Shortbread Cookies

4.84 from 6 votes

This classic shortbread cookie recipe is as easy to remember as 1-2-3 with its 1:2:3 ratio of sugar:butter:flour by weight!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings: cookies

Calories: 139kcal

Fit a square of parchment to the bottom of a 9-inch (23-cm) square pan. You can butter the bottom of the pan to help the square of parchment adhere to the pan, if necessary. Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (175 °C).
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt until it is smooth, light, and creamy. This takes 3–4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure the ingredients combine properly.
Add the flour to the mixer bowl and mix it in until the mixture turns into a sandy crumble that holds together when pressed.
Spread the crumbly mixture evenly from edge to edge on the bottom of the prepared pan. Pat it out and press it down using a flat-bottomed glass to smooth it.
Cut the shortbread into 24 rectangles, and dock it with a fork. Bake for 35–40 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.
Let the pan of shortbread cool for 5 minutes, then cut them again. Let them cool 10 minutes before unmolding.
Let cool before serving.

This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
Play with the flavour, adding orange or lemon zest to the butter and sugar before adding the flour, or even coffee grinds for texture and flavour. You can also swap the white sugar for brown sugar, or even maple sugar.
You can bake the shortbread a second time to ensure that even the very middle parts are baked through, yielding a buttery yet dry shortbread with a sandy texture, as it should be. Transfer the shortbread to a parchment-lined baking sheet, 1 inch apart, and bake at 325 ºF for another 10–20 minutes or so until they are baked through.
Another option for making properly baked shortbread that aren't overly brown but still baked through: bake the shortbread at a lower temperature. Try baking shortbread at 300ºF for longer. Low and slow is the key to achieving perfectly baked shortbread cookies that are evenly golden brown.