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3-Ingredient Buttery Shortbread Cookies

These Butter Shortbread Cookies are the easiest, most flavorful shortbread cookies we’ve had the joy of making. They’re melt-in-your-mouth tender, with just the right amount of crispy bite. They’re great for freezing or gifting.

butter shortbread cookies
These are the EASIEST shortbread cookies, and they’re absolutely perfect.

The Best Shortbread Cookies

We’re neck deep in cookies all over our kitchen and will hopefully continue the trend in the next couple of days.  When there are Littles at home and they have friends, sometimes they all come swarming…and cookies disappear in nanoseconds.

We had such fun over the weekend celebrating the holidays early with some family and friends.  Dozens of kids included, half of which were unapologetically hungry teens.

Translation: tables full of food and counters teeming with treats to satisfy those not-so-little-anymore Littles. Enter these butter shortbread cookies.

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3 ingredient shortbread cookies
Shortbread cookies have a special butter to sugar ratio, which yields the tenderness they’re famous for.

What are Shortbread Cookies?

Shortbread cookies are just about the most simple cookies you can make during holiday season and beyond. They’re actually called “short” because of the traditional ratio of the 1:2 ratio of sugar to butter, providing a higher fat content to the dough. This ratio is what yields a soft, buttery crumb that is literally melt-in-your-mouth amazing.

Shortbread cookies are famous for their ultra-buttery, tender texture as well as their extraordinary flavor. With just 3 little ingredients, it’s surprising how big in flavor these shortbread cookies are. They’re the perfect canvas for rolling and slicing, shaping with cookie cutters, and decorating any which way you’d like.

best shortbread cookies
You’ll only need butter, sugar, and flour for the perfect shortbread cookies.

3-Ingredients For ShortBread Cookies

These buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies contain only 3 simple, pure ingredients and nothing else. No fillers, no additives, nothing artificial at all.

You’ll only need:

  • Salted Butter – you’ll want to keep the butter cold. No need to soften or melt the butter. No extra salt is needed in the recipe, since you’ll be using salted butter. However, if you use unsalted butter, you’ll want to add 1/4 tsp table salt.
  • Light Brown Sugar – the tip for brown sugar is to use fresh brown sugar that has not lost any of its moisture from sitting in the pantry too long. Many shortbread recipes use white sugar or powdered sugar, but light brown sugar is the secret to a deliciously caramelized flavor.
  • Flour – simple, all-purpose flour will do just fine for this easy recipe.
  • Sprinkles are optional and lend a boost of colorful fun!
butter shortbread cookies

Shortbread cookies to Bake, Gift, Freeze

These 3-ingredient buttery shortbread cookies make my top 3 favorite holiday cookies every single year. They’re easy, no-frills, and 120% mouthwatering.

Bonus: they keep nicely for days, making them a tasty edible gift. The dough and baked cookies both freeze beautifully for at least a week or two. Once I make a batch of this cookie dough, I often use half and freeze the other half for all those seasonal cookie emergencies that inevitably pop up during busy holiday season and beyond.

Shortbread Cookies
Commonly Asked Questions

Are butter cookies and shortbread cookies the same?

The main difference in the two types of cookies is the amount of sugar to butter ratio. Butter cookies generally contain more sugar and are baked a higher temperatures. Shortbread cookies contain a higher fat content, which yields a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Are shortbread cookies soft or crisp?

Shortbread is a wonderful balance of tender and slightly crisp textures when you bite into it. At first, there will be a light crunch, followed by a melt-in-your-mouth sensation.

Can shortbread be made with margarine?

It’s important that shortbread be made with 100% pure, quality butter. It’s the high butter content that makes these shortbread cookies so incredible.

Why does shortbread dough need to be chilled before using?

Chilled dough allows butter to re-solidify and helps the cookies keep their shape during baking, preventing them from spreading too much.

More to Bake and Eat

Shop This Recipe

  • cookie cutters

    A must-have for all the holiday cookies, from Christmas to Easter. Stainless steel.

  • cooling racks

    Ever run out of counter space for all the cooling racks? This multi-tiered rack even collapses for further space saving.

  • silicone baking mat

    This is a must-have for anyone who loves to bake cookies. Non-stick, reusable, easy to clean.

Did you make this?

