Mom’s recipe for the best Traditional Shortbread Cookie!
Sporting a new look for my Canadian Christmas Cookie Platter this year, our family’s traditional shortbread cookie is fundamental festive food.
A little holiday “lipstick” seemed appropriate this year, as I wanted a simpler version of the Shortbread Cookie Sandwiches that I have made every year since 1982.
Traditional Shortbread Cookie: Making the Dough
Mis en place is extraordinarily simple” flour, butter and sugar. Then, a little substitution of 2 tablespoons of flour for 2 tablespoons of cornstarch essential to the texture of the Traditional Shortbread Cookie as it creates that “melt in your mouth” moment that is a signature of the perfect shortbread cookie. The ratio of traditional shortbread is always the same: 2:1:1/2 flour, butter, sugar. Always.
However, it is the technique that makes all the difference with this seemingly simple delicate and seriously revered holiday masterpiece. The flour and the sugar are combined. The typical cookie method has the sugar and butter creamed together first, then the flour is added. That technique completely changes the texture of a Traditional Shortbread Cookie. I know. I have made that mistake in the past. The butter is then worked into the dry ingredients, kneaded by hand until there is a cohesive mass, and you can be confident that your labour will result in the most irresistible cookie the world has known.
I divide the dough into two discs and chill. Often for a few days until I get time to roll them out and bake them.
Traditional Shortbread Cookie: Rolling out the Dough
When rolling out cookies, I always use a sleeve on my rolling pin. Nothing ever sticks to the sleeve, and I really like the textured imprint it leaves on the cookie. A mat or a cloth is also essential. Parchment paper is fine, but it is light and moves around the work surface, so I prefer a mat or a baking cloth. Nothing sticks to either.
I break my disc in half and work with half at a time.
A considerable amount of flour is important on the work surface: enough so the cut out cookie will lift easily. Above, the texture is evident on the dough. What do you think? I love the look.
Cut them out, and place each on a parchment covered cookie sheet. I then gather the bits of dough, combine them and re-roll until all is gone.
Traditional Shortbread Cookie: Decorating the Cookies
Pretty, no? This is not my original idea. Muriel Wyshynski, the mother of my childhood friend, Rae Wyshynski, used to decorate her square shortbread cookies like this. I recall almost falling over when the family gifted me with a couple of dozen of them after our weekend Christmas Cookie making session. The shortbread wasn’t part of the itinerary, and I could not imagine anyone taking the time to decorate each little cookie like this. Yet, I have never forgotten those treasures, either. This was the year for me to try it myself, and though time consuming, yes, not any different than so many of the projects I take on in my kitchen. Put a good movie on, and all will be ready to bake before the end of it!
After doing a sheet of the long rectangles, I decided I wanted to do ovals. The rectangles are great on their own, but awkwardly long for a platter. To put on the little holly sprinkles, you need:
- cut out shortbread dough on parchment covered cookie sheets (refrigerate each until ready to decorate)
- holly sprinkles
- a toothpick
- a little water
About the holly leaves: there are points on one end. It looks best if the pointed ends are away from the berry and facing the opposite direction of one another.
You don’t need to set them into this position. I am demonstrating what I do, but I don’t put them into place before “gluing them on”. I dab the area I am affixing the sprinkles to with a bit of water from the tip of a clean finger. Just a damp bit.
I put the little berry on first, placing it on with my finger, and tapping it into the dough with the pointed end of the toothpick. I do the same with each leaf.
I then dock the cookie with the end of the toothpick. I used to use a fork, but have more control with the toothpick and the holes are cleaner. The fork tends to pull back a bit of the dough with the tines. The cookie needs to be docked to relieve the steam created by the butter to prevent the dough from puffing up.
After completing the decorations for each pan of cookies, into the refrigerator they would go replacing spot of the the “yet to be decorated Traditional Shortbread Cookie” pan that I would take out to continue working with.
Once I had two sheets decorated, the oven was hot, and I started to bake them.
