Vintage Shortbread Recipes That are Perfect for the Holidays (2024)

Home Holidays Christmas

Caroline StankoUpdated: Feb. 25, 2022

There's no better way to celebrate Christmas than baking up a few dozen shortbread cookies. We've rounded-up our top 20 shortbread recipes so you can do searching for a recipe and more baking!

1/20

Shortbread

I live in Missouri, but many of our family recipes come from New Zealand, where I lived as a youngster. I proudly claim a Down Under heritage! These special-occasion cookies bring back warm and sweet memories of my childhood, and I'm going to make sure they're passed on to the next generation in my family—no matter where they live. —A. Swenson, Camdenton, Missouri

Go to Recipe

2/20

Taste of Home

Shortbread Hearts

These flaky cookies melt in your mouth. Dipped in chocolate, they look festive.—Barbara Birk, St. George, Utah

Go to Recipe

3/20

Lemon Shortbread Trees

Here's a fun holiday recipe children can help with. And no cookie cutters are needed! I just shape the dough into a triangular log, refrigerate it and cut it into tree-shaped slices to bake and decorate. Broken pretzel sticks form the tree trunks. —Phyllis Schmalz, Kansas City, Kansas

Go to Recipe

4/20

Glazed Maple Shortbread Cookies

Whenever I visit friends in Lutsen, Minnesota, I make sure to buy maple syrup there because I think it's even better than in Quebec. These delicious cookies can be decorated with sprinkles but they're just fine as is.—Lorraine Caland, Shuniah, Ontario

Go to Recipe

Buttery 3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies

With only a few ingredients, these butter shortbread cookies are so simple to prepare. —Pattie Prescott, Manchester, New Hampshire

Go to Recipe

6/20

Cranberry Shortbread Stars

My family loves shortbread and I love cranberries, so I decided to put the two together to make cranberry shortbread cookies. The star shape is a festive addition to my holiday cookie tray. —Sonya Labbe, West Hollywood, California

Go to Recipe

7/20

Scottish Shortbread

My mother, who is of Scottish heritage, passed this shortbread recipe, along with other favorite recipes, on to me. When I entered this treat at our local fair, it won a red ribbon. —Rose Mabee, Selkirk, Manitoba

Go to Recipe

8/20

Whipped Shortbread

These whipped shortbread cookies melt in your mouth. Mostly I make them for the holidays, but I'll also prepare them year-round for wedding showers and afternoon teas. —Jane Ficiur, Bow Island, Alberta

Go to Recipe

9/20

Homemade Chocolate Shortbread

This recipe has been in my files for a long time...probably from when I first learned to bake. Any chocolate lover will like these melt-in-your-mouth cookies. I make them year-round with variations. They're even richer with a thin coat of icing or as a sandwich cookie with frosting in the middle. —Sarah Bueckert, Austin, Manitoba

Go to Recipe

Shortbread Cutouts

I found this recipe in a magazine over 30 years ago and have made these shortbread cutout cookies for Christmas ever since. They're an oh-so-simple recipe to whip up during the hectic holidays. —Jean Henderson, Montgomery, Texas

Go to Recipe

14/20

Light and buttery, these delicate shortbread cookies are melt-in-your-mouth good. The coconut flavor makes them extra special. —Roberta Otto, Duluth, Minnesota

Go to Recipe

15/20

Taste of Home

Carrot Cake Shortbread

I really love carrot cake and wanted to make a cookie that had the same flavors. These comforting cookies are just the ticket! Cinnamon, maple and vanilla make them perfect for the holidays. —Elisabeth Larsen, Pleasant Grove, Utah

Go to Recipe

16/20

Taste of Home

Crisp Lemon Shortbread

Fresh juice and zest pair up to give my buttery cookies a lemony pop. Sprinkle sugar on top for extra sparkle. —Marcia Whitney, Gainesville, Florida

Go to Recipe

17/20

Chocolate Shortbread Trees

You can use this rollout chocolate cookie dough to create all kinds of shapes and sizes, but I like to make trees because they are so easy to decorate. —Deirdre Cox, Kansas City, Missouri

Go to Recipe

18/20

Scottish Shortbread Cookies

This simple three-ingredient shortbread cookie recipe makes wonderfully rich, tender cookies. Serve them with fresh berries of the season for a nice, light dessert. You'll get miles of smiles when friends see these at an afternoon tea or a bridal shower. —Marlene Hellickson, Big Bear City, California

Go to Recipe

19/20

Candy Cane Shortbread Bars

I created these bars for my daughter, who loves peppermint. The buttery shortbread texture just melts in your mouth. They're a hit wherever I take them. —Susan Ciuffreda, Huntersville, North Carolina

Go to Recipe

20/20

Taste of Home

Shortbread Squares

Here's a traditional shortbread recipe that's perfect with a cup of hot tea or coffee. It's a favorite during the holidays. —G. C. Mayhew, Grass Valley, California

Go to Recipe

Originally Published: December 12, 2017

Caroline Stanko

Caroline has been with Taste of Home for the past seven years, working in both print and digital. After starting as an intern for the magazine and special interest publication teams, Caroline was hired as the third-ever digital editor for Taste of Home. Since then, she has researched, written and edited content on just about every topic the site covers, including cooking techniques, buzzy food news, gift guides and many, many recipe collections. Caroline also acts as the editorial lead for video, working with the Test Kitchen, videographers and social media team to produce videos from start to finish.When she’s not tip-tapping on a keyboard, Caroline is probably mixing up a killer co*cktail, reading a dog-eared library book or cooking up a multi-course feast (sometimes all at once). Though she technically lives in Milwaukee, there is a 50/50 chance Caroline is in Chicago or southwest Michigan visiting her close-knit family.

