Kay's Shortbread

Wow, truly an amazing, authentic shortbread recipe. It's very buttery, moist, dense and MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH delicious. I agree w/ the other reviewers by needing a bit more sugar, so I added 1 extra tablespoon white sugar and dusted it with powder sugar immediately out of the oven. (No need for sugar on top b4 baking) I also added 1 tablespoon milk since it was a bit dry and made the dough nice n' moist. I've also used almond extract instead of vanilla the second time and it was VERY good. I cut mine into 1" x 2" inch mini bars and have it with a hot cup of English Breakfast tea in the morning or when I have company and it's HEAVENLY. Keep it in an airtight container and it tastes just like the first day.

What a hit! Thanks Kay! Having said that - I have made the following modifications with great results: 4 tablespoons white sugar instead of 2 (not quite sweet enough for us the first time I made this recipe) Once pressed into baking dish/pan and before I put it in the oven, I sprinkle with about a tablespoon of white sugar so that it makes a wonderful sweet-crunchy top on the shortbread! We have Myer Lemons growing in the yard here in Florida so I have also now come up with a lemon shortbread version of this recipe: Add the juice of half a medium lemon and two teaspoons of grated lemon peel and toss in an extra tablespoon or so of flour to compensate for wetness of the lemon juice - we love this version, I have made this lemon version two times now!

I made 2 batches of this recipe, one hand mixed, and one using my KitchenAid mixer. The hand mixed one came out the way it is supposed to be, in a soft dough form, and it baked out nice and crispy. The other one came out nicely done too, but the dough was too runny, sort of batter-like. I think hand mixing is the way to go. Delicious.

These were very tasty but only after I made a couple of modifications (as suggested by other reviewers). When I followed the recipe exactly, the shortbread came out terribly dry and not sweet enough for my tastes. So I added 1/4 cup more confectioner's sugar, and 1/4 cup milk to soften the shortbread. With those modifications, it was delicious! Thank you for a simple, yummy recipe.

I came on here to find a shortbread recipe because my mother told me to take shortbread dough, make two balls, wrap & freeze it, and then take 1/2 grate it, sprinkle on your baking dish (I use a pizza pan), lightly spoon your favorite jelly on it, take the other 1/2 and grate that on top. Bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes. This is a great base for tarts! Cream chz & fruit. Tomorrow I'll be making this with a 3x berry filling, fingers crossed.

For the love of GOD, don't melt the butter... make sure it's softened, NOT MELTED... mine didn't bake up right but I'm still giving it five stars because the taste is so wonderful, even if you ruin the batter! Will make again, and next time I'll follow the instructions!

My first time making shortbread and this turned out great! Taking others' advice I added extra sugar and a bit of milk to soften (actually, I added cream). Also added a touch of almond extract. My husband is Scottish and he said these are nearly perfect. ;-)

Absolutely the best shortbread hands down. Iv'e made it for birthday parties and the kids love it. Its not too sweet like most cookies and so much more can be added. I cut the dough in two and made them into rolls. You can roll them in sliced almonds or poppyseeds, crushed peppermints for the holidays, then slice them and place them onto the cookie trays for cooking. Fantastic!

Wowee!!! These are waaaaay too good, and I could get very fat on them. I usually add 1/4 cup more powdered sugar per batch and only use 1 TBSP granulated on top. I've made it both ways and people said it wasn't sweet enough as is. Also, I followed someone else's suggestion on here. I made a batch and rolled the dough into two balls, then froze them. Grate one ball into the bottom of your cake pan, spoon with jam (I used blackberry) and then grate the other ball on top. Fantastic!! Only, don't bake as long in that version, 25 - 30 minute tops. Thanks for a keeper!!

These were easy, rich, and tasty! I froze them, and served them a few weeks later, and they were still like new. Thanks Kay...

FANTASTIC! This is such an easy recipe... great for kids who want to get their hands dirty. And the result is decadent authentic shortbread. I will not have to spend my money on Walker's anymore to get a taste of real buttery shortbread. The first time I made it I used the round cake pan as suggested. That was a disaster, at least for me. The triangles fell apart on the cooling rack. The next time I used a square brownie pan and it worked great. It's also easier for me to cut into squares. One more tip -- you absolutely must cut the shortbread while it is still hot when it 'cuts like butter' as they say. Otherwise it is simply impossible to cut the shortbread after it has cooled off, unless you just want to have one really big piece of shortbread. ;-)

First time making shortbread, I used 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 tbsp milk. I underbaked these a bit in a 8x8 glass pan and they came out a little to dense on the inside and didn't crumble like the outside did. They were a light golden brown and maybe waiting a few more minutes could have made the difference.

mmm really delish. the recipe takes a little tweaking as you go along making the dough.

