Shortbread cookies had been my first baking love. They had been the primary cookie I keep in mind placing within the oven myself, at all times for the vacations, at all times carrying a kid-sized apron. I’ve developed some sturdy opinions on the shortbread entrance over time, and I’m going to speak you thru the distinction between nice shortbread cookies and those which can be simply so-so. Shortbread cookies might be one of the best cookie on any cookie tray (controversial take, I do know!), and this submit will stroll you thru how. I’ve featured shortbread many alternative methods on the positioning over time, however love circling again to this buttery, golden, traditional shortbread model. 
The Secret to Nice Shortbread Cookies
I ought to say secrets and techniques, plural, as a result of there are literally a number of that can assist bump your shortbread recreation from good to nice.
- Salt: Let’s begin with this, it’s a simple one. Plenty of shortbread cookie recipes are beneath salted, and that may go away them tasting flat and boring. Others name for salted butter which might be nice, but it surely’s tougher to manage seasoning ranges. I’m not saying go wild on the salt entrance, however deal with it like a pillar ingredient. It’s the ingredient that can convey the toasted butter, sugar, and flour into good focus.
- Thickness: For traditional shortbread cookies like these, I wish to go thick. I’ve discovered that rolling out the dough to 1/2-inch thickness is just too skinny, and a full-inch is just too thick. I goal for someplace within the 3/4-inch zone. This enables for golden crust with crisp buttery edge and a young middle.
- Baking Time: I’ve offered steering within the recipe for baking time, however in actuality it’s all about having an eagle eye and good nostril right here. Use your sight and scent. Plenty of the shortbread I’ve come throughout over time is just too pale, almost white. That’s not what I’m after. Shortbread that’s allowed to get tip prime super-golden and toasted the place it touches the baking pan, with a wash of shade over the remainder of the cookie is so significantly better. That’s how all the flavour involves life. It’s actually the distinction between butter and brown butter. Persistence and attentiveness pays off right here. Hover close to the oven, let your shortbread get toasty.
Elements in Shortbread Cookies
Shortbread magic occurs when butter, sugar, flour, and salt come collectively. The record of substances is extremely brief, so that you wish to ensure that each is on level. Be certain your butter is good-quality, and not too long ago bought. You don’t need the butter choosing up fridge odors. When unsure, style. I additionally like to make use of a recent bag of all objective flour when baking shortbread, some flours can decide up off smells and flavors after they’ve been sitting round too lengthy. I am additionally a purist in terms of shortbread and skip the vanilla extract you would possibly see in different recipes.
Make-Forward Shortbread Cookies
The freezer is your good friend right here and shortbread dough saved in an hermetic container or double wrapped in plastic can final frozen for months. You possibly can freeze the cookie dough pre-rollout or proceed by the cutout section. When you’ve rolled and lower your dough, switch the unbaked cookies onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze earlier than transferring to an air-tight container. Freeze till able to bake.
Thick or Skinny?
We talked a bit about this up above, however I’ve a number of different issues to say. On the subject of traditional shortbread cookies, I lean in direction of thick. Then again, if I’ve loaded the dough up with zest, nuts, spices, or different flavors, I have a tendency to make use of a rolling pin to roll the dough out a bit extra thinly, chopping the cookies smaller for a extra concentrated expertise. All of that is private desire, after all. One factor to consider right here is oven temperature. For thicker shortbread, beginning with a barely hotter oven to set the dough, after which dialing it again a bit may help forestall unfold. And with smaller, thinner shortbread you don’t have to fret about that as a lot. When unsure, simply control issues!
How do I preserve my Shortbread from Spreading?
In case you take a look at the photographs above you may see the distinction between correctly chilled shortbread dough previous to baking (circles), and dough that wasn’t chilled lengthy sufficient (rectangles). The circles had their form completely whereas the bigger rectangular slabs had a little bit of unfold. One other hour within the fridge or baking straight from the freezer will probably repair that. In case you’re nonetheless getting an excessive amount of unfold, scale back the time you’re creaming the butter and sugars, an excessive amount of air being integrated into the dough may also trigger your cookies to unfold. Final, affirm your oven temperature is right, whether it is operating low, you’re going to have bother.
Different Shortbread Cookie Concepts
After you have a shortbread recipe you’re keen on in your again pocket (hopefully this one!), you may mess around with many variables. They’re nice for Christmas and past.
- Skillet Shortbread: bake straight right into a forged iron skillet or press the dough right into a pan, marking with fork tines, then bake. In both case, mark the highest of the dough with fork tines, to make sure extra even baking.
- Strive Various Flours: If you wish to introduce different flours to this recipe go for it. I’d begin with 20% and make be aware from there. Rye flour is at all times an important start line, oat flour could be good, or buckwheat flour. I’m additionally interested by introducing a share of one thing like almond flour however haven’t experimented with that but. All would add dimension and depth.
- Sugar Crust: Lots of people like it once you sprinkle large-grain sugar throughout the shortbread dough earlier than baking. You find yourself with a crunchy sugar crust and a few sparkle.
Extra Shortbread!
I’ve baked and highlighted many shortbread cookies over years and realized lots. The Rosewater Shortbread Cookies and Toasted Almond Sables are my favorites within the beyond-classic class, however all of them are particular in a technique or one other.
Center Japanese Millionaire’s Shortbread: That is the Center Japanese Millionaire’s Shortbread from Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s Candy. It is unimaginable for a variety of causes. Think about a crisp, shortbread base unfold thick with a creamy tahini-halva mix, completed with shiny tahini caramel. It is sensible, and a skinny slice makes for the right deal with.
Rosewater Shortbread Cookies: One in every of my favorites. Traditional, buttery, entire wheat shortbread cookies aromatic with rosewater, flecked with toasted nuts, and dried rose petals. They’ve a crunchy dusting of sugar on prime that gives a satisfying, candy tongue scratch, and are punctuated with black sesame. They’re the prettiest of the shortbread lot.
Toasted Almond Sable Cookies // Toasty, nutty sable cookies made with entire wheat flour, sliced almonds, currents and salted butter. They’re a take-off on Alice Medrich’s charming Complete Wheat Sables, printed in her ebook Pure Dessert.