Best Classic Shortbread Recipes

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD COOKIES IN 4 INGREDIENTS WITH ADDED 1 INGREDIENT VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Add the flour, salt, and powdered sugar to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add in the vanilla, the butter and the 1 teaspoon of water. Pulse together just until a dough is formed. Put the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 5 inches long. Tightly twist each end of the wrap in opposite directions. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Arrange on nonstick cookie sheets, parchment lined or silpat lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are just light brown, about 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans half way through the baking process. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool until room temperature. Enjoy!
• Variations:
• Pulse together the tea with the flour and salt in a food processor just until the tea is in small pieces evenly distributed throughout the flour. Then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, the butter and the 1 teaspoon of water. Continue as instructed above.
• Pulse the toasted and chopped pecans into the dough and then shape into a flattened round disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. On a flour dusted surface, roll the dough out to approximately 1/3-inch thick. (If the dough is too hard to roll or begins to crack, let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes until pliable.) With a sharp knife, cut the dough into rectangle shapes about 1 by 3-inches. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets and follow the cooking instructions as above. Dust slightly cooled cookies with powdered sugar through a fine mesh strainer.

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-12-1/2-inch jelly roll pan and line it with parchment, then butter the paper.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low until the dough is just combined; do not overwork.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, spreading it out as evenly as possible with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, then use your hands to press and flatten the dough into a smooth even layer. Remove the plastic and cut the dough with a sharp knife into approximately 1-by-3-inch bars. Use a fork to prick a decorative pattern into the tops.
• Bake, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through, until golden, 60 to 70 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes in the pan, then re-cut the bars along the previous cuts. Carefully lift the bars off the parchment with a small spatula and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD 101

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with rack in upper third. Sift flour and salt into a bowl; set aside. Put butter into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl. Gradually add sugar; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once; mix until just combined.
• Butter a 10-inch round springform or cake pan. Using plastic wrap, press dough evenly into pan. With plastic on dough, refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Cut dough into 8 wedges with a paring knife. Using a wooden skewer, prick all over at 1/4-inch intervals.
• Bake until golden brown and firm in center, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack. Recut shortbread into wedges; let cool completely in pan. Can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

DANESCOOK COOKIE MOLD CLASSIC SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F In a medium mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add 2 cups flour and mix until dough is smooth. If dough feels sticky add additional 1/4 cup flour as needed.Dough should be soft but not sticky.
• Spray cookie mold lightly with vegetable pan spray.
• Flour mold, shake out excess. Firmly press dough into mold, making sure dough is even.
• Prick surface with fork and bake in mold 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Cool in mold 15 minutes.
• Loosen edges of shortbread with tip of knife and flip mold over onto cooling rack. Makes 4 cookies.
• Note:For Cookies Press dough in mold and bake flowing recipe directions. For best results, bake in mold. For easier handling, place mold on a cookie sheet before baking. If desired, to make more than one cookie at a time, you may release dough from mold and bake directly on cookie sheet. To unmold after cooling, run knife blade on the edge of mold and release.
• For Candy: Freeze mold at least 20 minutes before molding candy. Melt Chocolate or confectionery coating as directed on package. Fill mold cavity to top; freeze approximately 10 minutes to set and release.
• For Rolled fondant: It's easy to create a fondant "plaque" to add dimension to any type of cake. Press fondant paste lightly into cavity, then release.
• Cool mold completely before washing. To clean hand wash in warm soapy water; rinse thoroughly.

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Sift together flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add sugar gradually, beating between additions; continue to beat until mixture is very pale, about 2 minutes total. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture; beat until just combined.
• Press dough evenly into a parchment-lined 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Cut dough in eighths lengthwise, then quarters crosswise, making 32 rectangles. Evenly pierce all over with a skewer.
• Bake until shortbread is firm in center and golden brown, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack; immediately recut rectangles with a paring knife. Let shortbread cool completely in pan.

CLASSIC LEMON SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Beat butter until fluffy in a large bowl.
• Beat in sugar, egg, lemon extract and lemon rind.
• Combine flour, cornmeal and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well.
• Shape dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. (Can also freeze at this point. Frozen dough keeps for 3 months).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
• Cut dough into 1/4 inch thick slices.
• Bake on greased cookie sheets until cookie just begin to brown at the edges, about ten minutes.
• Remove from pan and cool on wire racks.
• For glaze, beat butter, confectioner's sugar and lemon juice to make a thin glaze. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

CLASSIC GLUTEN FREE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13 inch x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper (or waxed) paper and butter the paper.
• In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until well combined. Beat in vanilla extract. Beat in flour. Dough will first form pea-sized lumps, then will quickly start to come together. Stop beating as soon as dough starts to form one big lump.
• Turn dough onto parchment (or waxed) paper in baking pan. Place another sheet of paper over dough. Using an offset spatula or your hands, pat dough down firmly and evenly into pan, making sure you fill in the corners.
• Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes or until shortbread is golden and edges are just beginning to color.
• Cool for about 15 minutes in baking pan, then cut as desired with a sharp knife. Allow to cool in pan before serving.
• This is another recipe that has many possible variations. Here are a few of my favorites:
• Cardamom shortbread--Omit the vanilla and substitute 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom
• Chocolate chip shortbread--Beat in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips after adding the flour
• Ginger chip shortbread--Omit vanilla and substitute 1 teaspoon ground ginger, after beating in the flour, beat in 1/2 cup of crystallized ginger chips (Ginger People and Reeds both sell those packaged or simply dice your own from chunks of candied crystallized ginger).

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the sugar in a small bowl.
• 2. Cut the log into twenty 1/2-inch rounds. Dip one cut surface of each of the rounds into the sugar and arrange them 2 inches apart on all sides on a parchment-lined or nonstick cookie sheet or sheets.
• 3. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD COOKIES IN 4 INGREDIENTS WITH ADDED 1 INGREDIENT VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add the flour, salt, and powdered sugar to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add in the vanilla, the butter and the 1 teaspoon of water. Pulse together just until a dough is formed. Put the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 5 inches long. Tightly twist each end of the wrap in opposite directions. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Arrange on nonstick cookie sheets, parchment lined or silpat lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are just light brown, about 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans half way through the baking process. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Tansfer to wire racks and cool until room temperature. Enjoy! Tips: Store in airtight container for up to a week or freeze uncooked log for up to a month. Also, use the freshest ingredients possible for the best tasting cookies.
• Pulse together the tea with the flour and salt in a food processor just until the tea is in small pieces evenly distributed throughout the flour. Then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, the butter and the 1 teaspoon of water. Continue as instructed above.
• Pulse the toasted and chopped pecans into the dough and then shape into a flattened round disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. On a flour dusted surface, roll the dough out to approximately 1/3-inch thick. (If the dough is too hard to roll or begins to crack, let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes until pliable.) With a sharp knife, cut the dough into rectangle shapes about 1 by 3-inches. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets and follow the cooking instructions as above. Dust slightly cooled cookies with powdered sugar through a fine mesh strainer.

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Cream butter until it is light.
• Cream in powdered sugar and then vanilla.
• Work in flour.
• Knead the dough on an unfloured board until smooth.
• Spray shortbread pan very lightly with non-stick vegetable oil spray.
• Firmly press the dough into the shortbread pan.
• Prick the entire surface with a fork and bake in pan at 325 for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 10 min.
• Loosen edges with a knife and flip pan over onto a wooden cutting board.
• If shortbread doesn't come right out, tap one edge of the pan.
• Cut shortbread into serving pieces while it is warm.