Traditional Irish Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Savor the simplicity of Authentic Irish Shortbread: rich, crumbly, and oh-so-buttery. These melt-in-your-mouth treats are a breeze to bake, bringing the taste of Ireland straight to your kitchen.
Servings: 30 cookies
Calories: 105kcal
Ingredients
- 226 g salted Irish butter softened, 1 cup or 2 sticks
- 100 g caster sugar 1/2 cup
- 245 g all purpose flour 1-3/4 cups
- 55 g cornstarch 1/3 cup, aka cornflour
Optional Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, or the seeds scraped from a vanilla bean
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 whole lemon, finely grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300˚F or 150˚C. Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Cream together softened butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle blade or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy for about 4-5 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed.
- If using vanilla or lemon beat them into the butter-sugar mixture at this point.
- Sift the flour and cornstarch into the butter mixture and mix on low speed for a few seconds then switch to mixing by hand with a spatula until the flour in just incorporated. Be mindful not to overmix the cookie dough.
- Scoop the batter into small balls, about 1.5" or 3.5cm in width. Place the cookie dough balls on the sheet pans spaced evenly apart. Lightly press them down with your hands.If making stamped cookies dust the cookie mold with cornstarch then stamp each dough ball with the mold to create an impression and press the cookies into shape. Use a cookie cutter to trim the edges.
- Bake the cookie trays on the middle rack at 300˚F or 150˚C for about 20 minutes or until the shortbread is a light golden color and you can smell their aroma. The bottom of the cookies should be a light tan color. Rotate the trays halfway though baking to ensure even cooking.
- Optionally sprinkle the tops of cookies with additional sugar. Transfer the shortbread cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Store Irish shortbread cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
- If using unsalted butter, add 1/2-3/4 tsp of kosher salt to the cookie dough
- You can also form the dough into a log, wrap, and chill it to make slice and bake shortbread cookies.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 188IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.4mg