That is hands-down my favourite shortbread cookies recipe! It’s tremendous easy and the cookies are sturdy sufficient to be stored for days (if not weeks when chilled). There are just a few elements required and no mixer! You solely want a a bowl and spoon.
I really like these shortbread cookies! They’re tremendous easy, proving that typically probably the most fundamental recipes are really the most effective. They’ve a traditional, buttery taste that jogs my memory of the Scottish shortbread (like Walker’s) I loved rising up. They’re unbelievable.
Whereas the bottom recipe calls for under three elements, I like so as to add a contact of vanilla and a touch of orange zest. The dough wants some chilling time, however I truly recognize that! These cookies are excellent for making upfront, which is all the time a plus, particularly in the course of the holidays. Undoubtedly considered one of my favourite cookie recipes! These cookies additionally encourage the crust for our lemon bars with a shortbread crust.
Key Components
- Flour: I follow all-purpose flour for these cookies. Whereas some recipes use cornstarch for additional tenderness, plain flour provides them the proper steadiness – tender however with a little bit of crunch.
- Sugar: Plain granulated sugar is all you want! It sweetens the dough superbly, and I like to sprinkle a bit of additional on high, which makes the cookies sparkle.
- Butter: In contrast to many shortbread recipes that begin with softened butter, this one requires melted butter. This implies no mixer is required (a serious win in my guide!). The recipe makes use of salted butter, however be happy to substitute unsalted and add 1/4 teaspoon of wonderful salt. I additionally use melted butter to make my favourite oatmeal cookies.
- Vanilla and Orange: Belief me on this one. The vanilla extract and orange zest are game-changers! These easy additions make these cookies really particular. I additionally add orange zest (together with lemon zest) to those easy butter cookies!
How you can Make Shortbread Cookies
This shortbread cookie recipe is my absolute favourite. It’s extremely simple and delivers unbelievable outcomes! You solely want a bowl and spoon to combine the dough (no mixer required!).
The key to those tender cookies is infused sugar. Merely use your fingers to rub the granulated sugar with vanilla extract and orange zest. As you rub, the oils from the orange zest fragrance the sugar, creating an unbelievable aroma and taste that infuses the cookie dough.
Subsequent, stir within the melted butter whereas nonetheless heat and gently combine within the flour till a gentle dough kinds. Don’t fear if it seems a bit shiny from the butter—that’s precisely what you need!
Now, right here’s the important thing: let the dough relaxation on the counter for a few hours, and even higher, in a single day. This permits the flour to completely take up all the flavour from the butter and infused sugar. I exploit the identical resting technique for different cookies on the weblog like our snickerdoodles or these chocolate chip cookies.
We’ll use Alice Medrich’s good, twice-baked technique to attain that completely crisp, melt-in-your-mouth texture. First, bake the cookies in a pan till they’re agency and flippantly golden. Then, take away them from the oven, slice them into particular person cookies, and bake them once more for one more quarter-hour till they’re superbly crisp.
Belief me, this additional step is value each second! It makes a world of distinction in texture, providing you with probably the most scrumptious traditional shortbread cookies!
Our Favourite Shortbread Cookies
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We love these wealthy and buttery shortbread cookies. The recipe is straightforward and the cookies are sturdy sufficient to be stored for days (if not weeks when chilled). There are just a few elements required and no mixer! You solely want a a bowl and spoon.
Makes 16 cookies
You Will Want
5 tablespoons (60g) granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon wonderful sea salt
12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, melted and nonetheless heat
1 ½ cups (195g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
1Line an 8-inch sq. pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two reverse sides (this helps take away the baked cookies from the pan later).
2Add the butter to a small saucepan and warmth over low till melted. Or, add to a microwave-safe bowl and warmth till melted.
3Whereas the butter melts, use your fingers to rub the sugar, vanilla, and orange zest collectively in a medium bowl.
4Stir within the heat melted butter. Then, add the flour and blend simply till mixed. It can look shiny from all of the butter.
5Press the dough evenly within the foil-lined pan and let it relaxation at room temperature for two hours or in a single day (there isn’t any have to refrigerate).
6Place a rack in direction of the decrease third of the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C).
7Bake the shortbread till set and barely golden on the edges, 40 to 45 minutes.
8Take away the pan from the oven, however depart the oven turned on. Evenly sprinkle the highest of the shortbread with sugar (a tablespoon ought to do it). Enable the shortbread to chill within the pan for 10 minutes.
9Fastidiously take away the shortbread (utilizing the overhanging sides of the foil), after which place it onto a chopping board. Reduce the shortbread into squares or triangles utilizing a serrated or skinny sharp knife. (I get 16 squares or 32 triangles.)
10Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or extra foil. Then, place the shortbread cookies onto it, leaving a bit of house between them. Bake for quarter-hour, after which cool on a wire rack.
Adam and Joanne’s Suggestions
- Storing: Retailer the cookies in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as per week (or freeze for 1 month).
- We researched a number of recipes earlier than arising with this recipe. Probably the most fascinating one we discovered was from Alice Medrich. We love her technique of double-baking the cookies. It’s what makes these cookies the closest to our favourite store-bought Scottish shortbreads. You’ll find her Shortbread Cookies recipe in her cookbook, Pure Dessert. We additionally discovered rather a lot from Positive Cooking’s shortbread cookie suggestions.
- The diet details supplied beneath are estimates.
Diet Per Serving
Serving Measurement
1 cookie
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Energy
135
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Protein
1g
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Carbohydrate
13g
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Dietary Fiber
0g
/
Complete Sugars
4g
/
Complete Fats
9g
/
Saturated Fats
5g
/
Ldl cholesterol
23mg
/
Sodium
74mg