So pretty, and after the amount of time spent, watch that oven and do not over bake the shortbread. Theoretically, they are to be white, but baked with an almost indiscernible golden hue to their bottoms.
Traditional Shortbread Cookie: Baking the Cookies
I prefer them with a little colour, but they are to have very little colour. The two above at the middle and right on the bottom row, would be considered the perfect colouration by a true shortbread enthusiast.
The aroma of the Traditional Shortbread Cookie baking in the oven begs for Christmas music to be playing, snowflakes to be falling, tree lights to be twinkling and is most definitely the best aroma therapy for a troubled spirit as it rests well within providing that primordial seasonal comfort that all is truly well within this world.
Traditional Shortbread Cookie: Celebrating the Season!
Hello! I am a happy, happy cookie! I think I put a little smile on your face when you saw me. Oh, yes I did. Didn’t I? Didn’t I? Come on…
Admit it. When you saw this little platter of cookies, you could not resist that little bit of a smile that started spreading across your face, warming your soul and spirit.
That is the point. This is home. This is for you. This is your soft place to fall. Your sacred place. Come to mama, to Gramsy, to Deda. Come.
Come family. Come friends. We will comfort you. We will love you. We cherish you and we work to provide experiences that we can share together now, and reminisce about in our long and forward futures as we look back upon our shared lives together.
All of this in a cookie. Oh, yes. And so much more.
Crisp. Buttery. Not too sweet. Melt in your mouth. Home.
Mom's Canadian Traditional Shortbread Recipe 2016
Mom's Traditional Shortbread Recipe: cherished by family and friends. Cut into perfect crisp butter perfection: mixing sugar with flour first is her secret.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of flour (remove 2 tablespoons to be replaced with the cornstarch)
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1 cup of unsalted butter
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- ½ cup of Berry sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF
- Combine sugar and flour mixture; mix well
- Work in butter; knead
- Divide into two equal portions; wrap in plastic and refrigerate
- Roll cool dough to ⅛ inch on pastry cloth using a rolling pin cloth cover
- Cut out shapes; transfer to tray and dock decoratively
- Bake 8-9 minutes, until lighty golden on bottom and white on top
- Cool on rack
Valerie, as always, you nailed it exactly. Such magic in one little cookie but it does it every time. Welcome home, it says. My mom has two little wooden shortbread presses, hand carved, brought back by my great uncle Bob after a trip to Scotland. The raised thistle pattern they stamp on the cookie makes them special for me and they will be something I will cherish when it is my turn to own them. I will teach my nephew’s wife, Ashley, to make shortbread as they both love the traditional, old fashioned rituals of a family Christmas, then I will have a third generation recipient of the much loved presses. Have a blessed Christmas, Brendi
I have a large thistle stamp, too Brendi! I should have used it for a batch this year, as I did mean to, actually. I would LOVE an individual stamp so that I could make them that way, but wonder how they would turn out as I have never pressed this recipe into anything.
🙂
Valerie
Hi Valerie, this is the same recipe we use. Butter, sugar, flour only. Anything else is a nice little butter cookie but not traditional Scottish Shortbread. Just remember to dip the press in flour so the dough doesn’t stick. We just roll it out and use the press like a cookie cutter. Our presses are small, round with the carving on the piston part, the handle worn smooth from years of cookie making . Dip in flour, press down on the dough and gently loosen on the cookie sheet. Here is link to a picture of a very similar one: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cookie+press+wooden&view=detailv2&qpvt=cookie+press+wooden&id=C768075D16B0F722CE66806BC55DBAF8E8F77B95&selectedIndex=1&ccid=WkhAR8UL&simid=608037404669513522&thid=OIP.M5a484047c50bc5dc914947fbf33ef1cdo0&ajaxhist=0 If I see another one in my travels to flea markets and garage sales I’ll pick it up for you. Brendi
Ah! Thank you for the link, Brendi! These are rare and not easy to come by. The one in your family is sure to be a treasure!
