Shortbread Sugar Cookie Hybrid: a rollable dough with a sandy texture
My rollable shortbread-sugar cookie recipe combines the rich, buttery flavor of classic shortbread with a dough that’s easy to roll and cut into shapes like your favorite sugar cookie. It delivers a delicate, sandy texture that melts in your mouth while holding its structure beautifully during baking. Perfect for decorating with icing or filling with jam, these cookies are as versatile as they are delicious.
This rollable shortbread cookie has a delicate, sandy texture that melts in your mouth, thanks to its high butter content, which coats the flour and prevents gluten development. Traditional shortbread dough can be too delicate to roll, so I adjusted the flour ratios to make this one versatile, like sugar cookie dough.
The flavor of this cookie is rich, buttery, and sweet, showcasing the quality of the butter. Since the butter ratio exceeds 30% (my threshold for splurging), you’ll taste it prominently. If you make this cookie, you must promise me one thing: try to use high-quality butter. Butter is the star of this cookie, and through my experiments, I’ve found shortbread to be one of the most worthwhile recipes for splurging. Look for butter labeled European-style or with 82% fat or higher. My top picks, in order, are Plugra Salted, Kerrygold Unsalted (cultured), Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed, and Strauss Creamery European-Style Butter. There are so many great options—feel free to use your favorite!
Feel free to use any size or style of cookie cutter for this recipe. If you’re interested in my cookie cutters - these are called thumbprint stamps from Williams-Sonoma.
Step by step:
STEP 1 | PREP THE PANS/OVEN.
Arrange a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350°F/180°C. Place a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on top of a cookie baking sheet(s).
STEP 2 | MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS.
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In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), mix the flour, cornstarch, white sugar, and salt (if using) until fully combined (2 a,b).
Why cornstarch? It doesn’t contain any gluten and lowers the overall gluten content of this cookie to ensure you get a sandy, tender texture.
STEP 3 | ADD THE BUTTER AND EGG YOLK.
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Add the softened butter and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients (3a). Mix until all the flour has been coated in fat. This is important to maintain the sandy texture of the cookie (3b).
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Add the egg yolk and mix at medium to low speed until the dough collects into a roughly shaped ball (3 c,d). It should feel like thick, sticky clay.
STEP 4 | ROLL AND CUT THE DOUGH.
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Sprinkle flour very lightly onto a clean work surface. I like to work with half the dough at a time, so I tear off about half to begin. Roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin, turning and flipping the first few times (4a).
You may experience some cracking during the first few rolls. This is a good thing! This means that your baked cookie will be ultra-crumbly and sandy. So don’t worry about the large cracks; gently push the dough back together and gently roll over it to seal the seam. For cracks that appear on just the surface while rolling, use your finger to smear the dough gently until it’s smooth. The heat from your finger will melt the butterfat slightly to mend any hairline cracks and create a super smooth surface. Keep rolling until you like the thickness; I prefer my cookies around ¼” thick. (4b)
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Cut your cookies into desired shapes and use a spatula to move them to your parchment-lined tray, spaced around 1 inch apart (4c, d). You can see in 4d that I’ve put my ornaments too close and they ended up touching while baking, so aim for the spacing you see with the gingerbread man cutouts.
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Fill the centers with jam, which I do using a piping bag with a teeny bit of the tip cut off (4e).
STEP 5 | BAKE.
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The total baking time will depend on the thickness and size of your cookies, but for my cookies, which are around 2 inches in diameter and ¼” (6-7mm) thick, it takes around 15 minutes (5a). Touch up the cookies with extra jam (5b).
Storage and Make Ahead:
These cookies are excellent for cookie boxes or mailing to family and friends. Their low moisture and high fat content keep them deliciously tender for at least a week. Just ensure that you store them in a zip-top bag or airtight container.
To make the cookie dough ahead of time, wrap it in plastic, as with pie dough. Divide the dough into two and roll each into a ball. Place the ball in plastic wrap and flatten it into a disk. Store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to a month.
Video
Read this before you begin
Measure by weight, if possible.
Measuring by weight is the best way for you to replicate my recipes. I develop recipes using ingredients (even liquids) measured in grams, which is why you see them listed first in the recipe cards. For measurements under 5 grams, I will typically only list the volumetric measurements (teaspoons, etc.), as most home scales are not precise for such small weights.
In most cases, I have converted grams to volumetric measurements (aka US customary units) for bakers who prefer this method. However, the measurements are not as precise and may have awkward proportions. The recipes should still work, but for the ultimate precision, try to use weight.
This is the OXO scale I use daily. I also purchased this budget version of a good scale, which I keep at my Mom’s house for baking. If you’re interested in other tools I use for my baking, I’ve compiled a list here.
Use room temperature ingredients.
All my ingredients should be used at room temperature, or 65-75 °F/18-24 °C. I will always indicate if you need something outside this range. If no details are given, room temperature is the default.
