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  4. Our Favorite Shortbread Cookies

Our Favorite Shortbread Cookies

By MyRecipes Updated November 16, 2021
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Lavender-Rosemary Shortbread Cookies image
Credit: Whitney Ott; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

With clever twists and fresh interpretations, our shortbread cookie recipes take the classic treat in fun new flavor directions. We have plenty of traditional choices here, too. Bake up a batch for your next holiday get-together, or as an easy last-minute gift.

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Sheet Pan Scottish Shortbread

Sheet Pan Scottish Shortbread
Credit: Jeffery Cross; Styling: Kelly Allen
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There is shortbread, and then there's this shortbread, ultra-buttery with a light crunch. The secrets are rice flour for the sandy texture and a slow-and-low baking process to develop the flavor. It's a recipe that lends itself to easy, festive riffing (sprinkles! snowflakes!)--and one you'll be happy to have in your back pocket for years.

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Sesamillionaire's Shortbread

Sesamillionaire’s Shortbread image
Credit: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Robby Melvin
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A toasty twist on the traditional Millionaire's Shortbread, these decadent layered cookie bars feature toasted sesame seeds in the shortbread, a luscious tahini caramel, and more sesame seeds sprinkled over top for good measure. 

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Grapefruit-Campari Bars with Shortbread Crust

Grapefruit-Campari Bars with Shortbread Crust
Credit: Caitlin Bensel
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This grown-up treat embraces the bitterness in both grapefruit and Campari, balancing the flavor with a rich, buttery shortbread crust.

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Salted Chocolate-Topped Shortbread

Salted Chocolate-Topped Shortbread
Credit: Greg DuPree
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These whole-wheat cookies have the expected "short" texture of classic shortbread, plus an irresistible buttery flavor. Cultured butter is worth seeking out here; the richer flavor really comes through in a cookie like this where the butter is front and center. You can also use regular unsalted butter for a still delicious but slightly less complex flavor.

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Ginger Shortbread Cookies with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting

Ginger Shortbread Cookies with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting
Credit: Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham
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Leap for Spring with 6-ingredient, Ginger Shortbread Cookies. Look for minced crystallized ginger at your local grocery on the bottled spice aisle.

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Cranberry Shortbread Bars

Cranberry Shortbread Bars image
Credit: Iain Bagwell; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine
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Freeze the shortbread dough, and then grate it in a food processor to get the most tender crust.

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Key Lime-Shortbread Icebox Cake

Key Lime-Shortbread Icebox Cake image
Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Blakeslee Giles
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Layers upon layers of fresh key lime, luscious cream cheese, and shortbread cookies make for a delicious no-bake cake with a show-stopping presentation. A thin layer of pistachios adds a crunch to each creamy, bright bite. The taste is light and sweet, making it the perfect ending to a large holiday meal. If you can't find Key limes to juice, try Nellie & Joe's brand. 

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Lavender-Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Lavender-Rosemary Shortbread Cookies image
Credit: Whitney Ott; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These delicate, crispy shortbread cookies are incredibly impressive given how easy they are to make. With just the right balance of gentle herbaceous, floral flavor and saltiness, these not-too-sweet shortbread cookies are the perfect treat to pair with anything from coffee and tea to lemonade or rosé. 

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Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread

Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread
Credit: Linda Pugliese, Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Buffy Hargett Miller
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Shortbread never tasted so good thanks to this decadent chocolate drizzle!

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Snowflake Shortbread

Snowflake Shortbread
Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Buffy Hargett
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Top with sparkling sugar so these shortbread cookies glisten like snowflakes at your next holiday party.

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Mexican Spiced Shortbread Cookies

Mexican Spiced Shortbread Cookies
Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke
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If you're a fan of Mexican Hot Chocolate, you will love the chile notes in these rich shortbread cookies.

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Shortbread Starter

Shortbread Starter
Credit: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: JK Denim
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Once you master JK's easy, 5-ingredient shortbread dough, you're well on your way to creating and decorating incredible cookie characters.

