With this easy 4 ingredient shortbread cookies recipe you’ll soon find yourself making these cookies more often than the holiday season!
Shortbread cookies are a classic roll cookie that kids love to help with. The options to create a variety of cookies with this popular easy cookie recipe make any beginner baker look like an expert.
Your friends and family will love these cookies and beg for more. Add this recipe to your holiday baking list and you’ll be sure to impress.
This old fashion shortbread recipe comes from my great grandmother. It uses only four ingredients including butter brown sugar flour and vanilla.
Make the super simple short bread for the holidays with either round cookie cutters or fun holiday shapes such as these.
It wouldn’t be the holidays without shortbread on my mothers table. Short bread is an old-fashioned traditional Christmas cookie.
Don’t let it’s good taste scare you into thinking it’s tricky to make.This cookie recipe is probably a popular family recipe in your family.
SHORTBREAD COOKIE RECIPE
There are many many ways you can add to this four ingredient shortbread cookie recipe, and surprisingly a lot of variations of the basic shortbread.
To make shortbread cookies from scratch you’ll require only a few standard pantry baking essentials. Keep reading to learn how to make these shortbread cookies from scratch and be inspired to take your baking to the next level!
HOW DO YOU MAKE SHORTBREAD COOKIES FROM SCRATCH?
Good quality ingredients is the key to making perfect shortbread. There are only four ingredients in this recipe, so go with the best quality for shortbread cookies worth sharing.
Shortbread cookies require salted butter, brown sugar, vanilla and white flour.
It’s important to make sure the butter is at room temperature and not any warmer. Warm butter will make for hard and crunchy shortbread cookies.
Just like baking pastry, especially pie, the colder the butter the more crumbly the cookie and the richer the flavour.
JUST 4 SIMPLE INGREDIENTS FOR SHORTBREAD FROM SCRATCH
UNSALTED BUTTER
BROWN SUGAR
ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
VANILLA EXTRACT
TOP 4 BAKING SUPPLIES FOR BAKING THE BEST SHORTBREAD COOKIES
STAND MIXER
MARBLE ROLLING PIN
PARCHMENT PAPER
STEP ONE: CREAM BUTTER & SUGAR
The first step to making these rolled cookies is to cream the butter and the brown sugar in your electric mixer. Go ahead and whip the mixture until it’s nice and fluffy.
I like to use golden brown sugar from Rogers in all my baking. Store your brown sugar in a air tight container to ensure it doesn’t hardened in your pantry.
STEP TWO: VANILLA EXTRACT
In a large bowl, add vanilla extract to butter and sugar.
STEP THREE: FLOUR & MIX
Mix in white flour and work with hands until creamy.
STEP FOUR: ROLL THE DOUGH
On a lightly floured surface roll the dough to half an inch thick. Cut with the cookie cutters. Using a spatula, place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
STEP FIVE: BAKE
Bake in 350° oven until slightly golden brown approximately 7 to 8 minutes.
Remove cookies from pan and allow to cool at room temperature before decorating.
WHAT ARE SCOTCH SHORTBREAD COOKIES?
Originally when I received my great grandmothers shortbread recipe I swore it would be similar to Scottish shortbread cookies, similar to the popular Walkers Shortbread cookies.
BUT, even with only four ingredients there are a lot of varieties and possibilities with this easy staple holiday roll cookie.
Scottish Shortbread Cookies use vegetable shortening instead of salted butter for a much different result. These cookies are firmer and crunchier cookie.
When I think of Shortbread cookies, I think of melt in your mouth cookies easily eaten with tea. Then I remembered, my great grandmother learned how to bake in boarding school in England.
WHAT CAN YOU ADD TO SHORTBREAD COOKIES?
I love shortbread cookies because they are absolutely amazing by themselves but they also offer an array of flavour varieties and options that make baking fun and exciting.
SHORTBREAD VARIETIES INCLUDE:
Lemon Shortbread
Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry
Chocolate Chip
Orange
Blueberry
Cherry
Almond
Just by adding culinary herbs, edible flowers, extracts, dried fruit and chocolates the options for creativity in your baking are endless.
Once the cookies are baked and cooled, try dipping in chocolate. Other options for decorating include dusting and decorating with sugar and sprinkles or decorating with icing.
Shortbread cookies are similar to sugar cookies in this way, but Shortbread beat sugar cookies when it comes to the variety options and the delicious results!
SHORTBREAD COOKIE EXCHANGE
Shortbread cookies are a staple to any cookie exchange. Go ahead and PIN this post on your holiday boards for when it comes time to be involved in your next cookie exchange.
Since this shortbread cookie recipe only has four ingredients it’s both frugal and easy to make large quantities.
SHORTBREAD COOKIE GIFTS
Another idea is to make a large batch of the cookie dough to create an assortment of your own shortbread cookie collection using our shortbread additions above.
Stack individual cookies in Mason Jars, add a sweet piece of fabric, some scrap yarn, a bow and our BAKE WITH LOVE STICKER and you’re set to go with the best handmade gifts for neighbours and colleagues.
PRINT THIS RECIPE
Shortbread Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Mix Master
- Large Bowl
- Cookie Cutters
- Baking Tray
- Cooling Racks
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Salted Butter Room Temperature
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar packed
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract Real is best
- 4 Cups White Flour
Instructions
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together until smooth in electric mixer
- Add vanilla
- Remove from mixer and add flour. Work with hands until creamy
- Roll balls and press with fork / OR roll and cut with cookie cutters
- Bake in 350 Oven until slightly brown approx. 8 minutes
- Cool on cooling racks and store in airtight container.
Notes
SAVE THIS PIN FOR LATER
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