Easy Shortbread Cookies

going to try these tonight, saw a few people asking about putting eggs..... noooo!!! that will give you a cake pretty much..... cookies (most of the time) do not require eggs, but cakes and brownies do

Wow thanks for this recipe!!!Never thought they would be so easy to make with simple ingredients.

We all have our moments, @chefdianne ;) — let me know how the cookies turn out!

LOL I guess if I would have read the instructions, I would have seen the temp..so sorry.

This is a great easy recipe. Should add temps for new cooks. try adding lemon extract Instead of vanilla or use real vanilla bean. more flavour..can't stand the smell of artificial vanilla. I would assume your temp is a moderate oven (350) I will let you know how they turned out when they are done cooking...But really this is a GREAT dough.

I liked them and so did my family . no complaints here , and for those who said the dough was crumbly - the recipe said to add one more tbs of shortning if it was too crumbly. and besides, no one thought of addins a spoonful of water to it ? that would 've also done the trick .

tasted like a sun dried poodle turd. I'm sick now,thanks.

awesome!! cant wait to make'em

I'm irish so I'm makeing these into shamrocks ang puting a little green iceing on them. thanks tablespoon

I made these tonight they were awesome! They were easy to make. I had no trouble rolling the dough out and using cookie cutters. I will definitely use this recipe again.

cool cookies a little sticky

The dough sucked; I mean, don't expect to be able to make any cute shapes out of it for your kiddies! It tasted great, but my main issue was with the dough just falling apart in my hands. Maybe with a little tweaking, the recipe could stick together better..?

powdered sugar = icing sugar = confectioner's sugar = XXX sugar

GET A LIFE ANONYMOUS!!!!! below me btw xxx tbh they were greaat xxxx

there rubbish i thought they were shortbead i baked them for my family and i went here is my homemade SHORTBREAD and they complained because it wasnt shortbread :( grrrrrrrrrr....curse u TBSPana!!!!!!

I know, right!!!! They suck!

Not sure what I did wrong, they tasted like buiscuits not shortbread.

I found that using a food processor really helps and these cookies are not hard to make!

Hello again! Just finished tastes amazing! Thx for recipe!!!!! I was looking to jazz things up so I added lemon glaze (1 cup confectioners sugar and 3-4 tbsp lemon juice ) and they tasted great!!! A must-bake!!!!

Thanks TBSPAna! I'm making them now!

Hi! Yes, powdered sugar is also known as icing sugar. Don’t forget to let us know how the cookies turn out! :)

Hi by powdered sugar it's icing sugar, right?

Hi! The butter acts as the sticking agent for the dough.

it doesnt require eggs to stay together shortbread cookies are nice and crumbly..and the butter helps it stick together..

these cookies are great

im the cookie monster.

How would the dough stay together with out eggs?

great recipe . It really came out well and my family loved it

I found this dough really easy to work with and the most delicious flavor. I made Christmas trees and decorated them with hershey Christmas chips.......yum

Ok, this recipe, works great, if you beat the margerie and butter frog ether first the add the flour about a half cup to a cup at a time. Learned the hard way!

just made these cookies.. instead of icing sugar(powdered sugar) I made my own..by using organic sugar cane and adding a tsp of arrowroot powder in a blender and ground it to a powder.. and did only use 2 cups of organic unbleached flour and added about half vanilla bean instead of extract..as my daughter said...DELICIOUS MOM.. ;)

so you dont need to put baking soda in it?

Easy to make and delicious :) I used icing sugar as powdered sugar. Rosemary from Ontario, Canada :)

I find this recipe works better if you use only 2 cups of flour. So easy. Such a good recipe. Delicious cookies

These were easy and delicious!!!

These cookies are great! To the comment below, yes icing sugar, no need for cooling, adjust flour until you get just the right consistancy for rolling. I put gum drops in the middle of mine.

Hi, when you say powdered sugar do you mean "Icing Sugar"? AND do I leave this in the fridge for anytime before rolling & shaping?

do not make these cookies they are sooo hard to make and stick everywhere they are a mess. they turn out delicious but the making is super difficult and the dough sticks everywhere

This is the first time I have ever make shortbread cookies. They were so light and fluffy. Delish!

I am making these for an office cookie day. I added the zest and juice of a lemon, and the zest and juice of a clementine. I had to up the sugar a bit, but they turned out delicious! (fyi, if you need to zest a clementine, stick it in the freezer for 20 mins first to firm it up...they can get a bit squishy!)

I cook alot of shortbread and I was in search of one that used powdered sugar, because that was what My Grandma always used in hers. This recipe is perfect! The people they're having difficulty may not be beating their butter and sugar quite enough and maybe not adding the flour a cup at a time on a low paddle. Just a thought. I didn't need to alter it one bit and they were a major success. Thank you very much!Theresa from xxxxxxxxxx Elegance.

Great recipe! I had to add a tablespoon of water and it rolled out perfect. Really quick to do.

Terrible recipe. Not a good consistent dough

The recipe only turns bad it you don't swuish the butter into the surface dah

Hey there! Try decreasing the amount of flour by 1/4 cup or adding more butter to your cookie mix until it feels like the right amount of moisture. Good luck! :)

Hi I tryed this recipe and I followed all the recipe correctly and everything, when I mixed it it was like totally dry and not sticking together, so anyway I put it in the fridge for 30 minuets and I got it out and tiled it and it was SO dry and just no sticking together!! I had to totally bang the mixture to get it to mix, then I cut Christmas trees out and like it was so dry that it like JUST stuck together. I could only make 6 the mixture was SO dry. :( I got them out of the oven and they tasted HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do u know why I may have done wrong?? I really enjoy shortbread so I really want to make them!!!!!