Hugs,
Valerie
Love the details in your recipes and the family stories are great! Question – where can I buy tha decorative holly and ivy? I live in Toronto. Many thanks!
HI Christine!
I so appreciate you reaching out, chiming in and your lovely compliment! I have found them several places. Likely Michaels – but I never shop there. I am always looking in baking sections wherever I go. Superstore and Sobey’s has even had them. During the holiday season, they are almost in every specialty baking store, for sure. Go to Golda’s Kitchen.ca and search for Christmas sprinkles. You can find them there and they are made by Wiltons.
Let me know how it goes!
Happy Holidays!
Valerie
Hi Valerie
Thank you so much for the info. I will check them out and send you a picture of the cookies! Merrry Christmas
I love the serrated edged rectangular cutters. Do you know where i might find them? i’ve made the holly decorations out of glazed cherries, albet not as realistic looking as your. Do you think this recipe could be made up as a pressed recipe on a baking sheet or pan? i have done other recipes that way, marked out the rectangles & docked them. i have never used a rolling pin sleeve but i like the marking on the dough. Thank you for your recipe.
Hi Eilene!
This is definitely not the dough for a pressed cookie. I found the little ovals in a set of cookie cutters. The large rectangle ones are pretty common. But the best cookie cutters are at garage sales or in great grandma’s kitchen! Let me know how it goes! Best of luck to you. If you follow the instructions, you should be sure to be eating delicious cookies very soon!
🙂
Valerie
These are up next for me. Just have to pick up those holly decorations. If they are as good as the butter tarts my clients will be very happy.
I am eager to hear back from you. Did you take a look at the same recipe on my site – but with Shortbread cookie sandwiches. Those are the ones everyone finds simply irresistible and they are faster and easier to make, in my humble opinion, than these. Same recipe for the cookie, but they are sandwiched between a lovely butter almond fondant type of icing. If you decorate like this for clients, I hope you charge enough! My heavens! Thanks so much, Sarah! Do let me know!
Hugs,
Valerie
Hi Valerie,
This is def a 5 star recipe. So simple. I just finished cooking a batch, after letting dough chill fir 24 hrs. Really easy . I couldn’t resist and already had one!!!! Yum????????????I used a star shape cookie cutter for first batch and used the fork to flatten balls for second batch.
Thank you so much, Shelley,
Tickled to hear this and so appreciate your chiming in here to provide credibility to my readers that this recipe worked for you, too. My mantra is “if I can do it, anyone can”! Also, not sure if you know this, but if you go to my search window in the top right side bar, and serch for “shortbread sandwich cookies”, the Christmas shortbread cookies I made for years and years will come up. Same recipe, just a sandwich cookie with an almond fondant-like butter frosting. These shortbread cookies are kind of famous within my birthday crowd, but I just wasn’t in the mood and wanted a simpler different shortbread this year. I do confess, however, that though I love shortbread anyway I can get it, the sandwich cookies are still my favourite!
Hugs,
Valerie
For some reason, this recipe did not work for me. I chilled the dough. And I chilled again after cutting the cookies. But it seemed there wasn’t enough flour. I did use cake flour rather than all purpose. Perhaps the problem.
That would be it, Sarah! Huge difference. Use only Swansdown Cake Flour for moms angel food cakes but all purpose for this recipe. Fine berry sugar, yes- but not the delicate flour on this one ! So sorry!
🙂
V
I didn’t have any all purpose. Only cake or bread. Tomorrow I might use a mix of both. I have so much of these flours to use up.
HI Sarah,
This is pretty much a no-fail recipe if you use the ingredients I suggested, but I don’t know about the mixing of flours. You are the expert there. Hope it works for you.
🙂
V
stunning!
Thank you!
🙂
Happy 2018!
Valerie
What is berry sugar?
Hi Wanda
Berry Sugar is a Super Fine granulated sugar.
Happy 2024!
Valerie