What is the difference between sugar cookies and shortbread recipe cookies?

There’s one big difference between these two cookies: When you eat a sugar cookie , you CLEARLY taste sugar. The primary flavor of a shortbread cookie is butter. There are other differences too… • One recipe has cornstarch and the other doesn’t • Sugar cookies use granulated sugar while the other uses powdered sugar • Sugar cookies have eggs and shortbread doesn’t • One uses baking powder and the other doesn’t Actually, the more you compare the recipes you see they’re completely different!

Why do you put cornstarch in shortbread biscuit recipes?

Adding cornstarch to shortbread cookies makes the finished cookie a bit softer. Crispy cookies aren’t bad, but we want these shortbread cookies to be soft and chewy!

What happens if you don’t chill shortbread before baking?

Since butter is one of the main ingredients in shortbread cookie recipes, you want to make sure the cookies are cold when they go into the oven. Otherwise, the butter will melt too quickly and the cookies will spread all over the pan.

Shortbread Recipes Cookies That Melt in Your Mouth

Shortbread Cookies

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Whether you make shortbread recipes cookies or bars, you’ll want to try this shortbread cookie recipe for a buttery, soft, and chewy cookie with simple ingredients and classic sweet flavor.

Author: Tiffany
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 9-11 minutes
Total Time: 44-46 minutes
Yield: 23 cookies 1x
Category: Desserts
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

½ cup granulated sugar (I recommend coconut sugar)
1 cup unsalted butter
½ tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups + 2 Tbsp whole grain flour (I recommend einkorn)
6 Tbsp cornstarch
⅛ tsp salt

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with a silpat mat.
In a blender or food processor, process the sugar until it’s superfine like powdered sugar.
In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle blade, beat together the butter and sugar until it’s light in color, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater/blade.
Add the vanilla and beat until everything is well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater/blade.
Add the cornstarch, flour and salt and mix on low JUST until combined. The batter may look crumbly, but it will come together when you roll the dough into balls.
Chill the shortbread cookie dough in the fridge. These butter shortbread cookies require a 30-minute chill time and there’s no way around it. The butter simply melts too quickly at room temperature, and chilling the dough means your cookies don’t spread in the oven.
Using a cookie scoop , scoop two scoops of dough per cookie onto the baking sheet. Leave about 2-3” of space between each cookie. (If you’re using these USA baking pans and these silpat mats, you’ll get 12 cookies per pan.)
When you’ve scooped all the cookies, working with one at a time, roll the double scoop of dough into a ball using the palm of your hands and place it back onto the baking pan. Repeat the process for all the cookies.
Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking pan for 10 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Store shortbread cookies in an airtight container for up to 6 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Superfine sugar. This is a must. Using regular granulated sugar is too heavy for these cookies. Measure the sugar into a blender and give it a quick whiz to make powdered sugar for light and fluffy shortbread biscuits.
The dough is crumbly… but it comes together in your hands when you’re shaping the cookies. You might be tempted to add more liquid, but don’t do it!
These cookies don’t spread much (as long as you chill the dough). This means that after you roll the dough into balls, you’ll want to press down lightly for a more traditional cookie shape. I use the bottom of a glass for this.
Freezer-friendly! I intentionally make extra of these and freeze them, so I can grab a cookie whenever I want.
Use silpat mats. These are my absolute favorite because they help encourage even cooking and prevent the cookies from burning!

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 169

Find it online: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/shortbread-cookies/