These Butter Shortbread Cookies are the best shortbread cookies! Melt-in-your-mouth buttery goodness. Make them, gift them, freeze them.
The Best Shortbread Cookies Everyone Loves
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. I can’t count how many kiddos were there. At least fifteen of them, and half of them 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.
Festive and 3-Ingredients only
My awesome cousin is a fab hostess, and she set up colorful cookie building stations all over her kitchen. Yeah, kindergartners and teens alike still love doing that kind of stuff. (Um, me too.)
The kids gifted us grown-ups with elaborately and generously painted gingerbread men.
The festive colors, sights, sounds, and flavors that abound during the Christmas season have no parallel. Especially when they include fun sprinkles and 3-ingredient butter shortbread cookies in all shapes and sizes.
Melt in your mouth buttery goodness
These 3-ingredient buttery shortbread cookies, specifically. The ones where all you need are: flour, butter, and brown sugar. No extra salt is needed, as we use salted butter for these tasty bites. Sprinkles are optional and lends a boost of colorful fun.
My boys could pop these into their hungry mouths by the fistful if I let them. Maybe they do when I’m not looking.
The cookie monster in everyone seems to appear out of nowhere when they see–smell-taste these melt in your mouth shortbread cookies.
I get it, I really do. Because these shortbread cookies are genuinely addictive. I purposely use small cookie cutters to make smaller sized cookies so that I can pop more of them into my mouth.
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.
Save this recipe. Make it. Share and eat.
See this recipe in action:
3-Ingredient Buttery Shortbread Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 3 dozen 1x
Description
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.
Ingredients
- 2 cups salted butter, cold and cut into pieces
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided
- Optional: Your favorite sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F, with rack on lower middle position. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and brown sugar. Using paddle attachment on medium-high speed, mix until fluffy and light, several minutes. Add only 3 1/2 cups of the flour and mix on medium-low speed until combined.
- 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 for 5 minutes, adding only as much of the remaining 1/2 cup flour as needed to make a soft dough, while continuing to knead by hand. The dough should end up soft and pliable, similar to play-dough, not sticky. Work in desired amount of sprinkles, if using. (Important Note: You may not end up using all the flour, depending on how your dough feels; it’s important to stop adding flour as soon as your dough feels like soft play dough.)
- Divide dough into thirds, wrap tightly, and chill for at least 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll and cut shapes. Roll one-third of the dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness (lightly flour board if needed.) Either cut into 3×1 rectangular strips, triangles, or use cookie cutter for shapes. Place each cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Poke cookies with fork to design if not using sprinkles.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. If your shapes are smaller, bake less time. Bake longer for bigger shapes. Repeat with the remaining dough, working in batches so dough stays chilled and workable.
- Cool completely on wire rack before serving. Cookies keep very when sealed airtight, at room temp.
Notes
Extra 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! ☆
- Category: dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Butter shortbread cookies
Here are more cookies for any day, anytime, all year round!
Snowball Cookies. These are seriously melt-in-your-mouth, and just like potato chips, nobody can eat just one.
Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. These are oh-so-yum! Dangerous to keep around, but pretty worth it.
Cookie ‘n Cream Chewy Cookies. These are simply amazing. They’ll knock your socks off.
These Buttery Jam Thumbprint Cookies won Pinterest’s “most pinned cookie of the year” and appeared on Good Morning America.
Thank you. Happy Holidays to you and your family.
The flour doesn’t seem to add up, It calls for 41/2 c flour, then says put 31/2 in the cookie mix and use the remaining 1/2 cup for kneading. That’s only 4 cups not 41/2
Dar, it looks a bit subtle, but there’s a note to add as much of the remaining 1/2 cup flour as needed to create the right texture. Hope you guys love these cookies as much as we do! We’re so happy you found us; happy baking! 🙂
It still only adds up to four cups of flour, not four and a half. Three and a half in the initial add then half to add later where does the other half cup come in?
The other half cup is for dusting the board. 3 1/2 cups for the dough mix, 1/2 cup for dusting the board, and another 1/2 cup as needed for the dough.
Read it again
it uses the other half cup after but you don’t have to but they just say you need 4 1/2 c if you do want to use the other half cup
If you don’t have a mixer can we hand mix this dough ?
I want to know as well
Technically you can but I wouldn’t. Maybe a maybe it your church have one to borrow. Because the more the great if your hand interacts with the butter in the dough. The texture it effected. If you need to use have, do a little bit of folding and then pop it backwards into the freezer to keep that butter cold. This is also true with poo dough. Remember you don’t need the big huge stand mixers.. just a regular hand beater can be used to help….
These shortbread cookies look super delicious! Love the fact they’re so buttery, makes them 100x more tastier! 😀
Yes, butter is all good 🙂 Thanks for coming over, Jess! Merry Christmas 🙂
Literally my favorite kind of cookie. This is magnificently simple. Butter makes it better for sure
Thanks, Carol! Merry Christmas to you 🙂
If I die of NAFLD, I’m blaming you. These are INCREDIBLE, they remind me so much of my great-grandmother’s scottish shortbread. My body mass may now be 75% shortbread.
LOL, Hannah! 🙂 I am right there with you – I MUST share these cookies or I’d be in big trouble too! Thankfully, these freeze really well in both dough form and baked form so we don’t eat them all at once 🙂 After the 25th, we’ll start the salads, right?! 😉 Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!
Any idea if this dough will work with a cookie press? Thanks!
Yes, Traci, I think it would work great with a cookie press! Just adjust bake time according to size/thickness of your cookies. Enjoy and thanks for coming over today! 🙂
At I ask why brown sugar instead of white ? Does it make a difference
Hi, Vaniece! You can use either sugar, but we prefer brown, as it gives a richer/deeper depth of flavor. Enjoy, and happy baking!
Hi I tried making these cookies yesterday but my dough is very crumbled, it does not bind- maybe butter is less. I used electric hand mixer not the standing mixer.
I used unsalted butter instead.should I add more butter ?
Rashmi, thanks for trying the cookies, and sorry your dough was crumbly; My best guess is that with the electric hand mixer, you have to continue to beat it longer until the dough comes together. You could also try using your hands to keep kneading until you can form the dough into a ball. Thanks for coming over. Happy New year!
How long will these keep fresh after baking? We are traveling some before Christmas but I really want to give these as gifts. They would be made for a week before gifting/receipt….
If you’re making them a week ahead, you can freeze them in airtight container. They freeze really well 🙂
how many calories
We currently don’t use a calorie calculator, but there are great ones out there like this one you can manually type in and get ballpark results: http://caloriescount.com/foodcalculator.aspx
Do they freeze well? If so when do I freeze them? sfter i bake the cookies or freeze the doe
I’ve frozen the dough many times, wrapped airtight. Just thaw and bake as directed when you’re ready to bake! Enjoy, and so glad you came over today, Michelle! 🙂
i had a lot of trouble because the dough was sticky even tough i did the recipe exactly how you wrote it, other than that the taste was awesome
Stephanie, I’m so glad you liked the flavor. But let’s see if we can fix the sticky dough…if dough is sticky, go ahead and add a bit more flour at a time, until it’s play-dough texture but not sticky. Try chilling for longer, about an hour or even overnight. That should allow a dough that’s not sticky yet pliable enough to roll and cut out 🙂 Thanks so much for trying the recipe and coming back to share your results! 🙂
Is there anything I can use to mix other then a stand mixer?..
I was wondering the same thing!
I’ve used a good processor or blender. Just pulse it lightly! You want the cold butter 5o stay cold. That’s why they are flaky and delicious!
So glad you like them. Great tips, too! 🙂
Just made these for Christmas goodie tins – I cut them into 1 inch x 2 inch rectangles and I was surprised at how many I got – approx 70!!! That should make alot of friends and neighbors happy!! They taste so good it might be tough to keep my fingers out of them til then lol
Yipee, so glad to hear it, Jane! How awesome for you to be making them for your neighbors, too 🙂 Yeah, it can be hard to share for sure! 😉 Have a wonderful Christmas season!
This shortbread recipe is the same as my Grandmother’s from England, except the English recipe calls for white sugar, and only mix with your hands;
Hi! I like to buy the butter in sticks. Should I use salted or unsalted? Thanks!
I personally use salted butter for most of my cooking/baking because I prefer the flavor. Hope you love these, and we are so glad you came over today, Bre! 🙂
If I use unsalted butter what I’ll the difference be? I want to make these for an event that we’re selling cookies at, and I’m making other cookies that use unsalted butter, so I want to know if I need to buy unsalted and then salted for this batch or if I can just use unsalted
Hi, Emily! You can use your unsalted butter. Just add about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp extra salt to the dough to provide flavor. So excited for you to be making these for your event. Enjoy!!
Do you think I could substitute a margarine or crisco in place of butter for daughter who is allergic to dairy?
Maureen, Oh, I’m sorry she’s allergic to diary. I wish there were a good sub, but there are only 3 ingredients in this recipe, and butter is a huge part of it. That’s how they get their buttery flavor and texture. We do have a huge collection of cookie recipes here at COL, so feel free to putz around and see if anything fits her dietary needs. Some of the other recipes with more ingredients might be more successfully subbed out with shortening. Thanks for being here today, we’re glad you came!
Can you add sprinkles right after they come out? I’m wanting to make Christmas trees and I have little red balls to put on them but they need to stick. I wasn’t really wanting to use icing. I’ve only made cookies a handful of times in my life. I appreciate any answers! 🙂
Hi, Mitzi! That sounds seriously super cute! Love it. I think I would probably go ahead and cut/shape the dough, place on baking sheet, and lightly press in the balls you want to use. Just lightly, so that they adhere through baking. I’m not positive they would stick if you do it after baking, as these cookies are classic shortbread texture (not chewy or soft)… if your sprinkles are small, you could try lightly pressing them in after baking. But if they are larger rounds, they probably won’t stick after baking. Would love to hear how it goes! If you’re on Instagram, I’d love to see a pic of your final product! @chewoutloud and #chewoutloud 🙂
Terrific recipe! In fact, it is almost identical to one that is our family tradition at Christmas time, handed down each generation from my Great Grandmother (she called them “Scotch Cookies”). The only difference is that we use a half cup more brown sugar…and who doesn’t love brown sugar! I now enjoying making them with my grandson and granddaughter, the 5th generation, on Christmas Eve to leave as a treat for Santa.
Aww, that sounds so sweet! So glad you came over today, and happy baking this season 🙂
Hi- I was wondering did you mix the sprinkles in with the dough before baking or sprinkle them on top after? I wasn’t sure if they would bleed the colors all throughout the cookie. If after, then how do you get them to stick to the cookie without icing? Thanks so much – can’t wait to try these!!
Hi, Tiffanie! I usually combine the sprinkles into the dough and also sprinkle a bit on top just to make it prettier. Certain brands and kinds of sprinkles will bleed more than others but if your dough is cool (can chill for a bit) and you add them at the very end so you aren’t manipulating the dough that much, then the bleeding will be minimal. I actually just finished a batch of sugar cookies with sprinkles in the dough, and I just made sure the dough was cool and I add them towards the end. When you sprinkle on top of cookie dough rounds, just press in lightly so that they stick 🙂 Enjoy and have a wonderful holiday season! 🙂
I think this recipe sounds fantastic. I am going to give them a try. I like them with the little ball sprinkles like you have here.. one question though.. Do you think they would be good with a little almond extract in them. I am new to baking and I love a little almond flavor simple cookie. If you think it would work well, how much do you think would be right to add to this amount? If you think it wouldn’t be a good choice for this recipe, please let me know that too. Im still learning what works together. I feel a little like a mad scientist.. lol
Hi, Shannon! So happy you found us – yay! 🙂 These are really yummy with the buttery flavor, simple as is. I’d recommend starting off with half batch as-written, and half batch with a bit of almond extract, so you can decide which you prefer! I would try 1/2 tsp almond extract for that other batch and see what you think. If you do like some almond in your cookies, here’s another great recipe that is made for almond extract usage! 🙂 https://www.chewoutloud.com/2014/12/18/perfect-vanilla-almond-cut-cookies/
You are a genius. Those vanilla almond cookies will be great.. I will make those and these buttery shortbread ones. Thanks for the recipes. I have a feeling I will be on this website very very often. lol
That’s awesome, Shannon! 🙂 Happy happy baking! 🙂
I have a question can i put food color in the dough
Yes, Renee, you can put food coloring in the dough if you like 🙂
I don’t own a stand mixer so I used an electronic hand mixer. My dough is really crumbly, help?!
Amanda, yikes, I’m sorry you have crumbly dough. The hand mixer should work; you just have to give the butter and brown sugar plenty of mix-time with that hand-mixer so that it is light and “fluffy” …typically at least 3 minutes of constant mixing on a good medium-high speed. Then add in the first 3 1/2 cups flour, which should make it a rather sticky-ish dough. Then hand-knead in as much additional flour as needed to get that play-doh consistency. If too much flour went in, it could get crumbly. Try kneading it more with your hands and see if you can’t soften it up. You can also try salvaging it by mixing up a bit more of the butter/sugar and adding it to your current dough. Hope that helps!
Oh my goodness these look amazing. My husband loves shortbread cookies. These would be perfect for a cookie exchange. I am making these. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Merry Christmas!
You’re so welcome, Brenda! Glad you like these! Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and happy baking 🙂
These look amazing! I want to bake them for a cookie exchange. I need 8 dozen cookies. I saw the recipe says serves 40. Wasn’t sure on the serving size. Should I double the recipe or is one batch enough?
Allison, so glad you found us! The number really depends on your cut-out size 🙂 Sometimes I make smaller, mini sized cut-outs and that gets me a ton of cookies. If your cut outs are average size (or larger) then you would want to double the recipe. Have fun baking these and Merry Christmas to you! 🙂
Was I supposed to use plain flour? Not self-rising? Mine are either sticky or taste like they have too much flour 🙁
Yes, Althea, just plain all purpose flour. If you used self-rising, that’s the culprit. Hope you’ll try again with the regular flour and hope you love it 🙂 Thanks for finding us; we are so glad you’re here today 🙂
I buy unsalted butter. Will the taste the same if I use unsalted butter? It the taste is a little off how much salt do you think I should add to compensate for the unsalted butter? Thanks.
Yes, Maria, you can use unsalted butter and just add in 1/8 tsp table salt. Enjoy, and thanks for being here today! 🙂
too much flour. they tasted kinda bland. i really recommend putting 3 cups of flour for a better outcome
Can you roll the dough into a log, chill, and then slice it?
Yes, Amy, you can! 🙂 Hope you love it. Thanks for being here today!
I love easy recipes like this. No heading to the store for ingredients and can be made quickly. I’ll give this one a try. Thx for sharing.
You’re so welcome, Dawn! 🙂
So excited try your recipe! Quick questions – when you say 2 cups of butter cold and cut into pieces, does that mean not soften at all? Or should it be semi soften so it can be mixed easily? Thanks so much!
Hi, Betty! We use a stand mixer, so it works like magic. However, if you don’t have a stand mixer, you can slightly soften butter just enough to make it workable. Not too soft, though. You’ll probably have to chill the dough as you roll/cut, which is just fine. Thanks for coming over today and Merry Christmas! 🙂
Hi- these look great. Do you think I could use all purpose gluten free flour as a sub for the regular flour? Thanks!
Sharon, I know some GF flours state that they can be subbed 1-1 for regular flour. You can give it a go, but the texture of cookies made from GF flour will, of course, be different than the original. Let me know how it turns out, if you try it. Merry Christmas! 🙂
Can’t wait to try this recipe! When you say cold and cut into pieces for the butter, should it be soften to allow easier to mix?
Hi, Betty…we put the butter in cold; a stand mixer really helps things along, but if you don’t have one, you can slightly soften the butter by taking it out to room temp a bit, but you DON’T want soft butter – it really should be cold 🙂 Enjoy and Merry Christmas! 🙂
I need help! So I made the mix and I don’t know exactly where it went wrong, but they are so soft and sticky but Ive added tons of flour and it tastes like pure flour, any way to salvage these guys? Thanks!
Sara, the dough should definitely not be sticky, so let’s see…did you use 2 cups cold butter (4 sticks?)
The butter needs to be cold/chilled. Once it’s beaten to fluffy/light with the sugar, you should only need the amount of flour specified in recipe, and it should feel like play-dough. Did you divide the dough and chill it long enough? Those are the main things I can think of. (P.S. If you added a ton of extra flour, it will change the mixture, so the only way to salvage would be to add back proportionately correct amount of butter and sugar.) Wish I could be there to help sort it out alongside of you 🙂
I couldn’t figure how much flower I added, since I am making this in germany, maybe there was biiit of a difference in the ingredients. I did manage to salvage them thoguh by turning them into chocolate butter cookies so with 4 ingredients. Which turned out actually REALLY good. When I realised there was too much flour, I added 2 spoons of melted dark chocolate to each third and
a bit more of sugar, they became simply YUM! Thanks so much for your help and for the amazing recipe! I loved also your quick reply! Amazing! Im so happy!!!!
I came across this recipe last year on Pinterest, and made a batch of these (along with several other cookies) to give away as Christmas cookies to friends and neighbors. My husband LOVED them so much they have become a staple in our house. He has them almost daily with his tea. I make them without the sprinkles (except at Xmas). The recipe makes a lot of cookies, so I divide the dough in half and freeze half until the first batch is gone. The only note I have is that I divide the dough in half (or thirds) as soon as I take it out of the mixer. I find kneading in the rest of the flour is easier with a smaller amount of dough. Thanks for the recipe – I’ll be making another batch soon!!
So happy you guys love these! I’m making more of them tommorrow with my boys as well…Annual tradition
Do you have to use salted butter?
I would definitely use salted butter, as it gives a bit of salt to balance out the sweet. If you have only unsalted butter, you’ll want to add about 1/2 tsp salt to the dough.
Can these be just rolled in balls and baked?
Rhonda, you can roll them into balls and slightly flatten them into circle-shapes, since they shouldn’t spread too much in the oven. Bake time may vary, depending on how thick your cookies are. Enjoy and happy holidays!! 🙂
wow, just 3 ingredients that is easy to shop for then and I think they would be gone fast here too 🙂
They’re also very popular when I wrap them in cute little bags for gifts 🙂
YUM, yum, yum! This looks so easy that I have to try! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
You’re so welcome, Stephanie 🙂
This looks like a fantastic recipe for me to try this holiday season. It’s all about the butter!
Agreed, Trent 🙂
These cookies are just perfect for the holidays and so easy to make too.
★★★★★
omg this recipe are you kidding me!!! I would loooooove to bake this deliciousness…Thank you sooo much.
You’re welcome 🙂
It’s Look so yummy. I want this one in my breakfast. It would be a great partner with a cup of coffee.
Yes, coffee or milk or tea… your pick 🙂
I really love cookies. You make me crave for one in this post. This is really great. those cookies looks so yummy. Cookie is my life. I can bring this cookies everywhere i go. Thanks for this wonderful post!
Lol, cookies are sometimes my life, too! 🙂
This cookies really looks delicious I can’t wait to try this at my own. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Looks easy and doable
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Sooo doable and always a hit 🙂
Awesome recipe! These Butter Shortbread Cookies are the best shortbread cookies! They look like melt-in-your-mouth buttery goodness. I can’t wait to make some this weekend.
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That’s really a cute and short recipe for cookies, I am going to try it right now.
This is so sweet! I really love to bake. and this one is surely be in my cookie menu list. It’s easy to prepare. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’m gonna make this in my breakfast.
Kids and adults alike will love this treat! Totally using it!
These look very tasty and look easy to make. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
These shortbread cookies look melt in your mouth delicious! The sprinkles on top are so festive, they would be perfect to give as gifts!
★★★★★
People always ask for the recipe once they’ve received these as gifts 🙂 Enjoy!
These are such very pretty little cookies – a darling addition to any Christmas cookie plate (if they even make it onto the plate LOL)! And so wonderful that they only need just three simple ingredients! When you’re pumping out dozens of holiday cookies in all sorts of different varieties, it’s such a relief to have some recipes like this one that are uncomplicated but still fan favorites! Thank you!
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You’re so very welcome, Shelley! 🙂
Shortbread is one of my all-time favorite cookies! These are perfect little bites to include in cookie baskets for the holidays and to enjoy by the stack myself with tea and cocoa!
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Agreed, they’re so good with a cup of warm tea 🙂
YES. I’ve been looking for an awesome shortbread cookie recipe, and I found it! This is SUCH a great base recipe for the holidays. Thank you for such a great recipe!
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Yay, so glad you like these! You’re so welcome, Sara 🙂
What a sweet and festive shortbread cookie! I’m sure these would be perfect for our upcoming Christmas cookie exchange. Can’t wait to give your recipe a try!
These Shortbread Cookies look so good! I love making cookies for the Holiday season. These would make perfect little gifts for everyone!
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I made these cookies recently for school fair. Oh my… these were huge hit! So delicious and super easy to make. I’m making them again for Xmas that’s for sure!
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Yay, Natalie! So so happy to hear that these were a hit! 🙂 🙂 Thanks for coming over to let us know!
Has anyone tried to make these with Almond Flour and had any luck? I have a Celiac Kidd-o that would love something like these!
Hello – can these be frozen after baking?
Yes, Kelly! Both the unbaked dough and baked cookies may be frozen. Wrap airtight and freeze. Hope you love these as much as we do! 🙂
I have a Christmas shortbread pan that is divided into about 2 inch squares. Do you think this recipe would work okay in that kind of pan?
Oh, I think that could work perfectly! Depending on how thick they are, watch your first batch to adjust for bake time if needed. So happy you’re making these 🙂
Made these in my springerle pan. Magnificent! Have to make more because they were for gifts and I ended up eating a bunch! These are my new go to!
So happy you loved them, Layla!! (I always eat a bunch, too!) 🙂 🙂
Can this be made with gluten free all-purpose flour? My husband has recently discovered a wheat allergy so I am learning how to cook/bake all over again!
That’s certainly a new change, Kyli! I have yet to try with GF flour for this particular recipe, but my guess is that you can use same ratio of ingredients and sub out your flour. Let me know how it goes!
It did not go great. I ended up adding in maybe a 1/4 cup white sugar (basically to taste) and that helped cover up the super flour-y taste. When I went to bake them they also did not set up as well as I had hoped but you can still tell what they are and my husband can eat them! I am learning that Gluten-Free flour is quite a bit more difficult to sub into recipes than I would like. But since the kids and I can still eat wheat I want to re-make these with regular flour and see how they come out! Probably loads better!
So sorry the gluten-free flour didn’t work the same as regular flour. It’s definitely hit and miss sometimes with GF flour substitution. If you’re into chocolate chip cookies, this is my favorite GF cookie: https://www.chewoutloud.com/chewy-gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookies/
I don’t have a paddle attachment but I have dough hooks…Will they work?
The dough hooks won’t work as well to ensure enough air and fluff. You can start off with the dough hooks to get the process going, and then continue with an electric hand whisk for best results. Enjoy!
These are the best shortbread cookies I’ve ever tasted!! I also love that you divide them into thirds, so that you can make all the batches at once or freeze for another time. Thanks for posting this recipe!
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So so happy you enjoyed these cookies, Debbie! 🙂 🙂
I made these for my Christmas cookie exchange and they were a huge hit and are also now my daughter’s favorite cookie. I will be making them again this week. So simple and delicious!!!!
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Aww, thank you, Lizabeth! You’re right, these shortbread cookies are delicious all year ’round 🙂 🙂
Not sure what went wrong, but my dough was always sticky and ended up using way more flour than the recipe calls for and was barely manageable. They completely lost their shape in the oven! I ended up with a huge melted batch of dough. Have to try them yet.
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I’m a lazy baker and wondered if you could press this dough into a square or round cake pan and then cut into pieces while I’m warm as with some other shortbread recipes I have?
Yes, you can do that! Just modify your bake time as needed. Enjoy and have fun!
Very good recipe. I am a beginner and it turns out perfectly. I did not use a cookie cutter and used my hands to shape them, they are still very beautiful. It is melt in your mouth, you won’t fail with this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
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Love it, so glad you guys enjoyed these!!
OMG!! I just made these cookies and I am in love. I lost my 3 ingredient recipe and had to go digging for a recipe that made a decent amount and found this. I’ve never made them with brown sugar before but they’re great! I also have never used dough like that, and I’m not a precise cookie cutter so I know mine weren’t super even. Following the 1x recipe though, I ended up with over 6 dozen! They really do taste amazing, and are worth the extra work with making a dough like that. I’m holding onto this recipe for sure!
Fantastic, Delaney! 🙂
Totally the best and most delicious cookies ever!! These look delicious and are so pretty!!! These are the most beautiful cookies I’ve seen! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Larry Sclafani
http://nextbestreview.com
★★★★★
Easy to make and delicious. Thank you for sharing.
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This has become our go to shortbread recipe for Christmas. So delicious, even my mother-in-law raves about them.
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Yes! It’s a win-win when your MIL loves what you baked! 🙂 🙂
Hi, thank you for this recipe.
I was feeling festive and found this recipe online. The 3 ingredients caught my eye as I haven’t been out to the market (due to the pandemic) The recipe turned out well, I probably used total 4 cups (incl. dusting board when rolling) delicious!!
I froze half of the batch for next week for my grandson’s Xmas care package. .
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Lara, so glad you liked these! What a great idea to send them in a package, too 🙂
So easy and so delicious. My only mistake was in making a half batch. It seemed like so much (the half batch made over 4 dozen!) but they are a big hit. I used dark brown sugar instead of light, gave them a gorgeous golden brown color. Will definitely make again, a full batch next time!
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Soooo happy to hear you guys liked these, Devon! 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Tried them tonight and they turned out so good !
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That’s so wonderful, Shweta! 🙂
I want to make these for Valentines Day But I need to know if they spread. I don’t like to go through all the work of cutting out shapes and then they end up flat. Ty
Donna, what’s great about these cookies is they don’t spread much at all. Great for shape-cutting 🙂