Pay attention to the ingredient descriptions.
I try not to be brand-specific, but I will always note an interesting result from a type of ingredient, be it negative or positive.
A specific note regarding salt: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt for everything on this site except for frostings. In frostings, you want the salt to dissolve more easily, and kosher salt tends to leave granules behind. If you substitute table salt (more finely granulated) for recipes that list kosher salt, you must use half the volume indicated in my recipes.
Substitutions are hard.
That’s not to say they’re impossible, though. For instance, in many cases, substituting reduced fat for whole milk (and thus reducing fat by less than 2%) will probably be fine. Using applesauce for oil or even Greek yogurt when sour cream is listed will definitely alter the fat content and adversely affect the crumb texture and density of the cake.
I experiment for hours to get these recipes to work for us. First, try to make them as written or use one of my tested substitutions, which I often dedicate a section to. Then, if necessary, you can make modifications afterward. Even then I would be pretty cautious, as substitutions are one of the hardest things to investigate in recipe development.
Read all the recipe instructions before beginning.
I’m in the “Pre-read the Chapter before Class Lecture” club... and I invite you to join! Baking new recipes can be intimidating, so let’s set you up for success. I want you to think about timeframes. Most fillings and frostings can be made ahead of time, and give you an extra day for mental space. Also, as you become a more proficient baker, you can anticipate and recognize steps. (“Oh, this has a meringue step, so I’ll need an extra clean bowl…” etc.) Ensure you go down the ingredient list and have everything at the right temperature.
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Shortbread-Sugar Cookie
- 210 g (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour, bleached or unbleached
- 24 g (3 ½ tablespoons) cornstarch
- 100 g (½ cup) white granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 160 g (½ cup + 3 ½ tablespoons) unsalted butter*, softened and cut into large 1-2 inch chunks
- 10 g (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 20 g (1 large) egg yolk, cold from the refrigerator
- Assorted jams or jellies (optional; for fingerprint cookies)
*You can use unsalted or salted butter for this recipe. Try to use a high-fat (82% or higher), high-quality European-style butter for the most delicious cookies.
- 210 g (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour, bleached or unbleached
- 24 g (3 ½ tablespoons) cornstarch
- 100 g (½ cup) white granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 160 g (½ cup + 3 ½ tablespoons) unsalted butter*, softened and cut into large 1-2 inch chunks
- 10 g (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 20 g (1 large) egg yolk, cold from the refrigerator
- Assorted jams or jellies (optional; for fingerprint cookies)
*You can use unsalted or salted butter for this recipe. Try to use a high-fat (82% or higher), high-quality European-style butter for the most delicious cookies.
- Prep the pans and oven.
Arrange a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350°F/180°C. Place a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on top of a cookie baking sheet(s). - Mix the dry ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), mix the flour, cornstarch, white sugar, and salt (if using) until fully combined. - Add the butter and egg yolk.
Cut the softened butter into large 1-2 inch chunks and add it to the bowl of dry ingredients with the vanilla extract. Mix at low speed to combine, then adjust the speed to medium until the dough forms small crumbs. Add the egg yolk and mix at medium to low speed until the dough collects into a roughly shaped ball. It should feel like slightly sticky clay. (Don’t worry; as you roll it out, it will incorporate slightly more flour from the surface, making it less sticky.) - Roll and cut dough.
I like to work with half the dough at a time. Tear it in half and roughly shape each piece into a ball.
Lightly flour a work surface, flatten one ball into a disc, and roll it out. Flip the dough two to three times as you roll, working it into a large, even piece. Don’t worry about cracks during the first few rolls—gently press the dough back together and roll over the seam to seal it. For surface cracks, lightly smear the dough with your finger; the heat will melt the butterfat slightly, smoothing out any imperfections. Continue rolling until you reach your desired thickness—I prefer about ¼ inch (6 mm).
Cut the dough into shapes and carefully transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet with a spatula. Repeat with the remaining dough.
If you’re making thumbprints, portion the dough into balls about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Place them on the baking sheet, press down gently with your thumb or a rounded spoon to make an indentation, and fill with jam if desired. - Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the bottom edges are light brown.
The total baking time will depend on the thickness and size of your cookies, but for my cookies, which are around 2 inches in diameter and ¼” (6-7mm) thick, it takes around 15 minutes. Thumbprint cookies will take a bit longer since they are thicker, so watch those bottom edges.These shortbread cookies don’t brown in the oven and remain rather pale, so look for those very lightly browned edges to know if they’re done. You can also lift a cookie and see that the bottom will be lightly toasted.
Also, if you’re doing any type of jam cookie, sometimes the water will evaporate, leaving behind less jam than your started with. I’ll then go in with my leftover jam and do some touch-ups to fill each of the cookies.
Recipe Card - Adriana's Notes
*You can use unsalted or salted butter for this recipe. Try to use a high-fat (82% or higher), high-quality European-style butter for the most delicious cookies.
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