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shortbread cookies

3-Ingredient Buttery Shortbread Cookies

4.40 from 593 ratings
These buttery shortbread cookies are simply divine. They are melt-in-your-mouth amazing, bursting with the goodness of butter, and easily dressed up or down.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 3 dozen
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

Optional: sprinkles to suit any occasion throughout the year

    Instructions

    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add cold butter slices and brown sugar. Using paddle attachment on medium-high speed, cream until mixture is combined and has a pasty texture. Scrape down sides and paddle.
      Add only 3 1/2 cups of the flour and mix on medium-low speed just until combined; do not over-mix.
    • On a large board, sprinkle 1/2 cup flour to keep dough from sticking to the board. Use rubber spatula to transfer dough to the board. Knead dough by hand, adding only as much of the remaining 1/2 cup flour as needed to make a soft dough, while continuing to knead. The dough should end up soft and pliable, similar to play-dough, not sticky.
      Gently work in desired amount of sprinkles, if using them.
      Important Note: You may not end up using all the flour, depending on how dough feels; it's important to stop adding flour as soon as your dough feels like soft play dough.
    • Divide dough into 3 balls, and flatten them into discs. Wrap tightly with cling wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll and cut shapes.
      Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325F, with rack on lower middle position. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats; set aside.
    • Take out one of dough discs and roll it out to about 1/2 inch thickness – lightly flour board if needed. Either cut into 3×1 rectangular strips, triangles, or use cookie cutters (I use 1-2" cookie cutters).
      Place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Poke cookies with fork on top for a design, if not using sprinkles. Place entire baking sheet in fridge for 15 minutes.
    • Bake chilled cookies for 15-20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. For smaller cookies, bake closer to 15 minutes; bake longer for larger shapes. Repeat with the remaining dough, working in batches so dough stays chilled.
    • Cool completely on wire rack before serving. Cookies keep very when sealed airtight, at room temp.

    Notes

    • Note that 2 cups butter = 4 sticks butter.
    • Many shortbread recipes use granulated or confectioner’s sugar, but light brown sugar is the secret to a wonderfully caramelized flavor. 
    • If you need to use unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp fine table salt to the dough.
    • If you have unbaked cookies waiting to go into the oven, place them in the fridge to keep cold until it’s their turn to bake.
    • Unbaked dough can be frozen for up to 2 months. Wrap completely airtight; defrost dough when ready to roll/cut.
    If you enjoyed these cookies, please come back and give them a rating ♡

    Nutrition (per serving)

    Calories: 128kcal | Carbohydrates: 13.4g | Protein: 1.3g | Fat: 7.8g | Saturated Fat: 4.9g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20.3mg | Sodium: 62.3mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 4.5g
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Method: baking

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    Recipe Rating




    253 comments

      • Luke Ratford
      • 5 stars

      These cookies are on my list to make over the holidays with the kids they will love them 🙂

      • Tonya Langle
      • 5 stars

      Love these cookies ,,, yummy

      • Helen

      How many ounces for each cookie. I do not like to use cookie cutters.

      • Whitney

      Do you have a measurement for the flour in grams? I prefer to measure my flour to ensure it is the correct amount.

      • Sarah

      I switched 1:1 to GF flour and they seemed to be fine but after baking they just fell apart crumbly. How do I fix this or is it not a great recipe for GF flour?
      Thanks

        • Amy Dong

        With only 3 ingredients and no eggs, this recipe is best with regular flour. If the GF flour crumbles, I would try using a bit less flour so that your dough is a bit tackier, and under-baking a bit.

      • Joan
      • 4 stars

      This didn’t go exactly per recipe. I had to use standard electric mixer with beaters. My dough was crumbly and hard to keep shape whole time. I made half of the single recipe. I formed all the dough into a long rectangle before setting in the fridge. Dough was so crumbly that I just picked it up and formed cookies with my hands. They still came out good and taste great.

        • Amy Dong

        Joan, when you try this recipe again (I hope) be sure to measure the flour using a dry-measuring cup and scoop/level, so that the proportions are exact – the main reason for crumbly dough would be too much flour. SO glad you still liked them, though! Thank you 🙂

        • Nova Slivkoff
        • 5 stars

        Mine was crumbly too! And i was follow exactly your instructions too, so i added 100gr extra butter. And it came perfect! Taste so buttery. Thank you for the recipe.

      • mariah

      im planning on using gluten free all purpose flour, is the measurements still the same?

        • Amy Dong

        Yes, use the 1:1 gluten-free flour that is meant for 1:1 substitution.

      • Elizabeth
      • 5 stars

      My kids wanted cookies, but we were short on time, so decided to make these shortbread cookies. Very quick to make, and very yummy!

      • Maggie

      I can’t wait to try this recipe. My husband and son have been begging me to bake them shortbread cookies. This weekend for sure!

      • Ann
      • 5 stars

      I love shortbread cookies! So simple to make, with very little ingredients! My kind of cookie! Thanks for the recipe share!

      • Tracy
      • 5 stars

      Love that these only require three ingredients! Great tip about it feeling like playdough, too. My kids will love them!

      • Katriana
      • 4 stars

      These sound delicious! If I were to half this recipe how much flour would I need to add to the dough itself? Hope to here back from you!

        • Amy Dong

        Katriana, you would halve all the ingredients, and add only enough extra flour to get a soft play-dough consistency. Enjoy!

      • Andrea

      Can I cut the recipe in half and have them taste the same? There is only two of us and a full batch would be to much. Thanks!

        • Amy Dong

        You can definitely halve the recipe, Andrea. Hope you love these 🙂

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