Classic Butter Shortbread
Melt-in-the-mouth. Works with every cutter in the shop.
The gold standard of cut-out cookies. A short, buttery crumb with just a touch of vanilla — crisp enough to hold every edge of your cutter perfectly. Once you’ve mastered this base dough you’ll reach for it again and again.
Method
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1
Beat the butter and icing sugar together with a hand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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2
Add the vanilla extract and beat briefly to combine.
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3
Sift in the plain flour, cornflour, and salt, then mix on low until the dough just comes together.
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4
Turn onto a lightly floured surface, form into a flat disc, wrap in cling film, and chill for 30 minutes.
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5
Preheat your oven to 170°C (150°C fan) and line two baking trays with parchment.
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6
Roll the chilled dough to about 5mm thick. Press out your shapes, re-rolling scraps as needed.
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7
Place on the prepared trays and bake for 10–12 minutes until set and just golden at the edges.
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8
Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack — they firm up beautifully as they cool.
Baker's tips
- ✦ Keep the dough cold — if it warms up and gets sticky, pop it back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- ✦ Don’t over-bake; they should look barely coloured when they come out — they continue cooking on the tray.
- ✦ For extra-crisp edges, freeze the cut shapes for 10 minutes before baking.