Shortbread Cookies. 4 simple ingredients.
I’m kind of obsessed with shortbread. I probably have 10 different types of shortbread recipes on this food blog. The shortbread recipes range anywhere from bars, to cookies, to chocolate chips added, some call for powdered sugar some call for regular sugar. I really just love them all. This one is rather simple like most shortbread cookie recipes. Four ingredients: sugar, flour, vanilla and butter.
Shortbread is a little sensitive when it comes to how you mix it, baking temperature, the ratio of ingredients, and the temperature of the butter. I like these cookies because they turn out soft like sugar cookies. I think the key is to cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer and use semi-cold butter. I microwaved my cold stick of butter until it was just soft enough that I knew the mixer could mix it in. When I added the flour it was looking a little dry but as I let it continue to mix the dough formed.
Recipe makes about 12-15 small cookies.
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter (softened*)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- -Optional- sugar for sprinkling the top of cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl using an electric mixer. (I took a cold stick of butter, microwaved it in a bowl for about 12 seconds then added it to the mixing bowl, you want butter a little more solid/cool then room temperature).
- Add vanilla.
- Mix in flour.
- Scoop into 1" balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
- Flatten slightly using the palm of your hand or flat bottom of a glass.
- Sprinkle tops with sugar.
- Bake for 14 minutes.
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