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These home made Shortbread Cookies are an excellent easy, buttery and candy deal with, good for Christmas time or a cookie trade! I’ve taken this traditional recipe and made it even higher. Much like this Christmas Shortbread Cookies, get pleasure from these with chocolate, jam or simply plain. Both means, you completely MUST make these this vacation season!
You’ll Love These Cookies!
There are lot of cookies which can be good for the vacations, however what units this cookie recipe aside from the others is its simplicity. This shortbread cookie recipe is a traditional one that you would be able to customise (see notes under) or depart plain. Typically, easy is greatest!
You’ll discover within the footage that generally I make these a bit smaller with a clear lower spherical cookie cutter, and different occasions use a barely larger, crinkle edge cookie cutter. Each are nice sizes, it simply comes down to private choice.
Three Most important Components
All shortbread cookie recipes in all places name for a similar three primary substances:
- Butter– use at room temperature and sure, I take advantage of salted butter for all my baking.
- Flour– all goal flour is nice. I take advantage of unbleached.
- Sugar-I take advantage of powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) for a softer texture, however granulated can work too!
Professional Tip: I do like so as to add in a bit vanilla extract to make my shortbread that rather more flavorful, however in case you’re a shortbread purist, you may actually omit it.
Shortbread Cookies vs Sugar Cookies
Shortbread cookies are extra dense than a sugar cookie. Shortbread additionally has as tremendous brief listing of substances with none leavening (baking soda or powder). Sugar Cookies are lighter and simpler to work with for slicing and adorning with icing.
This isn’t my first rodeo with Shortbread Cookies. In truth, I’ve three others that I’ll hyperlink right here: Christmas Shortbread Cookies, Vanilla Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies, and Hazelnut Shortbread Wreath Cookies.
The best way to Make Shortbread Cookies
These traditional shortbread cookies are among the best cookies you can also make! Simply ensure you are utilizing tender, room temperature butter and you’re measuring your flour appropriately! The completed shortbread dough will probably be a crumbly texture, however whenever you begin to kind it collectively along with your fingers, it ought to come collectively simply fantastic. (The warmth of your fingers will assist with this!)
Preheat Oven + Prep Pans
Preheat oven to 325° F. Line two flippantly coloured baking sheets with parchment paper and put aside.
Make the Dough
Within the bowl of a stand mixer, add in butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour. Utilizing the paddle attachment, combine substances slowly on low velocity till a crumbly dough kinds. I don’t suggest mixing by hand, however you should utilize an electrical hand mixer in case you don’t have a stand mixer.
Type Dough, Roll Out + Reduce
On a flippantly floured floor, roll out your dough. Type dough right into a ball and roll out with a rolling pin in between parchment paper to 1/3-1/2-inch thick. Reduce into small 3-inch circles (or any form desired*) and place onto the ready baking sheet.
Professional Tip: *Alternately, you may roll dough into balls and press out with a flat bottomed glass or indent with a fork. Should you’re feeling adventurous it’s also possible to use cookie cutters for various shapes.
Bake + Cool
Customizing Your Shortbread Cookies
So now that you understand how to make this primary shortbread cookie, now you can customise your subsequent batch nonetheless you want. Listed here are a number of concepts to get you began.
Extract. As a substitute of utilizing vanilla extract attempt utilizing almond, lemon and even lavender extract, in case you’re into floral flavors.
Chocolate. Add in mini chocolate chips to the dough, dip in melted chocolate or attempt making sandwich cookies utilizing Nutella because the filling.
Jam. Jams are all the time a good suggestion for these shortbread cookies. Strive making a jam dipping bar for these cookies.
Zest. Add some lime, lemon or orange zest to your dough for a lift of citrus taste.
Nuts. Chop and blend in nuts for a crunchy texture.
Sprinkles. This add-in all the time goes over properly with my children. Make it festive and roll in Christmas sprinkles to the highest of the dough earlier than slicing and baking. Or, after baking and cooling, unfold frosting on them and dip in sprinkles.
Storage Instructions for Shortbread Cookies
Saved cookies will keep recent in an hermetic container for 5 days on the counter, or as much as 10 days within the fridge.
To freeze after baking– enable to chill to room temperature. Place in a freezer secure container and freeze for as much as 3 months. Permit to return to room temperature and serve.
To freeze earlier than baking– I’d counsel rolling out the dough and slicing into desired shapes earlier than freezing. Flash freeze on a cookie sheet earlier than inserting in a freezer-safe, hermetic container. When able to bake, enable to sit down out whereas the oven preheats, then bake because the recipe card signifies.
FAQ and Troubleshooting Shortbread Cookies
I by no means knew there could possibly be a lot hassle with shortbread till I posted this recipe on-line and the questions got here rolling in, ha! Listed here are my greatest ideas and methods to serving to you get good shortbread cookies each time! As a result of we aren’t weighing the substances, this will trigger a bit differentiation within the completed product.
First I’d ask, have you ever tried working the shortbread dough collectively along with your fingers? The warmth of your fingers ought to assist it come collectively. Additionally, did you employ room temperature butter? That can assist the dough come collectively. Should you’re attempting to roll it out, the perimeters will probably be a bit crumbly! Simply press the additional dough again into place. When doubtful, roll into balls and press with the palm of your hand or a fork. Works like a attraction!
This may differ from kitchen to kitchen! Did you fluff the flour first? Flour that sits in a canister or bag over time settles and you need to aerate it earlier than spooning it into your measuring cup, leveling the highest and including to your recipe.
Once more, I feel this comes right down to measuring the flour. Cookies unfold as a result of there isn’t sufficient flour within the dough. Shortbread cookies maintain their form so properly as a result of there may be plenty of flour! So, they shouldn’t be spreading an excessive amount of within the oven. The excellent news is, in case your cookies are spreading, add a bit extra flour into your dough and that can appropriate the issue.
There are a number of doable causes for this. One could be that your shortbread dough was pressed out too thick making it tougher for the cookie to bake totally. Another excuse could possibly be your oven is just too hot- inflicting the highest of the cookie to brown earlier than the underside of the cookie is totally cooked. Have in mind shortbread cookies (particularly this recipe of mine) isn’t essentially imagined to be crunchy, however tender, buttery and a bit crumbly.
Not essentially. Refrigeration for half-hour with any cookie helps maintain the form, but it surely’s not mandatory with this explicit shortbread recipe. Should you’re involved there may be not sufficient flour, inflicting these to unfold and free their form, then by all means refrigerate first, then bake.
Extra Christmas Cookies to Strive This Vacation Season!
These are the most effective shortbread cookies and one among my favourite cookies to make this time of 12 months. The most effective half is attempting alternative ways to customise them! The printable recipe card is under. Ensure you put it aside so you can also make these Shortbread Cookies later. Have an incredible day, mates! 🙂
Should you make this recipe, I’d actually admire it in case you would give it a star ranking and depart your evaluation within the feedback! When you’ve got an image of your completed dish, submit it on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Shortbread Cookies
Get good Shortbread Cookies each time with this buttery, but candy Shortbread Cookie Recipe. Simply in time for Christmas Cookie exchanges!
Notes
*be happy to scoop and roll shortbread cookie dough into easy balls and indenting with a fork.
Vitamin
Energy: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fats: 8g | Saturated Fats: 5g | Ldl cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 16mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg
