Buttery Shortbread Cookies - Lovely Little Kitchen (2024)

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We came across this recipe for Buttery Shortbread Cookies in our homeschooling curriculum as a hands-on activity to do together. As it is so very simple, it proved to be a great recipe for kids to handle with a good deal of independence. It also proved to be very delicious and we couldn’t wait to make them again! Lincoln said we should definitely share them with you all and I wholeheartedly agreed, so here they are.

While most shortbread recipes call for butter, sugar, and flour, these Buttery Shortbread Cookies are a little different. We used brown sugar instead of white sugar. As a result, they had a slightly caramelized buttery flavor that we just couldn’t get enough of. They are crisp and delicate, and pretty much demand a cup of coffee, tea, or milk for the perfect pairing.

To make these Buttery Shortbread Cookies extra amazing, be sure to use a good quality butter. I used salted Kerrygold, which I had stocked up on when it was on sale at Costco. Also, make sure your brown sugar isn’t too lumpy or it won’t cream into the butter completely.

You will find it useful to have a ruler handy as you are rolling out the dough. You’ll want to roll it between two pieces of plastic wrap into an 8 by 6 inch rectangle, 1/2 inch thick. Then use a large sharp knife or a pizza cutter to make small 1 by 2 inch rectangles. You’ll get 24 cookies total, and you can bake them all on one half sheet pan because they don’t spread very much at all. It is not necessary to grease or line your baking pan because these little cookies have plenty of butter already!

Shortbread cookies bake at a lower temperature (325 degrees) with a longer baking time (20-23 minutes). We want them to bake all the way through to the center before the outside is overly browned. This will allow them to be properly crisp rather than under-baked in the center.

The bottom of the cookies should be golden brown. This caramelization of brown sugar and butter is what gives these cookies their exceptional flavor. Once they have baked, remove them from the baking sheet and transfer them to a cooling rack so the bottoms will stay crisp.

I love how well these stout, sturdy little cookies pack up and travel. There’s just something about a cute little tin full of cookies that makes a road trip a little more enjoyable, and the miles pass by more quickly.

If you’ve never had the chance to make shortbread cookies, you should definitely give them a try. With only three ingredients, they are pretty much foolproof!

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture onInstagram with the hashtag #lovelylittlekitchen

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