Recipes Desserts Cookies Shortbread Cookies Be the first to rate & review! These crumbly, buttery cookies are a perfect treat with afternoon tea, or with ice cream, fruit, or chocolate for dessert. By Chandra Ram Chandra Ram Instagram Website Title: Associate Editorial Director, Food & WineLocation: ChicagoEducation: Bachelor's in Journalism from Loyola University Chicago Certified Sommelier, Court of Master SommeliersExpertise: cooking, baking, writing, editing, chefs, restaurants.Experience: Chandra Ram is a James Beard- and IACP-nominated food writer, editor, and cookbook author. She worked in restaurants for years before turning to food writing and has won multiple awards for her work, including more than a dozen Jesse H. Neal awards and the McAllister Editorial Fellowship.Chandra has been cooking since she was old enough to help her mother in the kitchen, and parlayed her love of food into a career that keeps her busy between the stove and her desk.As the associate editorial director for food, Chandra strategizes how to produce the tastiest recipes to help readers create delicious food in their home kitchens. She's worked in many different corners of the food world, from bartending at a French restaurant in London to running a catering business in Maine and consulting with restaurant owners on how to improve their menus all over the country.Her writing has been featured in Food & Wine, Food52, Epicurious, Gravy, Kitchn, and Plate. She is a frequent speaker at food events and industry conferences, and an interview subject for podcasts and video programs. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 17, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Debbie Wee Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 50 mins Servings: 12 servings Yield: 24 cookies Jump to recipe Shortbread cookies are a classic treat in Scotland, and beloved all over for their buttery flavor and crumbly texture. This recipe has just a hint of salt to balance the richness of the butter; be sure to use fine table salt, so it mixes into the dough evenly. Be sure to prick the dough with a fork before baking the cookies; the holes allow steam to release from the shortbread as it bakes and helps make sure it doesn’t bubble or buckle. This is an excellent baseline recipe for shortbread cookies but can be personalized to your tastes. You can start by adding a teaspoon of almond extract, or a tablespoon of finely grated lemon of orange zest to the dough when beating the butter (use a Microplane to grate the citrus zest so you have tiny flakes of zest throughout the cookie dough). Or drizzle melted chocolate on top of the cookies after they have cooled, and sprinkle toasted chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or pieces of candied citrus peel on the chocolate before it hardens. 35 Cookie Recipes to Put on Repeat Ingredients 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3/4 cup powdered sugar 3/4 teaspoon fine table salt 2 cups all-purpose flour Directions Preheat oven to 300°F. Line 2 (8-inch) square or round cake pans with parchment and grease parchment. Using a stand mixer and paddle attachment or electric mixer and a medium bowl, beat butter, vanilla, and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add salt and flour, beating until just combined, about 2 minutes. Cookie dough will be stiff and a bit crumbly; add 1 teaspoon water while mixing if needed to bring dough together. Divide dough in half and press into prepared cake pans, using your fingers or a greased piece of parchment to press dough into pans evenly. Using a paring knife, cut cookie dough into thirds in 1 direction, and into 1-inch pieces in the other direction. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake shortbread until light golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove shortbread from pans and repeat cuts while still warm. Shortbread can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to a week, or longer in freezer. Rate it Print