These shortbread cutout cookies are crisp, buttery, and no-spread, making them perfect for decorating! Whether you're preparing for a holiday celebration, Christmas cookie decorating, or just want a simple base recipe, this shortbread cookie dough is a dream to work with. It rolls out smoothly, bakes evenly, and delivers that classic melt-in-your-mouth, crumbly shortbread texture with every bite.
Unlike sugar cookies, which can be soft and chewy, these cutout cookies have a delicate crispness and a rich buttery flavor. Plus, they don’t spread, ensuring your cookie cutter stamps stay picture-perfect.
We love to enjoy shortbread in our Christmas tree cookies, pistachio shortbread cookies, cookie sticks, and slice and bake cookies. But, it's also used as a base in many of our shortbread cookie bars, which leads to a chewy texture instead of crisp and crumbly!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Classic shortbread cookie: this recipe uses a standard 2:1 ratio of butter to flour, which creates a perfeclty buttery, crisp bite.
No spread: these cookies hold their shape during baking, keeping straight sides and edges that are perfect for cookie decorating.
Melt-in-your-mouth texture: Crisp edges with a tender, buttery interior that easily crumbles with every bite.
Versatile and customizable: Enjoy this simple dessert plain, with a variety of extract flavors, and decorated to your liking.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter. For a rich, buttery flavor. For a strong butter flavor, use European style butter (which has a higher fat percentage) such as Kerrygold or Plugra.
- Granulated sugar. Some recipes call for confectioner's sugar, but I love to use granulated sugar, which adds an extra level of cripy texture to the cookies.
- Vanilla extract. For a warm, classic shortbread taste.
- All-purpose flour. I suggest using a scale to measure this so the outcome is as intended. You'll also want to sift this to remove any clumps and create an ultra smooth final cookie.
- Kosher salt.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of your favorite flavor of extract in addition to the vanilla extract. We love almond, coconut, lemon, orange, and peppermint versions.
- Rub citrus zest into the sugar before creaming with the butter for a bright, fresh twist.
- Stir in finely ground nuts (pistachios, almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc.) for extra texture and depth of flavor. We love these pistachio shortbread cookies for that exact reason!
Cookie Decorating Ideas
- Powdered sugar dusting - for an elegant, classic and simple finish.
- Royal icing - pipe designs, flood with color, or create intricate patterns.
- Swiss buttercream - strawberry swiss meringue buttercream or chocolate swiss meringue buttercream spread on beautifully and are delicious straight cold from the fridge.
- Chocolate drizzle - dark, milk, or white chocolate adds a nice contrast in both flavor and texture.
- Sprinkles & sanding sugar - these should be sprinkled on after cutting, and before chilling and baking. Or, add them on top of some frosting or icing!
How to Make This Recipe
One: Mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Two: Sift in the flour and salt.
Three: Mix until just combined.
Four: Form the dough into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Five: Add the disc of dough in between two pieces of parchment paper and roll to ¼" thick.
Six: Use a cookie cutter (or sharp knife) to cut out the desired shapes.
Seven: Remove the scraps and squish them together into a disc.
Eight: Roll out the scraps and stamp out more cookies. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
Nine: Add the cookies to a sheetpan lined with parchment paper and freeze or refrigerate until firm.
Ten: Bake and cool completely before enjoying or decorating!
Two Ways to Roll and Chill Shortbread Dough
Option 1: This version is more difficult to roll out, but is good if you need to store the dough for longer than 1 hour before baking.
- Form the dough into one large disc about 1" thick. Wrap it completely in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Remove from the fridge and allow the chill to come off for 10 minutes. Place in between two pieces of parchment paper use a rolling pin to roll it out to ¼" thick (it can be any shape, just keep it an even thickness).
Option 2: This version is easier to roll out but needs to be baked at the 1-hour mark so the dough doesn't dry out.
- Immediately after mixing the dough, place it in between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out to ¼" thick.