Vintage Shortbread Recipes That are Perfect for the Holidays (2024)

FAQs

What is the world's best shortbread? ›

It's not without reason that Walkers is known as The World's Finest Shortbread. Our traditional pure butter shortbread fingers are baked to perfection, and the sweet, delicious buttery taste is unlike any other.

Learn More ›

What is the secret to good shortbread? ›

Tips To Make the Best Shortbread Cookies

Choose High Quality Butter. No matter what brand of butter you buy, if it's real butter, you can rest assured that it's the best. ...
Keep Ingredients Simple. ...
Add Flavor. ...
Don't Overwork. ...
Shape Dough. ...
Chill Before Baking. ...
Bake Until Golden. ...
Add Finishing Touches.

What are common mistakes when making shortbread? ›

The most common mistakes when making shortbread are over-working the dough, and incorporating too much flour. The less you work the dough, the more crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth your shortbread cookies will be.

Show Me More ›

What are the 3 traditional shapes of shortbread? ›

Shortbread is traditionally formed into one of three shapes: one large circle divided into segments (“Petticoat Tails”); individual round biscuits (“Shortbread Rounds”); or a thick rectangular slab cut into “fingers.”

What is shortbread called in America? ›

Americans are the outlier on how we use "biscuit"

To most of the rest of the English-speaking world, a biscuit is what Americans would refer to as either a cookie or a cracker. Biscuits can be sweet (shortbread) or savory. They're baked in the oven, and they're crisp, not chewy.

Explore More ›

What's the difference between Irish shortbread and Scottish shortbread? ›

Irish Shortbread Is Distinct From Scottish Shortbread

Irish shortbread not only sometimes changes up the butter-to-sugar ratio (possibly going with 2/3 a cup of sugar to 1 cup of butter), but also adds cornstarch in place of some of the flour present in the traditional recipe.

Explore More ›

Why do you put an egg in shortbread? ›

This unexpected addition will make buttery confections like shortbreads and shortcakes even more tender and flaky. “Biscuits should be crumbly, buttery and sweet,” reads a headnote for a cinnamon sugar-spiced shortbread recipe in the Ritz London Cookbook.

What is the best brand of butter for shortbread cookies? ›

Spend extra when it really counts: If you're making a recipe where butter really is the star (think shortbread or biscuits), splashing out for a package of Kerrygold or Vital Farms is worth the expense. The fine differences in the flavor are most impactful in these recipes.

View Details ›

Should I chill my shortbread dough before baking? ›

As Leiths also recommend chilling the dough before baking, although only for 15 minutes, I make another batch of their recipe with soft butter, stick it straight in the oven without passing the fridge, and end up with thinner, crunchier biscuits – presumably because the mixture spreads as the fat melts.

Should butter be cold when making shortbread? ›

Should butter be cold or room temperature for making shortbread? Always start with cold butter straight from the refrigerator. This will keep the dough from warming up, making it greasy and difficult to roll out.

Explore More ›

What are the disadvantages of shortbread? ›

Sugar provides a fast source of energy. There are rarely any artificial additives. Cons: Shortbread is a weight watcher's nightmare because it is extremely high in saturated fat and calories. Saturated fat is the 'bad' fat which is linked to artery-clogging high cholesterol and heart disease.

Read On ›

What happens if you add too much butter to shortbread cookies? ›

Butter is an emulsifier and it makes cookies tender. It also adds in the crispy-around-the-edges element. Adding too much butter can cause the cookies to be flat and greasy. Adding too little butter can cause the cookies to be tough and crumbly.

Discover More Details ›

What is millionaire shortbread called? ›

Caramel shortbread, also known as caramel squares, caramel slice, millionaire's shortbread, millionaire's slice, chocolate caramel shortbread, or Wellington squares is a biscuit confectionery composed of a shortbread biscuit base topped with caramel and milk chocolate.

Discover More Details ›

What is a fun fact about shortbread? ›

Traditional shortbread comes in either rounds, fingers or “petticoat tails” – delicate triangles cut from a larger circle, made to resemble the petticoats which medieval ladies, like Mary Queen of Scots would have worn. The larger circle shape was the most common historical form, and is said to represent the sun.

Read On ›

What's the difference between shortbread and shortcake? ›

This buttery delight uses baking powder to help it rise, giving it a fluffy consistency. Shortcakes are often split and topped with strawberries and cream. Shortbread is similar to shortcake but doesn't include baking powder. Lots of rich butter gives shortbread a high fat content, resulting in a fine, crumbly texture.

Tell Me More ›

What is the famous shortbread in Scotland? ›

Famous Scottish Shortbread - Dean's Shortbread | Scotland UK.

Show Me More ›

Why is Walker shortbread so good? ›

It is only by baking in small batches that we can ensure that classic taste for which Walker's are famed. As it always has been, our shortbread is made using only four ingredients: flour, pure creamery butter, sugar and salt.

Discover More Details ›

Where is millionaires shortbread from? ›

The origins of the millionaire's shortbread, also known as caramel shortbread, date back to the early 1950s in Scotland. Zeelandia UK explore modern twists on the classic bakery product.

View Details ›