Oh how we all love shortbread! Small buttery delights decorated or flavored in unlimited ways, shortbread cookies are an iconic Christmas cookie.
In order to make all those wonderful variations and flavor combos though, you need to start with a base recipe. I dug out all my old cookbooks and did some digging to find a foolproof, traditional shortbread recipe that requires no special ingredients, skills, or equipment!
Traditionally a Scottish Christmas cookie, the very oldest recipes simply consisted of one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour. Modern recipes have been altered though to enhance the taste and texture of the cookies. The recipe below has been tweaked to create a traditional shortbread that is buttery, but not overwhelmingly sweet, making it ideal for decorating with chocolate, fruit glazes, or icing.
Some of the links in this post lead to affiliate sites through which Earth, Food, and Fire may earn a small commission should you make a purchase. For more info check the Affiliate Disclaimer.
What Are The Ingredients For Classic Shortbread Cookies?
The beauty of these cookies lies in their simplicity. All you need to make traditional shortbread is:
- ¾ cup room temperature butter
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
With only those three simple ingredients, you can make delicious, buttery sweet, shortbread cookies!
You need absolutely no baking experience or specialized equipment. If you have a mixing bowl, measuring cup, cookie sheet, and fork, you can make this traditional shortbread recipe.
Some things such as a rolling pin, parchment paper, wire cooling rack, and off-set spatula will make life easier when making these classic cookies, but in a pinch you can easily do without.
Some recipes call for cornstarch. Do you need to add it?
Cornstarch is sometimes added to reduce the amount of flour in the recipe (and therefor the gluten), making the cookies a little softer. Traditionally cornstarch was not an ingredient used in shortbread, and as long as you don't over knead the dough and 'develop' the gluten (as you do in bread for example), the cookies will come out light and flaky!
Traditional Shortbread Recipe
As mentioned above you need no special equipment, or skills, and only a handful of everyday ingredients. Shortbread is meant to be easy, and as such you shouldn't over work the dough. Simply form the dough until it creates a ball, making sure not to over-knead or work it to much. Otherwise the shortbread will become tough and dense. So let's get to it shall we!
- Cube the butter into small pieces and place them all in a mixing bowl. Add the icing sugar to the butter, and use a fork to completely mix the two. (I like to squish the butter first, and then 'mix' the sugar in.)
- Add the all purpose flour to the bowl, and using the fork, mix the ingredients until they start to clump together. With your hands continue to gently mix (knead) the dough until it forms a smooth ball.
- Roll out the traditional shortbread dough on a lightly floured counter to roughly ¼ " - ½ " thickness. (If you have no rolling pin, use a wine bottle, or simply flatten the dough with your hands...it's that versatile!)
- Cut the shortbread into squares, fingers, or use a cookie cutter to punch out rounds and other varying shapes.
- Place the cookies on a parchment lined or lightly greased cookie sheet, and bake at 325F for 15 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, and immediately remove from the hot cookie sheet to cool.
- Garnish these classic shortbread cookies to your hearts content and enjoy!
Can You Freeze Shortbread Cookies?
Absolutely! For best results, let the cookies cool completely to room temperature after baking, and then immediately store in an air tight Tupperware or similar container and freeze. The frozen shortbread cookies will last for up to three months, and only need to be thawed, before decorating and serving.
Looking for more Shortbread Cookie Recipes?
Tried the recipe? Take a picture and tag me on Facebook & Instagram: @earthfoodandfire . For more from scratch recipes follow me on Instagram & Pinterest
Recipe
Traditional Shortbread Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter softened
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Cube the butter into small pieces and place them all in a mixing bowl. Add the icing sugar to the butter, and use a fork to completely mix the two.
- Add the all purpose flour to the bowl, and using the fork, mix the ingredients until they start to clump together and form a smooth ball.
- Roll out the traditional shortbread dough on a lightly floured counter to roughly ¼ " - ½ " in thickness.
- Cut the shortbread into squares, fingers, or use a cookie cutter to punch out rounds and other varying shapes.
- Place the cookies on a parchment lined or lightly greased cookie sheet, and bake at 325F for 15 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, and immediately remove from the hot cookie sheet to cool.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Debbie
I tried the recipe but found the dough very crumbly. Do you have a suggestion?
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Debbie, if you find the recipe to crumbly try mixing in another tablespoon or two of room temp butter. The increased fat content will help soften the dough.
Samira Gupta
Loved the easy way with which you have explained the steps in the recipe. Cookies too look yummm.
Chef Markus Mueller
Thanks Samira!
Tara
I don't like icing sugar/confectioner's sugar. What if I make this recipe with regular granulated sugar? How will it be different?
Thank you.
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Tara, in theory, yes you can though it will affect the texture of the cookies. Shortbread that uses icing sugar is much flakier as icing sugar contains cornstarch which helps keep the gluten from developing. This helps give them their traditional sandy texture.
Hope that helps,
Chef Markus
Susan
The recipe here is very like that used by my Grandmother. She used Caster Sugar that was a very fine sugar that blended easily into the butter I can't find that product anymore but if you don't like powdered or icing sugar you can use a product called "fine" sugar that also blends very well into the butter. I would recommend blending the sugar slowly using a pastry blender or two knives until there are only very fine pieces of butter. Then continue blending with your hands A pastry blender comes in handy for blending in the flour until it is of a consistency where you can use your hands to finish blending and roll into a ball. You may want to refrigerate for a few minutes so it won't be too sticky to roll out. Unlike pastry shortbread doesn't mind being worked.