Butter Shortbread Dough
Updated April 21, 2023
- Total Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2cups/460 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2cups/415 grams granulated sugar
- 2large egg yolks
- 5cups/654 grams all-purpose flour (see Tip)
Nutritional analysis per serving (22 servings)
336 calories; 18 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 19 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 165 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, salt and sugar. Beat on low speed until incorporated and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. (Do not beat until fluffy, you don’t need to incorporate air into the dough.) Add the yolks and mix until just combined. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Step 2
Add the flour to the bowl all at once and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer speed to low and beat until flour is fully incorporated, scraping the bowl again if needed, about 30 seconds. The dough will be in large crumbles. Wrap and refrigerate for later use, or divide the crumbles in half and proceed with Sparkling Shortbread Cookies, Strawberry Jam Bars With Cardamom, Spiced Chocolate Marble Shortbread, Cheddar Chive Crisps, Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Shortbread or Peppermint Patty Shortbreads.
- If you want to make all 6 cookies at once, you will need 3 batches of dough. Divide the dough into 6 portions. Wrap each portion tightly and refrigerate. When ready to use, allow the dough to come to room temperature for 5 minutes. Crumble the dough in large clumps into a bowl, then add the mix-ins (if any) and proceed with the steps that follow.
- If using volume measurements, using a spoon, fluff and scoop the flour into a measuring cup, then scrape with a straight edge to level the surface. This will help prevent adding too much flour which can yield overly crumbly dough.
Private Notes
Comments
Seems like the infamous December Gourmet 1993 cookie dough that revolutionized Christmas cookie making for me at least. I do not know if Epicurious moved that recipe to the archives, but if you can find it, it's a gem! In that issue there were at least 8 variations from one dough. I have made it every year since, using the finest butter I can find: this year it is Plugra.
Just use a wooden spoon. As long as the butter is room temp, it’s easy. I don’t have a mixer and a wooden spoon works fine.
@dd I use Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Butter for baking. It’s delicious and preforms well, a true breakthrough in vegan butter. You can get it salted or unsalted too, which is wonderful for the many baking recipes that call for unsalted butter.
You need the extra egg yolk, in my opinion. Without it, the dough just doesn’t quite come together. It as perfect with the extra yolk.
This recipe was really unsuccessful for me. I rolled them into the cylinders but they were really falling apart. I didn’t want to break another egg for the yolk so I used the egg whites. It worked but the cookies I made were misshapen and cracked. Maybe I was using a higher protein flour or something but I would not recommend this recipe. Now I have SO many cookies that I don’t want to give away.
I’ve done this two years in a row using the metric weights given and it’s turned out perfectly every time! Very easy to form and shape, and creates a perfectly tender shortbread. I suspect that measuring flour and butter in very variable cup measurements may cause inconsistencies.