Rich Butter Cookies Shortbread (Printable Version)

Crisp and tender butter cookies with a rich shortbread texture, ideal for decorating and indulging.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 large egg, at room temperature
04 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
05 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
06 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
07 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Decoration (optional)

08 - Royal icing or glaze, as desired
09 - Sprinkles or sanding sugar

# How To Make:

01 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
02 - Incorporate the egg and vanilla extract into the creamed mixture, mixing until fully combined.
03 - Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt in a separate bowl.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined without overmixing.
05 - Divide the dough into two equal portions, shape each into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.
06 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough at a time to a 1/4-inch thickness and cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.
08 - Place cookies on prepared sheets spacing them approximately 1 inch apart.
09 - Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges turn lightly golden.
10 - Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
11 - Once fully cooled, decorate cookies as desired with royal icing and sprinkles.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • The dough is forgiving and easy to work with, even if you've never rolled cookies before.
  • They hold their shape beautifully, so your stars actually look like stars.
  • The flavor is pure and buttery, not too sweet, so they pair with anything.
  • You can make the dough ahead and bake them whenever you need a quick treat.
02 -
  • If the dough gets too warm while rolling, it will stick and lose its shape, so pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
  • Don't overbake these, they should be pale with just a hint of color on the edges or they'll turn dry.
  • Let the cookies cool completely before decorating, or the icing will melt and slide right off.
03 -
  • Use a bench scraper to lift rolled dough off the counter without tearing it, it's a game changer.
  • If you want ultra-crisp edges, bake on the upper rack for the last 2 minutes to get a little extra browning.
  • Invest in a good set of metal cookie cutters, they cut cleaner and last forever.
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