchy. By the 16th century, the yeast was swapped out for butter, and sugar was added for a sweeter taste. With flour, butter, and sugar being such scarce ingredients back then, shortbread was typically reserved for royalty or the very wealthy, or made only for special occasions like weddings, Christmas, and New Year's (known in Scotland as Hogmany). Mary Queen of Scots was particularly fond of shortbread flavored with caraway seeds and formed into a shape known as "petticoat tails," still a popular shape today. And while we typically associate shortbread with Scotland, a very similar, crumbly biscuit was eaten throughout the Middle East as early as the 7th century. It was often made with the same ratio of ingredients as Scottish shortbread—one part sugar to two parts fat to three parts flour—but was shaped differently and flavored with nuts or rose water. The 5 Simple Ingredients You Need for Shortbread Cookies Flour: Martha sometimes adds rice flour to her shortbread to achieve a sandy texture, but this recipe calls only for all-purpose flour. To ensure you're getting an accurate measurement, spoon the flour into your measuring cup, then level off the top. Butter: Use the best quality butter you can find for this recipe. And, make sure it's unsalted butter. Confectioners' sugar: This recipe calls for powdery confectioners' sugar, which contains a small amount of cornstarch and makes for a crisp yet tender cookie that melts in your mouth. Don't be tempted to swap in granulated sugar instead—it will throw off the texture of the finished cookies. Vanilla extract: Traditional shortbread recipes don't contain vanilla extract but we love the subtle, aromatic flavor it brings here. Salt: A touch of salt balances out the sugar's sweetness, making for a well-rounded cookie. Directions Credit: Jake Sternquist Prep baking sheets and combine dry ingredients: Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Whisk together flour and salt. Credit: Jake Sternquist Beat butter, add sugar, then vanilla: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, and continue to beat until pale and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of bowl, about 2 minutes more. Beat in vanilla. Credit: Jake Sternquist Add dry ingredients; turn out dough and form into disks. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed, scraping sides if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers. Turn out dough, forming into 2 disks; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. Credit: Jake Sternquist Credit: Jake Sternquist Preheat oven; roll out one disc and cut out cookies: Preheat oven to 325°F. Roll out 1 disk to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes using desired cookie cutter, and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Reroll scraps. Repeat with remaining disk. Credit: Jake Sternquist Credit: Jake Sternquist Chill cookies then bake: Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Bake until firm and golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Credit: Jake Sternquist How to Store Shortbread Cookies Shortbread cookies keep well. Once fully cooled, transfer them to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze shortbread cookies for longer storage: Arrange them in an airtight container, separated by sheets of parchment or wax paper to keep the layers from sticking to one another, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Variations Try a different flavor: For a citrusy kick, use your fingers to blend orange, lemon, or lime zest into the sugar before combining it with the butter. Use one to two teaspoons of zest for a subtle flavor or a tablespoon for a more prominent taste. Take a dip: For a festive touch, dip half of each shortbread cookie in melted chocolate, then sprinkle with dried fruit, nuts, or sprinkles. (Some of our favorite combinations include dark chocolate with crushed pistachios and white chocolate with minced dried cranberries.) 5 More Shortbread Recipes to Try Classic Shortbread 101 Brown-Butter Chocolate-Chunk Shortbread Savory Shortbread Dark- and White-Chocolate Shortbread Hearts Oat-and-Spelt Shortbread Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.