shortbread style sugar cookies

This sugar cookie recipe is like a shortbread-sugar cookie hybrid with less sweetness than a typical sugar cookie as well as a more tender, melt in your mouth texture. They are buttery, only slightly sweet, and hold their shape well for cut outs. Even when they’re baked until golden, they still remain soft in the center. I like to roll mine to ¼″, but you can roll them all the way to ⅜″ if that’s what you prefer.

This is the recipe I used for years in my custom cookie business, and I previously published it in 2022 for my Instagram subscribers. This recipe is actually based on my family spritz cookie recipe (good ‘ol Betty Crocker) growing up that we used to make cut out cookies as well. It’s been a favorite and I’ve kept using it all these years (with a few minor adjustments).

why you’ll love shortbread style sugar cookies

• This cookie tastes delicious with a very light sweetness and lots of buttery vanilla flavor. It’s very reminiscent of shortbread. Like a shortbread and sugar cookie hybrid.
• The texture is soft and tender with a melt in your mouth crumb.
• They hold their shape beautifully and don’t spread which makes them perfect for decorating!
• You can decorate these cookies with royal icing or buttercream. Because the cookie doesn’t puff, liquid style icings like royal icing won’t easily drip off the sides.

ingredients in shortbread style sugar cookies

• butter– I always use unsalted butter in my recipes so I can accurately tell you how much salt to add, but the truth is that when I’m just baking personally, I often use salted butter and nothing is ever too salty. Use what you have, but make sure that it has come to room temperature, about 66-70 degrees. Butter straight out of the fridge will not cream as well, which will either require too much creaming (creating too aerated of a mixture) or the final dough will have little pebbles of butter that will melt in the oven, causing uneven cookies. Make sure the butter hasn’t softened too much and become melty or squishy.
• sugar– I use granulated sugar in my sugar cookie recipe. This recipe has much less sugar (almost half the amount) than a typical sugar cookie recipe, but just enough to give the cookie the perfect sweetness and texture.
• flour– Flour provides the structure for this cookie, and this recipe has the perfect amount for the dough to both hold its shape, yet not be too floury and hard.
• cornstarch– Adding a small amount of cornstarch to a dough will make the final cookies a bit softer and more tender while also helping the cookies hold their shape.
• egg– Eggs will give the cookie structure and tenderness. In my testing of this recipe, I found that removing one egg white makes the dough more tender and also reduces the spread. (Egg whites are mostly water after all!)
• salt- Diamond Crystal kosher salt is the best for baking, so I recommend grabbing a box if you can. It will last you for a long time if you just use it for baking! If you don’t have this type of salt, swap for regular table salt and use half the amount called for.
• vanilla– Vanilla is essential for flavor in this recipe, and I recommend using vanilla bean paste instead of extract if you can. I love to use vanilla bean paste because the flavor is more intense, but vanilla extract is great as well. I love The Spice House, Heilala, and Nielsen-Massey. (Make sure to check your local Costco store for big jars of Nielsen-Massey at an amazing price!)
• almond extract– I grew up in almond extract loving family, so I was surprised to discover that it is a polarizing flavor. If you are not a fan, swap it for more vanilla or skip it entirely. You can also experiment with other extracts or emulsions.

*You can use my code EMILYLOGGANS for 10% off at The Spice House. I love to get my vanilla extract, almond extract, kosher salt, and spices from there!

supplies needed to make shortbread style sugar cookies

• hand mixer or stand mixer– A stand mixer makes this process so incredibly easy, but a hand mixer works just fine, especially if you’re just making a single batch.
• spatula– A spatula is essential to scrape down the bowl throughout the process. Without scraping, you’ll end up with an unevenly mixed dough and cookies that are inconsistent. 
• scale– If there’s one thing I can convince you of, please let it be a kitchen scale. 🙏🏻Using a scale makes everything easier with baking, and it ensures you get the same results every time. Flour is so easy to over-add with volume measurements, and a scale solves that problem.
• parchment paper– I always roll my dough between two sheets of pre-cut parchment paper, which is by far the best way to roll out dough.
• guided rolling pin– Rolling dough evenly is tricky with a regular rolling pin, but with a guided rolling pin, dough comes out evenly every time. It’s such a time saver and one of my favorite kitchen tools.
• baking sheets– I use these cookie sheets for years, and they are amazing.
• cookie cutters– Use whatever you like! I recommend building a collection of good basic shapes as well as repeatable designs, such as seasonal designs. I love to get cutters from Charlson Cookie Co. I also love to collect good quality metal cutters.

I love to bake my cookies well done so they develop a deep caramelized flavor, like you see in the flower shaped cookies. But if you prefer a light, pale cookie that is very plush and soft, don’t let them bake this long. Bake just until the tops are no longer shiny.

Here is a side by side of the exact same recipe rolled to the exact same thickness and baked at the exact same temperature. The only difference is that the cookies on the left were pulled from the oven before they browned and the cookies on the right were baked until very golden brown at the edges. There is more of a caramelized flavor in the second cookies and the edges are more crisp. The ones on the left have a softer texture throughout with a lighter vanilla flavor.

decorating shortbread style sugar cookies

Because these cookies are less sweet than a typical sugar cookie, they are paired well with sweet frostings such as royal icing and American buttercream.

watch how to make shortbread style cookies

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