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Butter Shortbread

Butter Shortbread
Credit: Leigh Beisch; Styling: Dan Becker
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The rich butter flavor and crumbly texture of this cookie makes it a staple of holiday baking, plus you can make it up to five days ahead of time.

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Mocha-Chocolate Shortbread

Mocha-Chocolate Shortbread
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Chocolate-covered shortbread is the yummy end to a wonderful meal. You're likely to have all of the ingredients for this recipe stocked in the pantry.

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Vanilla Bean Shortbread

Vanilla Bean Shortbread
Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr
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Use pantry staples and a flavorful vanilla bean to create these delicate cookies. Make them up to five days in advance, and store in an airtight container.

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Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Fingers

Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Fingers
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These cookies have a double dose of chocolate and are the perfect pickup party bites. And at only 65 cents per serving, you can make enough for your guests and your secret sweet stash (we promise not to tell).

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Brown Sugar Shortbread

Brown Sugar Shortbread
Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr, Jan Gautro, Leigh Ann Ross
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An unusually thick shortbread with a hint of caramel flavor from the brown sugar used in the dough, these rich cookies are going to disappear in a flash. Be sure to tuck some away in the freezer to pull out for a quick holiday dessert or snack.

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Scottish Shortbread

Scottish Shortbread
Credit: James Carrier
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Tired of traditional Christmas cookies like sugar cookies and gingerbread?  This super simple Scottish shortbread is the perfect cookie to enjoy with family or give as as a gift.

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Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread

Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread
Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
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Dark brown sugar adds rich caramel notes to these shortbread cookies; turbinado sugar provides a crunch.

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Lemon-Chamomile Shortbread

Lemon-Chamomile Shortbread
Credit: Susie Cushner
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If you love lemon-chamomile tea, this shortbread cookie is for you.

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Maple-Walnut Shortbread

Maple-Walnut Shortbread
Credit: Evan Sklar
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A twist on the traditional, these cookies are flavored with maple syrup and strewn with walnuts that toast to a nutty-rich flavor as the shortbread bakes. Instead of worrying about scoring and shaping the dough, the shortbread bakes in a single layer and is cut after cooking.

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Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread Hearts

Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread Hearts
Credit: Kate Sears; Styling: Toni Brogen
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Instead of the traditional triangle or square shapes, this easy shortbread dough is rolled and cut into heart shapes and then dipped in chocolate and nuts. It also looks spectacular cut into stars or trees with edges dipped in white chocolate and rolled in nuts or sprinkles.

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Raspberry Shortbread Sandwiches

Raspberry Shortbread Sandwiches
Credit: James Carrier
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This variation, reminiscent of a Linzer torte, is a beautiful addition to any holiday cookie tray. The ingredient list is short, and the process is simple. Make the cookies in advance and freeze without the jam. Assemble just before serving.

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Cheddar Shortbread

Cheddar Shortbread
Credit: Oxmoor House
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Who says shortbread has to be sweet? Try this savory shortbread and you'll be seeing stars—cheddar stars.

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Chai Shortbread

Chai Shortbread
Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro
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The subtle spices of Indian chai tea flavor these small crispy shortbread rounds. Serve them with hot chocolate or for a light dessert. Really love the flavor of chai? Consider doubling the spices for a bolder tasting cookie.

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Espresso Shortbread Cookies

Espresso Shortbread Cookies
Credit: David Prince
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Cacao nibs are bits of roasted cacao beans, the primary raw ingredient used to make chocolate. Look for them in specialty or gourmet grocery stores.

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Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
Credit: Oxmoor House
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Fresh rosemary adds a fragrant quality to these delicate cookies. And because the herb traditionally represents remembrance, a batch of these treats is ideal as a thank-you.

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Pecan-Toffee Shortbread

Pecan-Toffee Shortbread
Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett
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These cookies make a great food gift for pecan lovers.

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Savory Spiced Shortbreads

Savory Spiced Shortbreads
Credit: Annabelle Breakey
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World travelers and adventurous eaters will appreciate the sweet and spicy curry flavor that tints these shortbreads and takes the taste buds on an Oriental Express-style adventure.

