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Our 3-ingredient easy shortbread cookies are ready to bake in only 30 minutes and are melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
3 Ingredients Only!
Shortbread cookies are rich and buttery, but not overly sweet and so delicious.
We first fell in love with these cookies years ago when we mastered our classic Shortbread Cookie recipe. We love that recipe so much but also wanted to have a simplified version that was just as good – that’s where today’s easy shortbread cookie comes into play.
This easy cookie recipe only requires 3 ingredients!! Amazing, right? They have a higher butter-to-flour ratio than sugar cookies and are more crumbly than a Butter Cookie creating that melt-in-your-mouth sensation.
They are so simple even the kids can make them!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- They’re so simple! They only require 3 ingredients and are ready to bake in 30 minutes.
- Melt-in-your-mouth. We can’t get enough of that buttery flavor and tender texture.
- Last minute treat or gift. The dough can be prepped and frozen ahead of time for an easy Christmas treat or quick addition to cookie plates!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 18 minutes
- 1½ cups powdered sugar (aka confectioner’s sugar) – sift to remove lumps
- 1 cup salted butter – The better the quality of butter used, the better the flavor and texture.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour – How to Measure Flour
- optional flavor – Add cinnamon or nutmeg, a splash of vanilla extract, or lemon or orange zest to the dough.
How to Make Easy Shortbread Cookies
- WET INGREDIENTS. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to cream 1 cup butter until soft and creamy. Add 1½ cups powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
- DRY INGREDIENTS. Stir in 3 cups flour until the mixture is well combined; press the dough to form a ball. Shortbread dough is typically a little dry and crumbly, but if the dough is too crumbly, add ½-1 teaspoon of milk.
- SHAPE. Flatten the dough and place it in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, close the bag tightly. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough 1/4″ thick inside the bag. It will form a perfect square inside the bag!
- Carefully cut away the sides of the bag. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into rectangular shapes. Use a fork to make 3 rows of holes in each cookie.
- CHILL. Place cookies on parchment paper-lined or ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart. Place pans of cookies in the refrigerator. The dough must chill for at least 10-15 minutes to prevent the cookies from spreading while baking.
- BAKE. While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes until the bottom edges are barely light brown.
- ENJOY! Let cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then remove to cooling racks. If desired, drizzle cooled cookies with melted chocolate once cooled completely.
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Easy Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups salted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Beat butter until soft and creamy. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
- Stir in flour until the mixture is well combined; press the dough together to form a ball. Shortbread dough is typically a little dry and crumbly, but if the dough is too crumbly, add ½-1 teaspoon of milk.
- Flatten the dough and place it in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, close the bag tightly. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough ¼" thick inside the bag. It will form a perfect square inside the bag!
- Carefully cut away the sides of the bag. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into rectangle shapes.
- Place cookies on parchment-lined or ungreased cookie sheets about an inch apart. Place pans of cookies in the refrigerator. The dough must chill for at least 10-15 minutes to prevent the cookies from spreading while baking.
- While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes or till the bottom edges are barely turning light brown.
- Let cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes, then remove to cooling racks.
- If desired, drizzle cooled cookies with melted chocolate.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Place dough into a gallon freezer Ziploc and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and use the same Ziploc bag to roll the dough flat.
Cool cookies on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 2 months.
1 1/2 cups of butter = 338 g
my shortbread is not crumbly at all way too soft too soft ? what did I do wrong.
3 cups flour – 375g
1 cup icing sugar -120g
I have to convert to grams ( used US food ingredient calculator )for the cafe I work in .
very sad.
Love this recipe the simplicity is amazing along with the taste Wow. I just made them first time & I put dough in the zip lock bag rolled out then refrigerated over night. So I went to bake them following recipe i even placed cookie sheet back into friidge before putting in the oven too Well my cookies turned out flat. Is it possible the dough was too cold? That doesnt make sense but I cant figure it out? Why they still spread out flat? Anyone with suggestions much appreciate it. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Do you have any tips for people who want to make this gluten free? If I sub with like almond flour or other gf-flour, should I be using more butter to bind it?
You know, I haven’t ever made these gluten free. But I think if you swapped for a gluten free all purpose flour, you could try just swapping 1:1 and it would hopefully turn out. Again, I don’t know for sure because I haven’t tried. If you make these gluten free, you’ll have to let us know how they turn out.
I haven’t made them yet. We don’t have salted butter, can unsalted be used? Would I add salt?
Yes, you could use unsalted & maybe add a little pinch. I haven’t personally tried, so I would just start with a small amount. Maybe a 1/4 tsp.
Very crumbly. However if u continue to press together with warm hands it will come together enough to place in zip bag. The warmth of your hands continues to soften the butter. We will be serving these with sherbert for a gathering of 8. Just the right taste mixture . This recipe reminds me of cheese straws with added chili powder and no powered sugar. I used a skewer to add heart shaped and crosses to the tops.
Using the ziplock bag to get a perfect shape was a fun baking hack to learn. Also, to answer a previous question- poking holes in the shortbread helps moisture to escape evenly from the cookie and help the cookies bake evenly throughout.
This is a centuries old Scottish recipe. My sister-in-law’s parents immigrated to the USA during WW II. This is one of my favorites, but I have never used a zip-lock bag–what a wonderful idea!