This is a fantastic recipe--they're so delicate and delicious. I actually roll out the dough and use cutters with it. I've shaped them into "fingers", dipped them in caramel and chocolate and made homemade Twix bars. They were amazing.

Easy & delicious! This has become a Christmas tradition. It always come out perfectly, I am not sure if it's the recipe or the shortbread pan I have, but it seems foolproof. It's important to cut it right away while it is still hot, otherwise it gets brittle and the cuts will be jagged. I flip it right onto a firm cutting board and cut it immediately then transfer the slices to a cooling rack. I sprinkle it with red and green colored sugar before baking. I always use my kitchenaid mixer and have never had a problem. The dough looks like pie crust dough does before you add water, very crumbly, I then press it firmly into my shortbread pan, and I have never had a problem.

For anyone finding this recipe "crumbly and hard to manage" you're not mixing the butter and sugar enough. Mix, mix, mix - a lesson my mother taught me long ago. This recipe is delicious! I used an 8x8" pan as I wanted them thicker than the 9x9" pie plate or pan would have been. I never made any changes except to leave off the sugar on the top of the cookie which I felt was unnecessary. This is definitly a keeper!

These are very very good. I really mixed my butter & sugar well as another reviewer suggested and had no trouble with dryness. I did add the extra 1/4 cup of pwred sugar...but I'm not sure it really needed it. I think it may take away from the buttery taste. I divided the recipe into two cake pans and my cookies were a little more crisp, how I like them. Remember mixing well may be the secret. Also start with your butter at room temp. Thanks

I mucked this up and used caster suger instead of confectioner's suger by mistake. I didn't want to waste the ingredients, yet when I mixed it all up, the dough wouldn't come together. So I added about 1/2 tin of condensed milk, which worked perfectly. Rolled it out and cut it into star shapes, and they made the most delicious cookies I've had in a while! All the taste of shortbread, yet nice and moist and chewy! Sorry - This is probably one of the most unhelpful reviews, yet if anyone else makes the same mistake, they should give it a go! I know I'll be making this 'mistake' again.

fast, easy and melts in your mouth. The BEST shortbread I've ever made!

I wish I could give this 10 stars.... This is the absolute best... I've searched and tried them all, but this is the winner hands down. Easy to make and people just RAVE RAVE about it. It makes a great gift. I put coarse sugar on top and it's just beautiful. If you're a shortbread lover in search of the perfect recipe. Stop here, you've found it... Easy to make and mouthwatering....

Absolutly delishious. Not a fan of shortbread and this one was a HIT! I have tried many recipes and this is by far the best!

I have made these cookies tons of times and I have used many different flavors of extracts, turned them into thumbprint cookies and filled them with different jams and preserves, etc. and they are always delicious. I always mix them by hand and they are quick and easy! This is my go to shortbread recipe for sure!

I have made this shortbread several times now and it turns out great every time!! I have made this around the holidays and sprinkled it with red and green sugar. I shipped it to family, and they have requested that I make it again.

Just what I was craving! Rich and buttery, not too sweet. For those complaining it isn't sweet enough, true shortbread isn't supposed to be very sweet. I thought this recipe was perfect and the confectioners sugar makes it melt in your mouth!

I added more sugar like other reviewers said. I added part milk and part cream as well, and split the extract in half, part vanilla and part coconut. It turned out great! I'm definitely going to make this again, probably putting it with some preserves this time.

This has an excellent texture, very flaky and buttery and crisp! I give it 4 stars only because it was not sweet enough for our family. I added a total of 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and took another reviewer's advice and divided the dough into 2 sections and made "logs". I then rolled the logs in various things - green and red sugar, Christmas sprinkles, and one with Heath Bites. I cut logs into 1.5" circles, then baked on parchment lined cookie sheet. 15 minutes at 350. Spectacular with these modifications!

hmm. I wasn't too "head over heels" for this one. Although it cut perfectly, and didn't crumble a bit, it was rather heavy--condensed. Surprisingly, this was the first recipe I'd followed to a T on here! Not sweet enough either, but I should of known that with the amount of salt it called for, hehe.

I have a lot of really pretty Christmas cookie stamps and I've been looking for a recipe to use them with. This worked great. Instead of baking one large round, I rolled pieces of dough into balls and then pressed down with the stamps. They held the pattern perfectly and turned out beautifully. And because of the powdered sugar, they were melt in your mouth soft and delicious. Thanks for a great recipe.

For this recipe I used a cookie press and they turned out spectacular!! After I was done I dipped one half of the cookie in chocolate!!

The most awesome shortbread ever! It was so buttery. It didn't fall apart like other shortbreads. It is definitely a five star. Thank you!!!

This is the BEST shortbread I have ever had! You have to mix it by hand... no cheating!

These were wonderful, tasted even better the next day. I baked in a square glass pan, flipped out the shortbread and cut into small squares, then cooled.

I rolled out the dough and cut out cookies. It made about 50 heart shaped 2-inch cookies that baked for 14 minutes. They came out light, crispy, held their shape, and are delicious! I used high quality salted butter so I did not add any additional salt.

Made this recipe last year at Christmas--loved it. Per other reviewers, I did add an extra 1/4 C powdered sugar to the batter (also used the full 2T of sugar on the top). Highly recommended.

Only reason I did not give this a 5 rating is because it really does not need baking powder. Have many many different recipes for shortbread and each gives a slightly different texture. The texture of this is perfect and please only SOFTEN the butter because if you melt it you will be disappointed.

I'm not a huge fan of shortbread, but my husband and daughter gave this recipe an enthusiastic five stars. A very easy recipe, and it had a lovely texture. This seems like it could be a good base for a lot of desserts, actually.

I was craving shortbread and this recipe delivers. Melts in your mouth. I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks!

Perfection!!!

Great shortbread cookie recipe and SO easy! I added a tablespoon of milk and used 2 tablespoons of vanilla (love vanilla lol) and it was awesome! I like it even better after it's cooled for a while.

Excellent recipe! I dipped the ends with chocolate and they were a hit with everyone! Edited: I've used this recipe for many years and discovered the following modifications for my preference. Cream softened butter and sugar until incorporated before adding other ingredients. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt for more flavors. Don't over mix. Press the dough into a 9x9 square pan. Bake at 300F for 40 mins or until golden brown. Using low heat and longer baking time dries out the dough to get the sandy texture that I like in my shortbread. I find that the dough is under cooked when baking at 350F until golden brown and that gives it a dense doughy texture in the middle. It is essential to use 2 tablespoons of sugar or the shortbread tastes bland.

I have baked this recipe about 8 times now. This is such a fine recipe! Easy and Delicious! I do sprinkle some of the short bread cookies with powdered sugar as soon as they come out of the oven. It makes for a sand tart like cookie, very delicious. Very fine during holiday time with mulled hot cider. THANKYOU!

These were so incredible, I've never found a shortbread recipe that tastes like the expensive ones you buy, but these are it, thanks Kay! Instead of wedges I did it in a square pan and cut into bars, they were amazing!

YUMMY! These were a big hit with my family.

This recipe turned out fabulous.. I had tried some other recipes on this site for shortbread that turned out terrible. With this one, I did make some minor changes and I loved the results. I used brown sugar instead of white, and only 1/2 tsp of vanilla. I also added a dab of milk to moisten the dough. I didn't use round, but a regular rectangle non-stick cake pan. I wanted to cut out cookie squares, so it worked out wonderfully. I added almond slivers, halved cherries for each little square, and powdered sugar on top. Sooooo yummy! thank you...

DELICIOUS, EASY, QUICK.

This is just an incredible recipe! I told my sister-in-law, "I think I finally found the shortbread cookie recipe that is even tastier than Panera's!" YUM! I made it in a glass 9x9 pan and they came out perfect. Then, a few days later I tried using a cookie press. I think I may have to add more flour to the dough for the press (or chill it) but both came out delicious. My husband gobbled them up pretty quickly. Thanks, Kay for sharing this one. It's a keeper!

this recipe looks nothing like the picture after you make it...i did everything right and it tasted really bad.and pretty dry. it tastes like a plain pie crust or something. since you have to rate it i just put 1 cause its the lowest but i dont even think it deserves that!

The shortbread was good, but I won't say it was great. Next time, I'll add a little more sugar, 1/4 cup.

I read reviews and substituted 1/4tsp almond extract, the remaining 3/4 tsp vanilla. Next time I'll follow the recipe, the texture was fantastic. I baked it in a 9x9 pan since I didn't want the wedge shape, came out great. I will be making this again and again, the family loved it.

wow. Dipped mine in chocolate for Valentines treats and everyone loved them

This recipe was wonderful! I followed other reviewers' suggestions and doubled the white sugar... I was also generous with the 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. I shaped the dough into one inch balls and flatted slightly with two fingers, then sprinkled red and green sugar on either side. I then baked for 10 minutes... They were wonderful! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!! Also, if anyone is up in the air between Kay's shortbread and the other highly rated shortbread recipe on this website... Kay's is hands down the best.

