Sparkling Shortbread Cookies: This decorative take on a classic cookie recipe is perfect for holiday baking, or any time of year when you need a special treat!
Is there anything more enjoyable than sitting down with a cup of tea and eating an entire tin of shortbread cookies?
How about sitting down with a cup of tea and eating shortbread cookies that you made yourself!
As with most baked goods, I had it in my head that shortbread was difficult to make. I have no idea where I got this idea, as it only takes four ingredients and one hour to make.
In theory, and in practice, the recipe is quite simple. Just cream together some sugar and butter, mix in some salt and flour, and stir until well combined. Let it chill for a few minutes in the fridge, then roll it out, cut it into cookies, and bake until golden brown.
The thing to remember about shortbread is that with only four ingredients, it’s very important to use the BEST quality ingredients you can find.
In this case, I like to use unsalted European style butter, and Bob’s Red Mill’s Unbleached White Fine Pastry Flour and Fine Crystal Cane Sugar.
You could leave it at that, but I wanted them to be pretty so I sprinkled a bit of Decorative Sparkling Sugar on each cookie!
Alright, here are a few tips I learned while perfecting this recipe:
Make sure that your surface, hands, and rolling pin are all well-floured when you are rolling out the dough.
If it’s particularly warm in your house, try this nifty trick to keep your countertops cool (which is important to keep the butter from melting!): Place a metal sheet pan in your freezer until chilled. Then, place it on the counter where you are going to be cutting the cookies. Once you’re ready, remove the sheet pan and roll out the dough on the cool surface area.
It’s nice to use cookie cutters, but if you don’t have any there are other options, too. You can turn a small bowl or drinking glass upside down, use a mason jar lid, or even cut the rolled dough into the traditional rectangle shape.
If you’ve taken a particularly long time rolling and cutting the cookies (say, if you are easily distracted like I am), place the pan of raw cookies in the fridge for a few minutes to re-chill the butter and help them keep their shape in the oven.
Voila! You are now a master shortbread cookie-maker.
Other Delicious Cookie Recipes
- ANZAC Biscuits
- Alfajores
- Monster Cookies
- Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- How to make Pfeffernusse Cookies
- Hello Dolly Bars
PIN ME FOR LATER!
Sparkling Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 2 1/2 cups fine pastry flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon sparkling sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well-combined. Sprinkle the salt over the butter. Slowly add in the flour, about a ½ cup at a time, while mixing to incorporate it into the butter.
- Form the dough in a large ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 10 minutes, until chilled.
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- On a well-floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to a thickness of 1/4". Cut the dough into cookies and transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
The wonderful people over at Bob’s Red Mill were kind enough to sponsor these Sparkling Shortbread Cookies. I love supporting local companies!
Totally agree with Gina. I am decreasing amounts of sugar for my son and me; the flavours are back 🙂
Thank you so much !
One of the really great things about shortbread cookies is that they don’t need lots of sugar to taste AWESOME! This is great news for diabetics & other sugar-sparing dieters.
So true!