Ingredients

• 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) salted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Make and Chill the Dough

In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to soften the room-temperature butter. Add the sugar and mix until just combined into a smooth paste. Be careful not to cream the mixture until it’s light and fluffy; you only want to incorporate the ingredients.

Add the flour and mix until a crumbly, shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to bring the dough together into a smooth ball.

For cutout cookies, roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into your desired shapes and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops generously with granulated sugar.

For slice-and-bake cookies, divide the dough in half and roll each into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill.

Chill the dough in either form for at least one hour. This is a critical step to ensure the cookies don’t spread while baking.

Bake the Cookies at 325F

Preheat your oven to 325°F.

If you made logs, unwrap the chilled dough and slice it into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for ~20-25 minutes. The cookies should be pale, with only the barest hint of golden brown on the edges. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

Print Pin

Buttery Shortbread Cookies

This is a classic shortbread with a crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture. The dough is simple, using only three ingredients, and doesn’t contain eggs or leavening. Chilling the dough is essential for the cookies to hold their shape.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Chill + Cooling Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 sticks salted butter 1 1/2 cups, room temperature
• ▢ 3/4 cup granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling
• ▢ 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

• Mix softened butter and sugar until just combined into a smooth paste.
• Add flour and mix until crumbly, then use hands to form into a smooth ball.
• Roll dough on floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into shapes.
• Place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar.
• Chill cookies for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Bake 20-25 minutes until edges are barely golden brown.
• Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.

Notes

For slice-and-bake version, form dough into 2-inch diameter logs, wrap in plastic, chill, then slice into 1/4-inch rounds before baking.