Traditional Irish Shortbread is rich and buttery. It's simply the best-tasting cookie that requires only four simple ingredients. This must be your lucky day!
As we near St. Patrick's day, I wanted to share with you this recipe for Traditional Irish Shortbread.
You can either cut it with cookie cutters or break it into rustic pieces as I did. Whichever way you cut it, this will be a recipe you'll make time and again, and not just for the Irish holiday!
Jump to:
The ingredient list:
*Please note that the exact measurements along with a new "shop the recipe" feature from Instacart is available in the printable recipe card.
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR - My go-to all-purpose flour choice is unbleached. To most people, there are undetectable differences in taste and texture between bleached and unbleached flour, with the unbleached flour producing a slightly denser result. However, using bleached all-purpose flour is also an excellent choice.
BUTTER - I typically use American salted butter for all my baking. It's controversial, but that's what I do. However, if you're using European butter, it has a slightly tangier taste, and you may want to cut back on the amount of salt called for in this recipe.
GRANULATED SUGAR - The first step in this, and many other, cookie recipe is to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together long enough that the mixture is light, fluffy, and the sugar granules have thoroughly dissolved in the butter. This takes time (at least 3-5 minutes) of beating, so don't rush this process.
SALT - I prefer the taste of kosher salt to iodized salt. Kosher salt does not include iodine and has a slightly milder flavor than table salt. I use kosher salt in both my cooking and baking.
Why this recipe works
What I love the most about this recipe for Irish Shortbread (other than how rich, flaky, and buttery it is), is the ease with which this dough comes together and how simple it is to roll out.
Making the cut or taking a break
What I did with this Irish Shortbread dough is rolled it out into two separate blocks, and left them whole.
However, cookie cutters can certainly be used to cut the unbaked dough into any shapes you like.
I decided I wanted to keep the cookies on the "rustic" side, so after the dough was baked, I broke them into random pieces. I really like the way it turned out. It's approachable and completely unpretentious.
Tips for rolling the dough
This shortbread cookie dough has a wonderful texture and can easily be rolled onto parchment paper making it a snap to transfer to a baking sheet when ready to bake.
If you choose to use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes the excess dough may be rerolled as needed.
Make sure not to add too much additional flour to the rolling surface or dough when rerolling the scraps because that will toughen the dough and also texture of the final cookies.
This is how we roll
If you'd like to make rolling out cookie dough a lot more fun but without additional effort or fuss, check out this fun embossed rolling pin and get busy rolling!!
FAQs
You bet. Wrap it will in several layers of clingwrap (you may want to divide it in half, first) and it can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight before rolling and baking.
Yes! Store them in an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months.
I depends on how big your cookie cutters are, or how big you break the baked cookie dough sheets into. I've given 24 broken cookie servings as a rough estimate.
Additional Irish-Inspired Recipes
- Luck of the Irish Corned Beef Boxty
- St. Patrick's Day Recipe Roundup
- Dubliner Cheesy Potato Tart
- Slow Cooker Corned Beef
- Fried Cabbage and Leeks with Roasted Potatoes
When you make this recipe, and I hope you do, I'd appreciate it if you'd take a moment to leave a star rating on the recipe card and briefly comment on why you rated it as you did. FYI - Google appreciates recipe ratings and, in turn, will share my recipes with more people. Thank you so much!!
Printable Recipe Card
Traditional Irish Shortbread
Equipment
- hand mixer optional
- stand mixer optional
- Pizza Cutter optional
- cookie cutters optional
- kitchen timer optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened butter (I always use salted)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 175 degrees Celsius).
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer (or using a stand mixer and the paddle attachment), beat the butter and sugar until fluffy (approximately 3-5 minutes).
- Turn the mixer to low and slowly blend in the flour and salt until fully incorporated and the dough forms a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (or if baking in blocks, a piece of parchment paper) and roll to approximately ¼" thickness.Once rolled, use a pizza wheel or knife cut and even the edges of the dough, and transfer the cookie dough (parchment paper and all) onto a baking sheet.OR cut the dough with cookie cutters and place the cut cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 15-17 minutes or until the cookies are a pale golden brown.
- Cool completely on cooling racks, and break the blocks into shards.
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you'll come back and visit me often. There is always room for you around my table!
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen here on my blog, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. It is always my distinct pleasure to respond to you just as soon as I possibly can.
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!!
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's recipe for Traditional Irish Shortbread as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you.
Follow me across my social media platforms and join in on the conversation: FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, TIKTOK, AND YOUTUBE.
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you'll come back and visit me often. There is always room for you around my table!
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen here on my blog, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. It is always my distinct pleasure to respond to you just as soon as I possibly can.
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!!
Tess says
This was incredible! I sent it to my family for St. Patrick's Day <3
Renée says
Awesome, Tess!
I'm sure your family was thrilled.
I know I would be.
Thanks for the comment and the star rating.
I appreciate it!
Have a great day,
Renee
Karen Kehoe says
My 5th grade grandson had to take an Irish dessert to school for a project. He was able to do it by himself with minimal supervision. We also had ideas for doing this in the future by cutting out with cookie cutters first and baking the shapes. A great recipe!
BeantheBaker says
Wow, have to give these 5 stars; just finished making for St. Patrick's Day. I'm an experienced baker, have to admit that I was skeptical about the difference Kerry Gold butter would make -- but I'm sold. It made a huge difference in the consistence of the dough and the final baked cookies. I used small shamrock cutters, tinted half the dough a light marbled green, sprinkled with coarse sugar and reduced the bake time to about 12 minutes. You do need to watch the time as these will brown very quickly. Beautiful dough to work with; cookies held their shape and the taste and texture? Yes, "melt in your mouth". Thank you for this great recipe!
Taryn says
Great recipe! Shortbread is my fave!
Tayler Ross says
I absolutely love shortbread! And that rolling pin is awesome! Can't wait to try this!
Isabelle says
I have total rolling pin envy right now. That is seriously the coolest gadget EVER!
I'm also loving the idea of breaking up the shortbread into chunks. You can't go wrong with the lazy... errr.. rustic approach. 🙂
Kim Bee says
I am totally trying these, my grandma used to make these for us. But my goodness she never had such a cool rolling pin. I have to get one immediately.
Eva says
I made these with one part all-purpose and one part corn flour. Delicious!
Renée says
I love that! Good to know the addition of cornflour works well in this recipe.
I'll have to try that sometime.
Thanks, Eva!!
Renee
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
Ack! That rolling pin is the coolest baking gadget that I've ever seen! What a fantastic gift. I really like how you baked the shortbread whole. The rustic pieces are such a fun way to serve a cookie.
Angie Barrett says
The cookies are perfect broken up like that! Oh and that Kudos Kitchen rolling pin is amazing! I need one with my blog name on it! too cute!
Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez says
My oldest and I are shortbread fanatics - I have to make a batch of this! And that rolling pin is so incredibly awesome...I love it!
Catherine says
Dear Renne, I love shortbread...and I especially love these! So pretty and festive. Wonderful dear. xo, Catherine
The Food Hunter says
That is the coolest rolling pin ever!
Christie Daruwalla says
We adore shortbread! This looks like a great recipe.
Kristen Chidsey says
Oh my!! I can not even tell you how much I love this recipe. My parents went to Ireland twice and each time my favorite treat they brought back was the shortbread cookies. I want these now!
Renee Goerger says
With only 3 ingredients, you can whip them up anytime you want, Kristen 🙂