Easy Traditional Irish Butter Shortbread Cookies
Easy Traditional Irish Butter Shortbread Cookies that are rich and buttery and tender but that don't require any chilling or rolling.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract optional
- Sparkling sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare the baking pan. Cut out a piece of parchment paper that fits the bottom of the pan, either round or square.
- Spray the baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the parchment paper in the bottom and spray that lightly as well. Set aside.
- Measure out the flour into a large bowl (see Tips & Tricks). Set aside.
- Add the softened butter and confectioners sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (See Tips & Tricks for a note on sifting the sugar.)
- Beat on low speed until creamed, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all the sugar gets incorporated.
- Add in the vanilla extract, and the almond extract if using, and briefly mix on low speed until combined.
- Gently pour the flour into the butter and sugar mixture. Combine on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Press the dough into the prepared pan. This is a rather sticky dough, so it is easiest to push the dough in with your fingers. Be sure to spread it out evenly, especially when pressing the dough into the corners. You can smooth out the dough to remove your fingerprints with the back of a tablespoon or with the bottom of a dry measuring cup.
- I like to score a design on my shortbread. Later, I will use those marks as a guide to cutting the cookies. When using a round cake pan, I lightly press the sharp part of a bench scraper vertically, horizontally, and then twice, diagonally to create 8 triangles. I use the bench scraper first so that if my marks are really uneven, I can smooth them over and start again.
- Press marks into the top of the dough with the tines of a fork about halfway through. This makes a fun pattern and also makes the shortbread easier to cut.
- Sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 28-30 minutes until the shortbread is golden brown.
- Let the shortbread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then place it on a wire cooling rack until completely cooled.
- Cut these easy Irish shortbread cookies along the lines you scored earlier.