Why do my shortbread cookies spread in the oven?

1. Over creaming the butter and sugar. This introduces too much air into the dough. When baked, that air escapes, causing the cookies to puff up and then flatten out. 2. Warm dough. If the butter in the dough softens too much before hitting the heat, it will melt instantly and cause the cookies to puddle. Always chill your dough completely before baking. 3. Inaccurate flour measurements. A dough with too little flour lacks the structure needed to stand tall. To prevent a wet dough that spreads, we highly recommend weighing your flour rather than using measuring cups.

Why is my dough crumbly and not holding together?

1) Too much flour. Measuring flour with cups is notoriously unreliable, so please use a kitchen scale if you have one! 2) The ingredients aren't mixed well enough . The sugar and butter need to be completely mixed and then the flour fully incorporated. Using a stand or hand mixer will help with this.

Why are my shortbread cookies hard and crunchy?

This usually means the cookies were either baked too long or had too much flour. Unlike traditional cookies, we don't want shortbread to get completely brown. They are done just as they begin to brown on the bottom. If they weren't over baked, there may have been too much flour added to the dough - please use a kitchen scale!

Can I use a butter substitute for shortbread cookies?

No. Shortbread is a tender, crisp cookie with a delicate, crumbly texture. This texture is from the butterfat in butter. Using a substitute won't have the same results. We recommend using the highest butterfat butter you have, or can purchase, for the best shortbread cookie.

Are shortbread, butter cookies, and sugar cookies the same?

No, they are all different and it comes down to the ratio of flour to butter plus any additional ingredients added to the cookies. • Shortbread cookies have a high butter to flour ratio, 3 main basic ingredients (flour, butter, sugar), are not very sweet, and are soft and crumbly with a crisp exterior. • Butter cookies have a bit higher flour to butter ratio but usually also have eggs, salt, and vanilla, are a bit sweeter, bake at a higher temperature, and can hold their shapes better. • Sugar cookies have the highest flour to butter ratio, contain a leavening agent (baking soda or baking powder), salt, eggs, and vanilla, are sweeter, and bake at a higher temperature.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies - Appetizer Bliss

Description

These bright lemon shortbread cookies are crisp, tender, and full of a buttery, citrus flavor. They're a melt-in-your-mouth must have for holidays, gifting, or easy entertaining.

Ingredients

Scale

COOKIE DOUGH

100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
170 grams (12 Tablespoons) butter
4-5 grams (3 teaspoons) lemon zest (zest from 1 lemon)
8 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) lemon juice
280 grams (2 1/3 cups) flour

ICING

53 grams (1/2 cup) powdered sugar
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice (may not need it all)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Cream room temperature butter, sugar, and lemon zest together using a hand mixer (a stand mixer or by hand also works) until completely mixed. Add lemon juice and mix until combined.
Add flour to butter mixture and mix until no dry bits remain. NOTE: this is easier to do with an electric mixer but can be done by hand.
Place dough on a lightly floured cutting board and press dough together into a tight ball. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until ¼ to 3/8 inches thick. You may need to lightly flour the rolling pin or dough to keep it from sticking. Work quickly so the butter doesn't melt!
Wrap dough tight and refrigerate for an hour.
Remove the dough, unwrap, and place on a lightly floured cutting board. Use a cookie (or biscuit) cutter to cut the cookies. Place on a lined baking sheet.
Gather scraps, re-roll, and cut cookies. Repeat until all dough is cut.
Lightly cover the cut dough and refrigerate the entire sheet pan for at least 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 300°F while dough is chilling.
Remove the baking tray from the refrigerator. Pierce the tops of the cookies ½ to ⅓ of the way through the dough (not all the way through) using a fork or the round end of a chopstick.
Bake in a 300°F oven for 28-35 minutes. The cookie should be firm in the middle and a light, golden brown on the edges.

Notes

Please use a kitchen scale when measuring flour! Measuring flour with cups is notoriously unreliable. A kitchen scale is much more accurate than measuring by volume. Too much flour can result in dry, crumbly, hard, or crunchy cookies.

For more lemon flavor add another 1-3 teaspoons zest to the cookie dough.

Ingredients. For best results use a good butter with a high butterfat content, good flour (King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill), and fresh lemon zest and juice. Never use a butter substitute.

Why do I need the dots? This helps prevent bubbling of the dough and helps it hold its shape. For the traditional marks on a shortbread cookie, take the round end of a chopstick and gently press 1/2 to 2/3 of the way into the top of the dough to form ‘dots’.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 129
Sugar: 7 g
Sodium: 1.2 mg
Fat: 6.4 g
Carbohydrates: 16.7 g
Protein: 1.4 g
Cholesterol: 16.6 mg