There’s just something about these delicious shortbread cookies! They’re super simple, extra buttery and only have 4 ingredients! Eat them hot out of the oven and they’ll melt in your mouth or wait until the following day after they’ve dried out a bit (perfect for dunking); both ways are equally delicious.
There are a few key things to know when making these beauties:
Use salted butter. I know it may sound counter intuitive, but you’ll notice there is no additional salt in this recipe. I’ve tried using unsalted butter and adjusting the salt levels accordingly, but it never seems to come out the same way.
Don’t over-mix. We want our shortbread to be crumbly and flaky. If you were to over-mix the dough, you would begin developing the gluten in the flour, resulting in a tougher cookie. Mix until the dough is just combined and looks bit shaggy and soft. It will all come together on the board when you start rolling.
Don’t handle the dough too much. You want the butter to remain at room temperature throughout the whole process. If the dough starts to get greasy or too sticky, pop it in the fridge for about 10 minutes to let the butter set up.
Keep it simple. This one goes hand in hand with not handling it too much. There’s no need for fancy cookie cutters, just a butter knife and fork will do. Unless of course you want to use the fancy cookie cutter, in which case, ignore everything I just said.
Finally, these delicious shortbread cookies cookies tend to be better the older they are. We are a family of dunkers and let me tell you we love them as an afternoon pick me up with a cup of coffee or tea.
Give them a try and let me know what you think in the comments below! Enjoy!
Delicious Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- Stand or Hand Mixer
- Spatula
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Knife
- Fork
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Salted Butter Room Temperature
- 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar packed
- 1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 4 Cups All Purpose Flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine the butter,light brown sugar, and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together until light in color.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour a cup at a time. Continue to mix until just combined.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll out to ½ – inch thickness. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 2 x 4 – inch rectangles.
- Transfer the cookies to a baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Poke holes each cookie using a fork.
- Bake the cookies at 325 for 20-25 minutes until slightly golden.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before enjoying.