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Butter-Mint Shortbread

Butter-Mint Shortbread
Credit: Oxmoor House
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A dash of mint extract gives these buttery shortbread cookies an extra splash of flavor. Choose peppermint or spearmint extract to give them the flavor twist you prefer; then serve them with hot mint tea or a tall glass of sweet tea and a slice of fresh lemon.

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Chocolate-Cherry Sugar-Crusted Shortbread

Chocolate-Cherry Sugar-Crusted Shortbread
Credit: Oxmoor House
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These bite-sized treats are a perfect holiday food gift. Pack in a decorative mug or basket.

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Raspberry Shortbread

Raspberry Shortbread
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Almond extract and raspberry jam give this classic shortbread cookie a rich upgrade.

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Toffee-Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Toffee-Chocolate Chip Shortbread
Credit: Ryan Benyi; Styling: Lynn Miller
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Toffee and chocolate give these shortbread cookies a sweet boost. Make a batch for your next cookie swap.

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Blueberry Shortbread Bites

Blueberry Shortbread Bites
Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Dan Becker
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These delicately textured blueberry shortbreads have a subtle orange flavor. Make a batch for your next brunch or festive gathering.

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Stone-Ground Cornmeal-Pecan Shortbread

Stone-Ground Cornmeal-Pecan Shortbread
Credit: Oxmoor House
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Cornmeal adds a great texture to these savory rounds. And parmesan cheese provides a pleasant change from traditional cheddar cheese straws.

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Chocolate Shortbread

Chocolate Shortbread
Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr, Jan Gautro, Leigh Ann Ross
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This rich chocolate shortbread recipe is easy to prepare and keeps for several days in an airtight container. Because this mixture is already dark, it's hard to tell when the shortbread browns. Check your oven temperature using an oven thermometer, and bake just until the shortbread is set.

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Granny Wallace's Shortbread Cookies

Granny Wallace's Shortbread Cookies
Credit: John Kernick
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These outstanding buttery, sugar-dusted cookies are a specialty of Granny Wallace, minister Matt Canlis's neighbor in Methlick. Matt calls her the "grandmother in residence," offering advice, baked goods and gardening tips.

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    1 of 37 Sheet Pan Scottish Shortbread
    2 of 37 Sesamillionaire's Shortbread
    3 of 37 Grapefruit-Campari Bars with Shortbread Crust
    4 of 37 Salted Chocolate-Topped Shortbread
    5 of 37 Ginger Shortbread Cookies with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting
    6 of 37 Cranberry Shortbread Bars
    7 of 37 Key Lime-Shortbread Icebox Cake
    8 of 37 Lavender-Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
    9 of 37 Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread
    10 of 37 Snowflake Shortbread
    11 of 37 Mexican Spiced Shortbread Cookies
    12 of 37 Shortbread Starter
    13 of 37 Butter Shortbread
    14 of 37 Mocha-Chocolate Shortbread
    15 of 37 Vanilla Bean Shortbread
    16 of 37 Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Fingers
    17 of 37 Brown Sugar Shortbread
    18 of 37 Scottish Shortbread
    19 of 37 Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread
    20 of 37 Lemon-Chamomile Shortbread
    21 of 37 Maple-Walnut Shortbread
    22 of 37 Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread Hearts
    23 of 37 Raspberry Shortbread Sandwiches
    24 of 37 Cheddar Shortbread
    25 of 37 Chai Shortbread
    26 of 37 Espresso Shortbread Cookies
    27 of 37 Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
    28 of 37 Pecan-Toffee Shortbread
    29 of 37 Savory Spiced Shortbreads
    30 of 37 Butter-Mint Shortbread
    31 of 37 Chocolate-Cherry Sugar-Crusted Shortbread
    32 of 37 Raspberry Shortbread
    33 of 37 Toffee-Chocolate Chip Shortbread
    34 of 37 Blueberry Shortbread Bites
    35 of 37 Stone-Ground Cornmeal-Pecan Shortbread
    36 of 37 Chocolate Shortbread
    37 of 37 Granny Wallace's Shortbread Cookies

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