Easy All Butter Shortbread Biscuits (Cookies)

5 from 1 vote

Sweet, buttery and slightly crumbly all butter shortbread biscuits (cookies). Easy recipe with 3 ingredients and 20 minutes of hands-on time.

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Scottish

Servings: biscuits (cookies)

Calories: 85kcal

Author: Helen

Cream the butter, sugar, and salt together using a stand mixer, hand whisk or large spoon.
Add the flour and continue to mix until a dough starts to form.
Use your hands to pull the dough together into a large ball.
Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface, roll out to 0.75cm / ⅓ inch thick, and use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes. (note 2)
Bring the remaining pieces of dough together, roll to the same thickness and cut out using a lightly floured cookie cutter of your choice.
Repeat the process until all the dough has been cut out into biscuits.
Place the biscuits onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 160°C or 320°F.
Once the shortbread has chilled place them in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes until their edges begin to brown.
Leave the baked biscuits/cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes on the tray. Then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Dredge the biscuits in sugar once they are cool. (optional)

You can make shortbread with salted butter too, but you won't need to add any additional salt.
If you find the dough is too soft to roll out and cut into shapes wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. The dough will become firmer as it cools.