This is hands-down my favorite shortbread cookies recipe! It’s super simple and the cookies are sturdy enough to be kept for days (if not weeks when chilled). There are only a few ingredients required and no mixer! You only need a a bowl and spoon.
I love these shortbread cookies! They are super simple, proving that sometimes the most basic recipes are truly the best. They have a classic, buttery flavor that reminds me of the Scottish shortbread (like Walker’s) I enjoyed growing up. They are incredible.
While the base recipe calls for only three ingredients, I like to add a touch of vanilla and a hint of orange zest. The dough needs some chilling time, but I actually appreciate that! These cookies are perfect for making in advance, which is always a plus, especially during the holidays. Definitely one of my favorite cookie recipes! These cookies also inspire the crust for our lemon bars with a shortbread crust.
Key Ingredients
- Flour: I stick with all-purpose flour for these cookies. While some recipes use cornstarch for extra tenderness, plain flour gives them the perfect balance – tender but with a bit of crunch.
- Sugar: Plain granulated sugar is all you need! It sweetens the dough beautifully, and I love to sprinkle a little extra on top, which makes the cookies sparkle.
- Butter: Unlike many shortbread recipes that start with softened butter, this one calls for melted butter. This means no mixer is required (a major win in my book!). The recipe uses salted butter, but feel free to substitute unsalted and add 1/4 teaspoon of fine salt. I also use melted butter to make my favorite oatmeal cookies.
- Vanilla and Orange: Trust me on this one. The vanilla extract and orange zest are game-changers! These simple additions make these cookies truly special. I also add orange zest (along with lemon zest) to these easy butter cookies!
How to Make Shortbread Cookies
This shortbread cookie recipe is my absolute favorite. It’s incredibly easy and delivers fantastic results! You only need a bowl and spoon to mix the dough (no mixer required!).
The secret to these tender cookies is infused sugar. Simply use your fingers to rub the granulated sugar with vanilla extract and orange zest. As you rub, the oils from the orange zest perfume the sugar, creating an incredible aroma and flavor that infuses the cookie dough.
Next, stir in the melted butter while still warm and gently mix in the flour until a soft dough forms. Don’t worry if it looks a bit shiny from the butter—that’s exactly what you want!
Now, here’s the key: let the dough rest on the counter for a couple of hours, or even better, overnight. This allows the flour to fully absorb all the flavor from the butter and infused sugar. I use the same resting method for other cookies on the blog like our snickerdoodles or these chocolate chip cookies.
We’ll use Alice Medrich’s brilliant, twice-baked method to achieve that perfectly crisp, melt-in-your-mouth texture. First, bake the cookies in a pan until they’re firm and lightly golden. Then, remove them from the oven, slice them into individual cookies, and bake them again for another 15 minutes until they’re beautifully crisp.
Trust me, this extra step is worth every second! It makes a world of difference in texture, giving you the most delicious classic shortbread cookies!
Our Favorite Shortbread Cookies
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We love these rich and buttery shortbread cookies. The recipe is simple and the cookies are sturdy enough to be kept for days (if not weeks when chilled). There are only a few ingredients required and no mixer! You only need a a bowl and spoon.
You Will Need
5 tablespoons (60g) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour
Directions
1Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides (this helps remove the baked cookies from the pan later).
2Add the butter to a small saucepan and heat over low until melted. Or, add to a microwave-safe bowl and heat until melted.
3While the butter melts, use your fingers to rub the sugar, vanilla, and orange zest together in a medium bowl.
4Stir in the warm melted butter. Then, add the flour and mix just until combined. It will look shiny from all the butter.
5Press the dough evenly in the foil-lined pan and let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours or overnight (there is no need to refrigerate).
6Position a rack towards the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C).
7Bake the shortbread until set and barely golden at the edges, 40 to 45 minutes.
8Remove the pan from the oven, but leave the oven turned on. Lightly sprinkle the top of the shortbread with sugar (a tablespoon should do it). Allow the shortbread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
9Carefully remove the shortbread (using the overhanging sides of the foil), and then place it onto a cutting board. Cut the shortbread into squares or triangles using a serrated or thin sharp knife. (I get 16 squares or 32 triangles.)
10Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or more foil. Then, place the shortbread cookies onto it, leaving a little space between them. Bake for 15 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week (or freeze for 1 month).
- We researched several recipes before coming up with this recipe. The most fascinating one we found was from Alice Medrich. We love her method of double-baking the cookies. It’s what makes these cookies the closest to our favorite store-bought Scottish shortbreads. You can find her Shortbread Cookies recipe in her cookbook, Pure Dessert. We also learned a lot from Fine Cooking’s shortbread cookie tips.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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My husband rarely helps himself to any of my bakes. This Shortbread is an exception. I had tears in my eyes as I watched him help himself thrice to it. My kids love it so much as well. Bonus is that this is one of the simplest things to make and needs just a bowl and spoon. The husband begged me not to make this too often or he will get fat. Thank you so much for such a simple but delicious recipe!
I love shortbread but don’t make it because I hate creaming (or whatever it is you usually do) the softened butter with the dry ingredients. It seems to take forever and ends up an oily mess usually. This recipe, with the butter melted and poured over the sugar, was just my speed – easy peasy. I hate orange flavor and even though the finished cookies are not supposed to taste like oranges, I didn’t want to risk it. So I used a pinch of powdered cardamon instead. And I used Malden salt instead of kosher salt, because that’s the way I roll. And: Oh! My! Stars! These were the best shortbread cookies I’ve ever had. Lightly sweet, with the barest hint of Malden salt adding a savory note, vanilla and cardamon playing a symphony on the tongue. Crunchy and crumbling in the mouth, almost like a pecan sandy without pecans. These are cookies worthy of serious attention and even love. No one can stop me from making these again and again and again. Not that anyone in their right mind would try to prevent such a wonderful cookie. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I’m addicted to these shortbread cookies! I didn’t have zest, so I added a bit of orange flavor–lovely contrast flavor. I added lemon flavor the second time–mmmmmmm! I cut mine in ling thin fingers–that double bake is brilliant! So easy and oh so good!
These are by far the easiest and best shortbread I have ever made. I have an old recipe that I make each Christmas, and wow everybody with. As far as I’m concerned this beats it, hands down. The orange zest is the winning ingredient, I’m sure.