The Best Shortbread Cookies

Author: Half the Sugar Baker

The shortbread cookies are crumbly, tender, and rich. Baked to a crisp perfection on the outside that just melts in your mouth. There are so many ways to customize these cookies to your favorite flavor and best of all, they are so easy to make! They only require one bowl and come together super quickly. My family absolutely loved these and we finished the whole jar in record speed. These cookies are also super versatile. You can make and bake them in one day or you can roll them into logs and freeze them for the best slice and bake cookie ever! I actually have a log waiting in the freezer for when someone in my family gets a sudden cookie craving (it happens to everyone)!

These cookies are also made with less sugar and almond flour. The almond flour helps keep the cookies tender and crumbly. If you don’t have almond flour, you can substitute it with all purpose flour but I strongly recommend getting some almond flour, it is such a great and versatile ingredient!

Method

I chose to make these cookies two ways and they both came out amazing! The first way was the classic preparation. I just made the dough, rolled it out, and cut out my cookies using a cookie cutter. They turned out so tender and held their shape very well. You could easily decorate these cookies to make them even more festive but as you might know, I’m too impatient for that!

The second way I made these might be my favorite. I made the dough using the same method but instead of rolling it out, I divided it into 4 parts and formed them into long logs that were the same diameter as the cookies I wanted. Then I wrapped the logs in parchment paper and then plastic wrap. Then holding onto the ends of the plastic wrap, I rolled it on my counter to make the log even tighter and round, similar to rolling up a beef wellington. Then I just popped my logs in the freezer. When I was ready to make them, I let them thaw in my fridge for 15 minutes. Then I started to preheat my oven and unwrapped them. Using a very sharp knife, I sliced them into coins that were around 1/4 inch thick. If you want very crisp cookies, then you can slice them thinner. I find it helpful to rotate the log after each slice so that you don’t end up with a flat side. Then I baked them as usual and they were absolutely amazing!

I know this process sounds like a lot of work but trust me, once you try it, it is so easy! I will definitely be making them like this again.

Variations

These cookies are so easy to customize with different flavors. For my slice and bake cookies, I decided to make maple pecan and orange white chocolate. These were both delicious and I definitely can’t decide on a favorite. The method for customizing these cookies is pretty simple. You can add whatever add-ins you would like as long as they aren’t too big. I would recommend keeping you additions smaller than a fingernail. If they are too large, they could cause the cookies to fall apart. The second part to customizing is the liquid. The dough will be slightly dry and won’t stick very well together until you add some extra liquid. In the basic recipe, I added one tablespoon of milk at a time until the dough just formed a cohesive ball. In you variations, you can replace the milk with whatever liquid you like. In my maple pecan cookies, I used maple syrup and in my orange white chocolate, I used orange juice.

For the maple pecan shortbread cookies: I added 1 cup very finely chopped toasted pecans. Then I added 2 tablespoon of maple syrup to help the dough come together.

chopped nuts — The chopped pecans with a full one for size reference

For the orange white chocolate shortbread cookies: I added 2 tablespoons orange zest that I rubbed with granulated sugar and 1/2 cup chopped white chocolate chips. Then I added just enough orange juice so that the dough formed a cohesive ball.

Have fun experimenting with your favorite flavors!

The Best Shortbread Cookies

Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Servings: 48 cookies (1 1/2 inch across)

Ingredients

20 tablespoons (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups almond flour (or sub 2 cups all purpose flour)

For the maple pecan cookies

1 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or as necessary)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the orange white chocolate

2 tablespoons orange zest
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (chopped)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350º F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. If you want to use the slice and bake method, skip this step.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the apple sauce and vanilla extract. Add the flour and mix well.
Add the chopped pecans for maple pecan cookies or the orange zest and white chocolate for the orange white chocolate cookies. If you are making the plain shortbread cookies, skip this step.
At this point, the dough should seem dry and crumbly. Add milk or water one tablespoon at a time just until the dough forms a cohesive ball. If you are making the maple pecan or orange white chocolate, use maple syrup or orange juice instead of the milk.
Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick or thinner for crispier cookies. Using a cookie cutter, cut out your cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
For the slice and bake method: divide the dough into 4 parts and roll them into logs that are around 1 1/4 inch across. Then roll them up in parchment paper and then plastic wrap. Freeze them and when you are ready to bake them, let them thaw in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Then using a very sharp knife, slice them into coins that are around 1/4 inch thick. Arrange them on parchment lined baking sheets. Then continue to the next step as usual. (For a more detailed explanation, see above in the blog post.)
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.