Geeez Louise, this was the worst short bread recipe I've ever made! It had an slight after taste of pizza dough..and I only used 2 cups of flour & I added 3 tbsp more of butter.

this was so fast and easy thank you!!!!!

Hi there! Powdered sugar is a highly refined sugar mixed with cornstarch. For the equivalent of 1 cup of powdered sugar, substitute 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch ground in a blender. We hope this helps!

What if i use regular gratulated sugar and some fluffy cream cheese to give it the soft texture, will that work?

Hi! We do not recommend substituting with regular granulated sugar for this recipe. The regular sugar will change the texture of the cookie and make them tougher. Powdered sugar is used to make shortbread to create the soft and fluffy texture. Hope this helps!

can i use regular sugar instead of powdered??

OMG this is such an easy recipe.

Hi Anon - You can make these with whole wheat flour, but it will affect the color and taste slightly. Enjoy!

Would whole wheat flour work just as good?

Hi Anon - You could use another extract flavor, like almond or orange, in place of the vanilla.

What do I use if I don't have vanilla

This recipe makes four dozen 1 1/2 inch cookies. Enjoy!

how many cookies does this make?

So far so good

I checked out the Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies listed above this recipe in red. There is a relationship, in that this cookie has no dip, frosting, or glaze. I suggest keeping both recipes together in your Recipe Box. This will give you several ideas of ways to prepare the dough, and how to make it more ornamental. In place of Chocolate Chips, you can buy colors of choice (Candy Melts) to decorate a reflection of the Season or Special Occassion! Enjoy!

I love 'Scotish Shortbread'! This is a recipe I will be baking in 24 hours.

This recipe was quick and easy and creative I would use it again thanks Tablespoon!

I havent made these yet but for those asking about the lack of cornstarch, powdered sugar usually has a fair amount of cornstarch so I guess thats why its minus the cornstarch.

I have been making 'Scotch Shortbread' for 50 years. Everybody loves it. You can also add chopped nuts and/or dried fruit. Stirring with a spoon is pretty much of a joke unless you have a very strong arm and a lot of time. The recipe I use is from the 1961 Betty Crocker cookbook 3/4 cup of butter, 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 cups of flour. Chill, roll 1/3" thick, cut in desired shapes. Bake 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. They should not brown or spread in the pan hardly at all. Cream the butter and sugar, add the flour and beat for a fair amount of time until the mixture has come together and is starting to breakdown. It will be soft. Work it lightly and gently on the board. To the powdered sugar cornstarch folks. Powdered sugar has cornstarch in it - that's what makes it different from granulated sugar. Don't be afraid to beat this mixture. It should turn out great!

I made these using powerded sugar and butter flavored crisco. Came out just as good as if i used butter.Rolling them out makes them too dry. I put the dough in a cookie sheets with sides on it and spread it out . Halfway through the baking I took them out sliced them into squares and finished cooking. They come out perfect

I want to make salted rosemary shortbread. I could use this recipe as a base but do you have any idea how I would change it to allow for the rosemary and sea salt? Thanks.

I have heard of using rice flour to make shortbread cookies, have you???

We talked with our expert friends at the Betty Crocker Kitchen. They said that dough that is handled or manipulated too much will form gluten and is the main reason for a tough cookie. That’s why cornstarch, which has no gluten, is may added in some recipes, but not all shortbread recipes use cornstarch. They also shared with us their top 3 tips for awesome shortbread cookies: 1. Don’t handle the dough too much. 2. Reduce the flour amount by ¼ cup or substitute ¼ to ½ cup of the flour with cornstarch. 3. Don’t over bake the cookies.

I did all the measurements accurately and they looked beautiful but were hard as a rock. Why? And why no cornstarch? Annie Annie

I haven't made this yet but I'm about to and I think people just aren't measuring the flour right

I still love the cornstarch shortbread , They melt in your mouth . Gradma's shortbread (Very Silky)

The person who asked about white sugar vs. powered sugar...if you have a spice grinder, you can powder your own sugar into icing sugar. Easy....

There are 4 ingredients. Who's taking 25 minutes to prep this? Good home bake recipe, but stay out of a commercial kitchen with those prep times. Yikes. Took me 3 minutes.

the recipe was good but i forgot the powerd sugar and i turned out like crackers

I love short bread!!!!!!

I decided I would try this recipe and the one from "Joy of Cooking". The one from "Joy" turned out to be a disaster- this recipe was easier AND it is just wonderful!!

Only used 2 cups of flour and that was perfect

The mixture seemed a little dry, added a little more butter about 1/3 cup and they are easier to roll and cooked very nice :)

I found them a little dry... but still good. just added some icing on top.

i make this recipe ALL the time and every body goes on about how good they are, and they are so easy to make and a real crowed pleaser :)

um i dont think you should use white sugar in stead of powdered sugar...bad idea. we tried it the first time and hah. well. just dont.

Has anyone made this recipe? Is it good? Or instead of powdered sugar use White sugar?

Very simple.

Yes you can use any all purpose flour in this recipe.

Sounds like an easy recipe (which I appreciate), but would any other flours..such as Rogers' (which we have here in British Columbia), or Robin Hood...which is also readily available here...do in substitute?