- Transfer the rolled dough (keeping it in between the parchment layers) onto a sheet pan and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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Expert Tips
- Use room temperature butter - this ensures the dough comes together smoothly.
- Don’t overmix - over-airating the butter and sugar can create bubbles in the baked cookies. And, only mix the flour in until just combined so they remain tender.
- Keep an even thickness - roll the cookie dough out evenly to help the batch bake evenly.
- Dip the cookie cutter in flour - to prevent any sticking, flour the cookie cutters (or knife) to keep super straight edges. Press down, pull straight up, and repeat (dipping in more flour as needed).
- Chill in the fridge or freezer - the chill time for the cut cookies ensures they don't spread during baking.
- Cool on the pan - let the cookies fully cool on the pan to finish baking and setting. Moving the cookies too early can cause them to crack!
- Cool completely before decorating - the icing or decorations can melt off if the cookies are still warm!
Recipe FAQs
If your cookies are spreading, it’s likely because the butter was too warm. Add the cut cookies to the fridge or freezer for 15-30 minutes before baking to ensure they hold their shape.
Yes! You can make the dough in advance and store it wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling it out.
For crispier cookies, roll the dough slightly thinner and bake for an extra 1-2 minutes. Just be sure to watch them closely to avoid over-browning.
This can happen if the butter and sugar were creamed too much or if small air pockets formed during the rolling process. As soon as they come out of the oven, nest another cookie sheet (of the same size) gently on top for a few minutes to help settle the bubbles.
Storage
At room temperature: store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Freeze the dough: wrap tightly in plastic wrap, place in a ziptop bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before rolling and baking.
Freeze unbaked cookies: flash freeze cut, unbaked cookies on a pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a ziptop bag or tupperware. Freeze for 3 months, then add to a baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake directly from frozen according to package instructions.
Freeze baked cookies: store undecorated cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw uncovered at room temperature.
What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
Testing Notes
This recipe was tested numerous times with over 10 combined variables of flour, sugar, and flour ratios and various bake times and temperatures.
The recipe listed was landed on as having the best texture by taste testers, and also held their shape the best while keeping a nice pale color with just golden edges.
A slightly different version of this recipe was used in our Christmas cutout cookies, but found that there was too much spread. This is the re-tested, updated version of that recipe and has been made into its own post and recipe with extra details and tips for success.
📖Recipe
Shortbread Cutout Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
- 2 large baking sheets
- Offset spatula optional (but helpful to transfer the cookies)
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon additional extract almond, coconut, lemon, orange, etc. (optional)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Cream the butter, sugar, salt, and extracts over medium-high speed until combined, then scrape down the sides. Sift the flour into the bowl, then mix on low speed until just combined.1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon additional extract, 3 cups all-purpose flour
Chilling Option #1
- Note: This version is more difficult to roll out, but is good if you need to store the dough for longer than 1 hour before baking.
- Form the dough into one large disc about 1" thick. Wrap it completely in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Remove from the fridge and allow the chill to come off for 10 minutes. Place in between two pieces of parchment paper use a rolling pin to roll it out to ¼" thick (it can be any shape, just keep it an even thickness).
Chilling Option #2
- Note: This version is easier to roll out but needs to be baked at the 1-hour mark so the dough doesn't dry out.
- Immediately after mixing the dough, place it in between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out to ¼" thick.
- Transfer the rolled dough (keeping it in between the parchment layers) onto a sheet pan and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Cutting and Baking
- Use a cookie cutter to stamp out the cookies, pushing down to the bottom, and pulling the whole way up. Remove the excess and use an offset spatula to transfer the cut cookies to a sheetpan lined with parchment paper. Squish the scraps back together and roll out again, repeating the same process.
- Freeze the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ while the cookies chill.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the pan at the halfway mark.
- Leave the cookies on the pans until completely cool. Moving them before they are cooled will cause them to crack.
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