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Shortbread Recipe

Robyn Stone

Updated Jul 05, 2023

Shortbread is one of Mama’s favorite cookies ever. It’s the perfect cookie recipe to share in our 12 Days of Cookies series, I think. It’s perfect for making to keep on hand throughout the holiday season and always makes a cherished gift when given to friends, family, teachers, and neighbors.

As a little girl, I remember Mama stocking up on Walker’s shortbread whenever our local grocery store, the Jitney Jungle, had it through the holidays. She kept it on the top shelf of our pantry as her special cookies when guests were over. I remember its placement especially because it was out of my reach even when I drug over a stool from the counter and tried to climb high enough to reach them.

But, at Christmas, she would also make shortbread from time to time. To me, it tasted better than any shortbread I ever tasted. Each buttery, crumbly bite was better than the next it seemed.

I still love to go into the kitchen with Mama during the holidays and make shortbread. It makes the perfect little nibble to enjoy with a warm cup of tea or coffee on these chilly afternoons. Dunking each cookie or wedge makes for a special treat.

I think you might just love it, too. You can easily make our shortbread recipe into wedges as shown or rolled and sliced into individual cookies. Either way, they always turn out delicious each time we make them.

Here’s our Shortbread recipe. It is a classic in my family.

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup ( 226 g ) salted butter , , softened + extra to butter the pan
▢ 3/4 cup ( 85 g ) confectioner’s sugar , whisked
▢ 1 teaspoon ( 1 g ) kosher salt
▢ 2 cups ( 240 g ) all-purpose flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300º F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch tart pan. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until it is smooth and well-combined, not fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium speed with an electric mixer.
Add flour and salt to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
Press shortbread dough into the bottom of tart pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and pat the dough until it is smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator and cut a hole in the center of the dough with a small round cookie cutter, approximately 1-inch in diameter. Discard the round.
Cut dough into wedges and prick the dough all over with a large bamboo skewer. Bake for 1 hour or until the shortbread is firm has turned a golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before removing.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy! Robyn xo