Nothing beats a bake that is easy to remember, share, and enjoy with others even if it’s something that is done “separate but together”. Shortbreads are up there with scones for my favorite casual bakes, and let’s be honest–a good shortbread is worth gambling on whether or not a tin is full of baked goods vs sewing accessories.
Okay okay that’s technically a butter cookie but let’s be honest shortbreads tow the line the most delightful of ways. I have a simple yet effective recipe to share, but first– let’s talk about why I’m calling out that shortbreads are not butter cookies. (And for those eager beavers who care not about food nerdiness jump down to the recipe here!)
[Butter] Cookie vs Shortbread
Oh the great Standard of Identity, a workplace guardrail for food scientists has found its way onto my personal food blog. I’ll remind everyone I’m not a food scientist or culinary expert, but things like standard of identity help us understand what we’re dealing with. Both of these are delicious, and let’s be honest how many people consider shortbread cookies? It’s just that…if we’re getting technical; shortbreads are biscuits. Did I hear someone’s world shatter? I think I just did.
Let me back that up even further–if you live in the United States, biscuits are also considered cookies (and scones are called biscuits but are not the biscuits alluded above). If you live in the United Kingdom, where shortbread was invented in Scotland, there is a differentiation between what is a cookie, a biscuit , and a scone (they do include American biscuits… as an aside, I do have a traditional scone recipe here).
Essentially:
Cookies are moist and tender
Biscuits are dry and crunchy
Scones are fluffy baked goods
Some people consider eggs another point of deviance between cookies and biscuits, and while I personally agree, I haven’t done my homework on understanding that argument in depth.
1-2-3 Patterned Shortbread Recipe
One thing I love about this recipe, is 1-2-3 isn’t just a gimmick, it’s the ratio for the first three ingredients used so it’s super easy to remember and tweak. Get creative with colors, patterns, and flavors if you’d like! This current ratio highlights butter forward flavor with cocoa and vanilla back notes. I did a 2×2 square shape wise but you can really make anything as long as it’s a mirror cut on each log.
Ingredients
Makes ~60 cookies
- 100 grams of sugar
- 200 grams of room temperature butter
- 300 grams of All Purpose Flour
- 15 mL (1 tbsp) Vanilla extract
- 10 g (~2 tbsp) cocoa powder
- Cream sugar and butter together.
- Add vanilla and gradually add in flour, mixing until flour is fully incorporated.
- Split dough in half (~300g each)
- Add cocoa powder to 1 half and mix until consistent color.
- Roll each log into 2″ diameter logs. If making a square shaped cookie proceed to form into long rectangles.
- Wrap and chill for 30 minutes
- Cut each log and stick back together to form the pattern desired (look at the end of the log to check the final pattern), pressing to make back into a firm log.
- Wrap and chill for 30 minutes. (Can chill for up to one day as a prep ahead treat.)
- Preheat oven at 350 F, 15 minutes prior to taking the logs out of the fridge.
- Cut into 1/4″ thick cookies and put on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes
- Let cool and enjoy!
As a final note, being a hard cookie/biscuit these are known to hold up in shipment! I sent a few to a friend, with her added recommendation to pack with some white bread to absorb moisture (versus going into the shortbread), and they were fine…so do with that what you will.
Stay Hungry
XOXO
Mish
Looking for more cookies?
Brown Butter Miso Cookies
Chocolate Crunch & Sesame Crunchem Cookies
Lemon Guava Thumbprint Cookies