First time shortbread maker here, and they turned out fantastic! Thanks for the simple and delicious recipe!

Delicious! Crumbly and not too sweet, which is authentic. Can be sweetened more if you like. Could be used for a lot of variations - I look forward to making a lavender version!

This was spectacular and that really means something coming from someone that doesn't really like shortbread. I'll definitely make this again! I loved how delicate and flavorful the cookie was!

Just as shortbread should be. I followed recipe except I did not have vanilla extract and used lemon extract instead. I must say I think I like it better.

These were deliciously light and buttery. I chilled the dough and hand-rolled these into cookies. I substituted about 3 tbsp of flour for cornflour, and added green tea powder (matcha) for a Green Tea Shortbread. I also dusted abit of green tea powder on it before baking.It's a gift for my Mom, and I know she'll love it! Thank you (:

Great standard recipe. I cut mine into strips before baking and serve with a dessert cheeseball also on this site. There are never any leftovers. Thanks for the recipe!

Made this tonight for "soul cakes", turned out perfect. Love shortbread will use this easy recipe again! I didn't change anything, not that talented.

Very, very good. Followed other recommendations and made sure the dough was well mixed. Added 3/4 cup powdered sugar (in lieu of 1/2 cup). Otherwise, followed the directions. Made a very simple, very tasty, flakey shortbread. Great with tea or coffee. Thanks for a delicious recipe.

This was my first time making shortbread so the disappointing results may be my fault. I wasn't sure how to mix the butter in so I first tried to cut it in with a fork (kind of like a pie crust). Then I gave up and mixed it with my fingers and that worked fairly well. I doubled the recipe and pressed the dough into a rectangle and cut it into bars. I did get 35 bars that were about 1x3 inches and about 1/2 inch thick. I baked for 20 minutes and that was just enough. I did forget to add the white sugar to the top and I definitely missed it. This was only my first attempt so I will definitely try again sometime.

This is a very good recipe, I did make some adjustments per reviewers' & my likings = added more sugar and milk.

Awesome! I forgot to put the sugar on before I baked it, but adding it after worked out just fine.

great i added the extra powered sugar and also some almond extract as recommended by others. I just formed my shortbread in the 9 in pan and baked it on a cookie sheet. To facilitate this process i placed a large piece of parchment paper in the 9 in pan, formed the dough then lifted it out, finessed the edges and baked. Really easy process and really easy clean up.

Best shortbread recipe I've ever come across. I followed the recipe as given. The taste and texture were sublime.

An excellent, rich and heavy shortbread. I added 1 tablespoon of cornflour to add richness as well as a few drops of almond essence for a more nutty flavour. I baked it in a rectangular pan and cut squares. It was a huge hit!

I agree with Kayla, who noted how simple this recipe and its ingredients are. It is a great sweet-tooth fix when you don't have any special ingredients in the house. You could easily top it with some berries or cooked apples and whipped cream for a fancier dessert. But in our house, it went quickly just cut into plain wedges. We will be doing this again!

Very good. I followed the recipe exactly. These are not very sweet at all, but melt in your mouth ( isn't that what shortbread is all about?). The other reviewer is right - MIX,MIX,MIX. It will finally all come together.

This gets 5 stars because it was super easy to make, and I ate the whole thing up like a fiend. My husband ate half of one, declaring them too rich for his blood. Cook at your own risk. I used a touch more sugar than called for. I've only had out of the box shortbread before and they were blown away by these. I cooked mine in a cast iron pan. Fantastic.

really easy, quite simple; quick to assemble. I was worried about the result, it looked crumbly and unappealing, but when cooked it was as promised.

I followed this recipe to the tee with the exception of adding 2 TBS additional sugar based on reviews. I also refrigerated the dough for 24 hours (mostly because I had to attend to a fussy baby). The next day I rolled the dough out and used cookie cutters (smaller cutters work better). They are delicious, crumbily, flakey goodness. Gonna have to hide them from DH :)

Wow!! A lot of these reviews helped me decide witch recipes to use. Gonna go with this one. :)

oh my goodness! when reading this recipe i really didn't get how it was going to work,having never made shortbread before... well, mine just got finished and a little tiny bit stuck to the pan (just a bit, nothing serious) so i popped it into my mouth... it is the best thing i have ever eaten! practically melts in your mouth! i will make this again and again (maybe even another batch today, i might eat this one before the family gets home!)

This recipe was very good. My mother loved it!!! I personally thought it was a little dry. Great recipe!!

