12 tablespoons unsalted butter (170 grams or 1 1/2 sticks), melted and still warm
5 tablespoons (65 grams) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling once baked
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
1tbsp amaretto
DIRECTIONS
MAKE DOUGH
Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil so that it hangs over the sides on two sides (this helps when it comes to removing the baked cookies from the pan).
Mix sugar, vanilla, orange zest and the salt together. When mixing, be sure to press the zest into the sugar which releases fragrant oils. Stir in the warm melted butter until the sugar is practically dissolved into the butter. Add the flour and gently mix until a dough forms and no streaks of flour remain. It will look very shiny from all the butter.
Use the tips of your fingers to press the dough into the prepared pan. Set aside at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Or, refrigerate overnight. (This gives the flour a chance to absorb moisture and flavor from the butter).Shortbread Cookies Recipe Step
BAKE COOKIES
Place an oven rack in the lower third of your oven and heat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Bake cookies until set and the edges are a light golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove the cookies, but keep the oven on. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of sugar over the top of the shortbread and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Use the aluminum foil overhang to carefully remove the shortbread from the pan. Using a heavy, sharp knife, cut the shortbread into your desired shape — we like either 16 squares or 32 triangles. As you cut, the shortbread may be a little crumbly — don’t worry, just be as careful as you can when cutting. A few corners lost isn’t a big deal.
Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet lined with foil, parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool cookies on a cooling rack then store in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature (or freeze for 2 to 3 weeks).
ADAM AND JOANNE'S TIPS
Salt: We use kosher salt in our kitchen. If you don’t have it on hand, keep this in mind: 1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt = about 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt.
Our Research: We researched quite a few recipes before coming up with this recipe, the most fascinating one we found was from Alice Medrich. This recipe is only slightly adapted from hers — it’s her method of double baking the cookies that we loved. It’s what we think makes these cookies the closest to our favorite store-bought Scottish shortbreads. You can find her Shortbread Cookies recipe in her cookbook, Pure Dessert. We also learned a lot from Fine Cooking’s Shortbread Cookie Tips.
Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.
NUTRITION PER SERVING: Serving Size 1 cookie / Calories 135 / Protein 1 g / Carbohydrate 13 g / Dietary Fiber 0 g / Total Sugars 4 g / Total Fat 9 g / Saturated Fat 5 g / Cholesterol 23 mg / Sodium 74 mg
AUTHOR: Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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18 comments…LEAVE A COMMENT
Cathy B Glenn November 12, 2019, 9:55 pm
I’m addicted to these shortbread cookies! I didn’t have zest, so I added a bit of orange flavor–lovely contrast flavor. I added lemon flavor the second time–mmmmmmm! I cut mine in ling thin fingers–that double bake is brilliant! So easy and oh so good!
REPLY
Jen January 7, 2019, 10:36 pm
These are by far the easiest and best shortbread I have ever made. I have an old recipe that I make each Christmas, and wow everybody with. As far as I’m concerned this beats it, hands down. The orange zest is the winning ingredient, I’m sure.
REPLY
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