My all time favorite cookie!  I love their delicate texture and that they are not very sweet. 

Shortbread is traditionally made from one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts all-purpose flour with butter being the only flavoring.  My recipe includes a bit more flour as well as cornstarch, which alters the texture and makes the shortbread light and delicate.  I've been using the same recipe since I was about 10 years old and it originally came off the Argo cornstarch box.

I've lost track of the countless variations I have made over the years.  I wish I had photos of them all to share but I only became an "obsessed - food - photographing - blogger" about a year ago.  Some of my favorite adaptations are: cherry almond, chai, maple pecan, chocolate, lemon poppy seed, cranberry white chocolate, rum raisin, white chocolate macadamia, cardamom, chocolate peppermint, coconut, ginger, chocolate cayenne cinnamon, almond, lemon lime ...

Cinnamon Sugar Shortbread

Basic -

Roll dough in a mixture of 2 tsp cinnamon mixed with 8 T. sugar before flattening.

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Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Wilson is not a fan of the shortbread cookie but he does love chocolate chip cookies so, just for him, I made some chocolate chip shortbread cookies.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Basic -

Substitute brown sugar for the white

Fold in ½ cup mini chocolate chips

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Lavender Shortbread

I love the flavor lavender adds to these delicate cookies.  They are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea.

Looking for another culinary use for lavender?  How about my Lavender Scones?

Lavender Shortbread

Basic -

Substitute confectioner's sugar for the white

Add 1 T. culinary lavender along with the dry ingredients.

Lavender Glaze

½ cup confectioner's sugar

2 tsp water

1 tsp lavender

Combine in a small bowl, adding more water to reach desired consistency.  When cookies have cooled, dip or spread them with a thin layer of the glaze. 

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Vanilla Bean Shortbread

A simply breathtaking cookie!  For more detailed information on making this particular variation click here.

Vanilla Bean Shortbread

Basic -

Substitute vanilla bean infused confectioner's sugar for the white.

Add the seeds from one vanilla bean in place of the vanilla paste.

Flatten the cookies into shape by dipping the glass in vanilla bean infused sugar.

When cookies have cooled, dip or spread them with a thin layer of vanilla bean glaze. 

Vanilla Bean Glaze

½ cup vanilla bean infused confectioner's sugar

2 tsp Silk French Vanilla Soy Creamer

¼ teaspoon vanilla paste

Combine in a small bowl, adding more creamer to reach desired consistency.

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Basic Shortbread

1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature

½ cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cornstarch

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 300°F.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla paste, beat until smooth.

Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl.  Gently stir into the butter mixture just until incorporated - do not over mix.  I find it best to use my hands to further combine the ingredients into a nice dough.

Form into 1-inch balls using a "cookie scoop" and place on ungreased baking sheets. Pour a little sugar on a plate; dip the bottom of a drinking glass in the sugar and gently press down on each cookie to flatten slightly.

Bake at 300ºF for about 25 minutes (better to under bake then over bake), or until bottoms just begin to brown. Cool for 5 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 24 cookies

Note:  A low temperature is used when baking shortbread as you do not want them to brown.