Simple Iced Shortbread Cookies with a Clever Trick
Sneak Preview: These iced shortbread cookies are simple but irresistible. Check out the clever trick for rolling out the dough and cutting it into shapes without losing your mind.
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What if you could make cut-out shortbread cookies that didn’t make a big mess on your kitchen counter? Try this neat-as-a-pin method to roll out the shortbread and cut it into shapes like these butterflies.
Like most people, I reserve cut-out cookies (biscuits) for holiday celebrations. But, unfortunately, they seemed like a lot of trouble until I found this solution.
But first, let’s talk about the ingredients in these cookies.
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Ingredients and substitutions:
- BUTTER: Salted or unsalted butter are both excellent choices. Margarine will not give you the same cookie you see here.
- POWDERED SUGAR: Powdered sugar (aka confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar) contributes to the melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes these cookies so popular. If you don’t have access to powdered sugar, try making it with granulated sugar and a blender.
- VANILLA EXTRACT: Instead of vanilla extract, a tiny amount of almond extract could be substituted. Maple extract has its fans, too.
- BAKING POWDER: Baking powder has no substitute. Please don’t use baking soda.
- FLOUR: My favorite flour for this recipe is unbleached all-purpose flour. Next in line is bleached all-purpose flour
- MILK: Whole milk works best in icing for shortbread cookies, but reduced-fat milk is OK, too. Although I love to use heavy cream in icing, it’s not the best for cookies because it doesn’t set up as fast.
- FOOD COLORING: This is optional, of course. The paste or the liquid is appropriate. However, start with only a drop or two in the beginning so you don’t ruin an entire batch of icing with too much color.
Do these cookies seem intimidating?
Sticky dough, cleaning up the sticky dough, getting the shaped sticky dough unstuck from whatever you’re rolling them on and transferring the cookie to a cookie sheet, etc. Ugh!
On addition, these cookies beg to be frosted. The kids usually want to add sprinkles or other decorations, too. Just thinking about the potential mess is a “Calgon” moment.
I ran across a great idea in Dorie Greenspan’s Baking cookbook the other day. It’s genius!
📌A simple roll-out hack for Iced Shortbread Cookies📌:
Open the bag on three sides and let your cookie-cutter go wild. Because the dough has been thoroughly chilled, the cut-out cookies are easy to pick up with your hands or peel off the plastic before transferring to a cookie sheet, ready to bake.
Here’s the best part:
Clean-up is as simple as throwing the bag away. No flour to sweep up. No sticky dough to scrape from your counter or cutting board.
Dorie’s technique is adaptable to almost any roll-out-the-dough-and-cut-into-a shape recipe–like these Homemade Oatmeal Pop-Tarts. Give it a try!
Variations:
FAQ about these shortbread cookies:
These cookies consist of flour, sugar, and fat (butter). There is no leavening like baking soda or baking powder.
If you keep them in an air-tight container, they stay fresh for a week. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Double wrap them to store in the freezer for up to two months.
Salted butter is the best substitute. Butter is what makes these cookies taste unique. Margarine or shortening is a compromise.
Parting words: I hope you enjoyed the hack for cutting out these cookies. Even though a zippered plastic bag is sacrificed in the process, I think the time and trouble saved is well worth the effort.
If you have questions or suggestions, email me privately to Paula at saladinajar.com. Hope to see you again soon! Paula
Iced Shortbread Cookie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
COOKIE DOUGH
- 1 cup unsalted butter - 226 gr (room temp)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar - 85 gr
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract - 14 gr
- 1 teaspoon baking powder - 2 gr
- 2 cups all-purpose flour - 240 gr
ICING
- 2 cups powdered sugar - 227 gr
- 3-4 tablespoon milk - 42-50 gr
- ½ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract - 7 gr
- pink food coloring - 1-2 drops
Instructions
- Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla and beat until combined.
- Whisk flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl. Add this flour mixture slowly to the butter mixture, stirring on low speed. Stop beating as soon as the flour mixture is completely incorporated. Over beating will result in toughness.
- Form the dough into a slightly flattened ball and chill for about 30 minutes. Place chilled dough into the plastic zipper storage bag. With the bag slightly open to allow air to escape, roll out the dough until evenly distributed throughout the bag. Place back into the refrigerator until firm–at least 30 minutes–up to 2 days. It can also freeze at this point.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line baking pans with parchment paper, silicone mats, or use cooking spray.
- Remove cookie dough from the fridge and carefully cut three sides of the bag with kitchen shears or scissors, leaving one side intact. Open up and use cookie cutters to cut out cookies. Because the dough is cold and firm, they should peel off the plastic easily. Place on prepared cookie sheets. Re-roll scraps after replacing plastic over the new ball and refrigerate for a few minutes until firm again. Repeat as needed until all dough is used.
- Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until light brown around the edges. Cool the cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
Frosting
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and extract. If too thick, add more milk a few drops at a time. If too thin, add more powdered sugar or let sit for a while.
- Use food coloring to tint the icing. Ice cookies and allow to sit until the icing dries. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic for one month in the freezer.
Paula Rhodes, author
I’m a retired home economist, wife, mother, grandmother, and creator of Saladinajar.com. I believe you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Here you’ll find time-saving tips, troubleshooting advice, and confidence-inspiring recipes to make life in the kitchen more fun, appetizing, and satisfying.