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–+ servings
Heart shaped shortbread cutout cookies stacked on a white plate.

Shortbread Cutout Cookies

By Tammy Spencer
These tender, buttery shortbread cutout cookies are melt-in-your-mouth good! Using only three ingredients, they're super easy to make. Beginning bakers and pros alike will love how these cutout shortbread cookies hold their shape in the oven, They're perfect for decorating for any occasion!
4 from 2 votes
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time16 minutes
Total Time36 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 136kcal

Special Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (227 grams) butter, salted or unsalted, softened, see Recipe Notes
  • ½ cup (113 grams) granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon (½ to ¾ teaspoon) kosher salt, if using unsalted butter, see Recipe Notes
  • 2¾ cups (330 grams) all-purpose flour, see Recipe Notes

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line 2 half sheet baking pans with a Silpat silicone mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Make the cookie dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a large bowl if using a hand mixer), beat 1 cup butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ to ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (if using) on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add 2¾ cups all-purpose flour and mix just until a smooth, yet crumbly dough forms.
  • Cut out the cookies: Shape the shortbread dough into a rough ball and transfer to a work surface (lightly floured, if desired). Covering the dough with plastic wrap (to help keep the dough from sticking), roll out to a ¼-inch thickness. Remove the plastic wrap.
  • Cut out the cookies with your preferred cookie cutter, and stamp them with a design, if desired. Transfer the cut out cookies to the prepared baking pan, spacing them about 2-inches apart.
    Re-roll the scraps and cut out more shapes, but not more than twice if possible - the cookies can become tougher if the dough is overworked.
  • Chill the shortbread cutouts for 20 minutes to firm up the butter. This will help the cookies from overspreading and will preserve the stamped designs.
  • Bake the cookies: Bake the chilled shortbread cutouts for 14 to 16 minutes. They should remain pale with the edges just starting to brown.
  • Allow the shortbread to cool for 5 minutes on the baking pan. If the cookies have puffed up during baking, you can gently flatten them with the bottom of a spatula as they cool.
    Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • After the shortbread cutouts have cooled, you can decorate them if you'd like. Dip or drizzle them with melted chocolate, or frost as you would a sugar cookie. Have fun!
  • Storage instructions: Shortbread cutout cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
    You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months, placed in an airtight freezer container. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
  • Make-ahead instructions: Unbaked shortbread dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Let the refrigerated dough come to room temperature before rolling out.
    For longer storage, you can either freeze the entire batch of dough as a large disk or freeze the individual shortbread cookie cutouts. Defrost the disk overnight in the refrigerator, then let it come to room temperature before rolling out and shaping the dough.
    Frozen shortbread cutouts can be baked from frozen at 325 °F for 15 to 17 minutes.
  • Yield Notes: Your yield will depend on the size of the cookie cutters used. I've found that using a 3-inch round cookie cutter will yield 24 cookies.

Recipe Notes

You can use either unsalted or salted butter for shortbread. If you do use unsalted butter, add ½ to ¾ teaspoon of salt in with the flour, depending on how salty you prefer the shortbread.
Because butter features prominently in the recipe, used the best butter available - the richer the butter, the better the flavor of the shortbread will be.
For gluten-free shortbread, use the same amount of 1 : 1 gluten-free all purpose flour.
Flavor variations:  Shortbread can be flavored with extracts like ½ teaspoon of vanilla, or ⅛ teaspoon of stronger-flavored extracts like almond, mint, or Fiori di Sicilia (an orange vanilla extract). You can also use mix-ins like lemon juice and zest (like in these Lemon Shortbread Cookies) or food-safe dried lavender buds.
Visit Scottish shortbread to make traditionally-shaped shortbread bars.
For an easy decoration, melt 1 cup (170 grams) of chocolate chips in the microwave on HIGH for 1 to 1½ minutes. Dip the cooled cookies in the chocolate, or drizzle on the chocolate. Either way, place the cookies on a wire rack and allow chocolate to set before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 18mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg