Buttery Shortbread Recipes

March 18, 2014

Requiring little more than flour, sugar, eggs, and plenty of good butter, rich, crumbly shortbread is one of our favorite treats. Serve it in cookie or bar form as the perfect afternoon snack alongside a cup of tea, or use it as a delicate, buttery crust for any variety of tart.

Cornmeal Cookies (Paste di Meliga)

These crumbly cornmeal shortbread cookies popular in pastry shops all over northern Italy. **See the recipe for Paste di Meliga (Cornmeal Cookies) »** Christopher Hirsheimer
Rosemary Shortbread

Rosemary Shortbread

A recipe in The Herbfarm Cookbook (Scribner, 2000) for lavender shortbread inspired this version of the classic cookie.Brian Doben
See the RecipeSteve Giralt

Hungarian Shortbread

The light, crumbly texture of this shortbread owes to a clever technique: freezing the dough and grating it. This recipe is based on one in Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan (Morrow, 1996).André Baranowski
See the RecipeSarah Karnasiewicz
Swedish Shortbread Cookies

Swedish Shortbread Cookies

In Sweden, these shortbread cookies are traditionally cut into star shapes and garnished with pearl sugar, which can be found at specialty baking stores and online sources.Todd Coleman
Cardamom-Ginger Crunch

Cardamom-Ginger Crunch

These shortbreads get their spicy kick from ground cardamom and ginger.Todd Coleman
caramel crumb bars

Caramel Crumb Bars

These shortbread bars, with their extravagant double-layered topping—rich caramel and a crumbly butter streusel—are the perfect dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth.Todd Coleman

Vanillekipferl (Vanilla Crescents)

Akin to Mexican wedding cookies and Greek kourabiedes, these Austrian vanilla crescents made with ground walnuts and showered in confectioners' sugar are served throughout central Europe during the weeks leading up to Christmas. See the recipe for Vanillekipferl (Vanilla Crescents) »Todd Coleman
Gluten-Free Vanilla Crescent Cookies

Gluten-Free Vanilla Crescent Cookies

Akin to the famed Mexican wedding cookies, Greek kourambiethes, and Southern pecan puffs, these crumbly shortbread crescents, made gluten-free with a variety of specialty flours, are showered with confectioners' sugar while still hot from the oven.Anna Stockwell

Shortbread Cookies (Punitions)

Shortbread Cookies (Punitions)
Traditional French shortbread cookies taste best using a good salted butter with a high butterfat content, such as Kerrygold.Todd Coleman
Lemon Icebox Pie

Lemon Icebox Pie

This creamy lemon pie with homemade candied lemon peel is a delicious frozen treat.Anna Stockwell

Caramel Pretzel Bars

Buttery shortbread meets gooey caramel meets salty pretzels in cookie bar form. We love that the caramel calls for sugar, honey, and maple syrup; it creates a multifaceted sweetness that pairs beautifully with the pretzel's salt.MacKenzie Smith
See the Recipe
See the RecipeTodd Coleman
Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies (Schokiladen-Butter-plätzchen)

Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies (Schokiladen-Butter-plätzchen)

The recipe for these Christmas cookies comes from the bakery Rischart in Munich. Their base is simple, leaving plenty of room for creative decorations.Todd Coleman
Anise Seed Crescent Cookies (Vanillekipferl)

Anise Seed Crescent Cookies (Vanillekipferl)

The recipe for these Christmas cookies comes from the bakery Rischart in Munich.Todd Coleman

Apricot Tarts with Pistachios

Lightly sweetened apricots are baked quickly in a simple short-bread crust for these rustic tarts, which are garnished with vibrant green pistachios and fleur de sel. Other stone fruits, like plums and peaches, will work just as well.Penny De Los Santos
Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

An adaptation of Basque Christmas cookies, these crumbly harinados are made with ground up pistachios and a blend of gluten-free flours.Noah Fecks

Butter Turtles

Butter Turtles
This recipe is from Food Editor Ben Mims, and was adapted from an old Southern Living recipe. The combination of salty nuts, sweet, buttery shortbread, and dark chocolate will have anyone hooked.Noah Fecks

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