I used whole wheat so may need whit flour, easy to make but not as buttery as other recipes i have tried

I made three batches, each topped with either jam or nutella and they were delicious! A little more crumbly than I was looking for (the apricot ones fell apart a bit) but spot on otherwise.

Pop and Bill liked this one a lot. It was just OK to me. I added chopped pecans and 1/4 C powdered sugar and 1/4 C milk. Next time try it rolled into a log and cut into cookies instead of pressed into a pan.

This was quick, easy and we all loved it! Yum!!

So much reward for so little effort.

I thought this recipe turned out great, although next time I will add a bit more sugar. Other than that, the cookies were awesome and cut perfectly. I think this deserves four stars.

This was so easy, and it taste wonderful! I was wondering if I should have added more flour since I'm high altitude, but it came out perfect! Thank you for such an easy recipe! One happy mama!

Unfortunately, THESE ARE AMAZING!!!!! :-) So good. so easy. Only thing I did differently was to line my round pan with an oversized piece of parchment paper. That way, when they came out of the oven, I could lift them out of the pan and onto my cooling rack instead of trying to flip them out or whatever. Made it very easy to transfer to the cool rack and cut, also cut down on mess in my pan. LOVE THIS RECIPE. Definite keeper.

Really nice and buttery all by themselves and I also used this as a crust for lemon bars which was amazing.

To make cookies from this recipe you have to lower the oven temp to 325F otherwise they burn. Also used 2/3 cup confectioners sugar, a few teaspoons water, and green tea emptied from tea bags. They were fantastic!!!

Very good shortbread recipe . . . I made it exactly as written :)

It's been years since I made shortbread. So glad I chose this recipe because it was delicious! I followed the recipe almost exactly. The only thing I didn't do was sprinkle white sugar on top (although I bet it would be great with it) and instead of making it in a pan, I chilled the dough and rolled it into balls, pressed them down a little bit, and baked them as cookies. Same temp of 350F, and I took them out when they were golden. This makes a great buttery shortbread! I didn't run into any problems, and as someone else mentioned, be sure to mix well so that all the butter is incorporated. Making this my Christmas shortbread for sure!

I baked these cookies for my boyfriend for Valentines - they're delish!! I didn't have all the ingredients, so I substituted the vanilla extract for 2 tsp of vanilla nesquick (milkshake mix) and it worked just as well! For an added Valentines touch, I sprinkled the cookies with pink jelly crystals and moulded them into heart shapes :). These cookies are so yum that I had to force myself not to eat all the batter!! The only complaint I have is the high fat content - but they're great for a treat! :) I will definately bake these again.

Easy and traditional. If you want "Old Fashioned" Shortbread - this is the recipe.

This was really good. The dough looks a lot different than other shortbread I've made, but it turned out great. Took a bit longer than 30 mins, but that was probably my oven. I'll be making this again.

Shortbread cookies are my all time favorite and I am soo pleased at the result of this simple recipe... Buttery and sweet and great texture!! I added 4 tbls instead of 2 because i like em a little sweeter... and I only had an 8" pan so i cooked it for an additional 10 min bc of the extra thickness!!

I thought for sure I couldn't make anything on this site..I went from party girl 24/7 to step mother of two and wife. I ran acrossed allrecipes.com and decided to sign up.. I am tryed your shortbread. It was awesome. I added a couple things to it when it came out of the oven and cooled. I made a banana-strawberry puree dipped one side in them and layered strawberrys and bananas on them. HUGE hit! family loves them... Thank you very very much Kay.

This is much better than even the Land 'O Lakes butter recipe for shortbread. Easy to work with, holds together well even though it is a typical dryish shortbread. Flavor is wonderful! I bake at 4600 ft. above sea level; did not change a thing and got perfect results.

Thus shortbread is good.

This is the best shortbread I have EVER eaten. So easy to make too.

Amazing! The best shortbread I have ever made.

This to me is not a short bread cookie. I did add some extra sugar on top, but it still tastes like dough. Just dough with a bit of sweetness.

Simply delicious! I rolled out the dough and cut out Christmas shapes before baking and dipping in chocolate. This recipe is quick and easily duplicated.

GREAT! Simple to make, great taste. We sprinkled a little raw sugar on the top.

I followed the recipe as shown with just a couple changes. In addition to the teas vanilla, I added a 1/4 teas of lemon extract and one tablespoon heavy cream. Instead of using granulated sugar for the topping, I sprinkled a small amount of turbine raw sugar. It gave the sweetness without using a lot of sugar. I served these cookies with fresh berries.

Great Recipe!!!! I've made this shortbread several times with the intention of giving to some friends to enjoy with tea but, My family devours it. Even my Mom who doesn't care for shortbread.