Let me teach you how to make buttery shortbread wedge cookies using this simple 6 ingredient dough. There’s no chilling necessary and the cookies will never over-spread because you’re baking them in round pans. Keep the cookies vanilla flavored or spruce up the dough with add-ins such as cinnamon, pecans, sprinkles, peppermint extract, chocolate chips, and more.
This recipe is part of my annual holiday cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the word “wedges” while putting this recipe together. But it’s been so many times that I’ve accidentally typed “shortbread wedgies” at least twice now. Anyway, let me tell you about these shortbread WEDGES!
These are my perfect shortbread wedge cookies flavored virtually however you’d like, baked in a cake pan, and cut into triangles/wedges. With no add-ins, they’re pleasantly sweet with rich butter and vanilla flavors. You’ll divide the dough in half to make 2 pans of cookies, so you can flavor each half of dough different ways. Creativity is welcome here!
You Will Love This Shortbread Recipe:
- 6 ingredient dough with lots of optional add-ins
- no rolling pin, no cookie cutters
- 1 mixing bowl
- no dough chilling—ready in under an hour, making it the perfect recipe to tackle while waiting for your other Christmas cookies to chill!
- cookies will never over-spread
- another egg-free baking recipe
- delicious alongside coffee, tea, & hot chocolate
- texture: crumbly, yet tender
- flavor: buttery, vanilla, mildly sweet
Traditional shortbread recipes are 1 part sugar, 2 parts butter, and 3 parts flour. Sometimes there’s vanilla and salt, but there’s no egg and no leavening. Delicious, for sure, but I’ve been making shortbread cookies with a slightly different ratio. Some of my favorite recipes include these flavored cherry almond shortbread, pecan shortbread that’s icebox/slice & bake style, and sweet & salty chocolate pistachio shortbread. I also make chocolate cashew shortbread wedges, a recipe you can find in my cookbook along with a few other variations!
6 Ingredient Shortbread Dough
- Unsalted Butter: As the base of nearly all shortbread recipes, butter supplies these classic cookies with flavor and softness. Make sure you use room temperature butter that’s still cool to the touch. If it’s too warm, the butter and sugar cannot properly cream and the cookies will taste dense. Many shortbread recipes call for cold butter worked into the dry ingredients and that gives you a wonderfully flaky cookie but if not mixed properly, the results can be inconsistent. I usually stick with creamed room temperature butter.
- Granulated Sugar: I go back and forth between confectioners’ sugar or granulated sugar in shortbread recipes. Confectioners’ sugar keeps the cookies light and tender, but you often need more of it to get the same amount of sweetness. (And then an adjustment to butter or flour is ideal.) I’ve been using granulated sugar in these shortbread wedge cookies and I replace some flour with cornstarch, which helps give us that light texture again. By the way, this recipe is a great place to use homemade vanilla sugar because the vanilla flavor can really shine!
- Vanilla: 1 and 1/2 teaspoons gives us substantial vanilla flavor, especially if you use homemade vanilla extract. Feel free to add the beans scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean.
- Salt: 1/4 teaspoon of regular salt keeps the flavor balanced and the cookies are pleasantly sweet. If you like a little more salt flavor, increase the amount to 1/2 teaspoon.
- All-Purpose Flour: I test varying amounts of flour in shortbread recipes regularly and find 2 cups of spooned & leveled flour paired with 1/4 cup cornstarch produces sturdy, yet terrifically tender shortbread wedge cookies.
- Cornstarch: Again, cornstarch really is the “secret” to texture success here. Cornstarch provides the shortbread with structure, but its biggest job is keeping the cookies extra soft, tender, and light. I love adding a small amount to chocolate chip cookies too.
- Optional Coarse Sugar Topping: For an optional sparkly crunch on your shortbread wedges, add a sprinkle of coarse sugar before baking. I usually reach for white “sparkling sugar” sold as sprinkles in the baking aisle.
Overview: How to Make These Shortbread Cookies
These shortbread wedge cookies are great for beginners because the prepwork is fairly simple and the dough comes together in just 1 bowl.
The video tutorial and full printable recipe are below, but let me walk you through the basics with step photos so you know what to expect. Start by creaming the butter and sugar together, and then add the vanilla and salt. Finally, mix in the flour and cornstarch. Beat on low speed to begin bringing all of the ingredients together. The dough will be very crumbly at first, but then clump up when you turn up the speed. Let me show you the difference.
Below, left: Dough is crumbly and dry at first. Below, right: Dough finally clumps together.
Divide the dough in half and press into 2 lined 8-inch cake pans. If you’re shopping for new pans, I use and love these cake pans and these cake pans. If you use 9-inch cake pans instead, the cookies will be quite thin unless you add an add-in such as nuts, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips.
Now you’ll have 2 pans of pressed dough. Top with optional coarse sugar and dock with a fork so steam can escape these butter-heavy treats. And whoops… my hand got a little heavy with the coarse sugar here. You don’t need quite as much unless you love the sweet crunch!
Bake, cool, and then slice into 8 large, 12 medium, or 16 small wedges.
Can I Use This Dough for Other Shortbread Cookies?
Yes! Let me detail the specifics for you:
- Shortbread Bars: Instead of wedges, bake this dough as shortbread bars in 2 8-inch square baking pans. Or bake the dough in 1 9×13-inch baking pan. The bars baked in a 9×13-inch pan will be quite thin unless you add an add-in such as chocolate chips or nuts. The bake time for bars in either size pan is about the same as below, but begin checking at 25 minutes. They’re done when the tops and edges are very lightly browned.
- Thumbprints: You can use a variation of this dough to make thumbprint cookies. Substitute the cornstarch for the same amount (about 30g or 1/4 cup) of all-purpose flour. Chill the dough for 3 hours. This is exactly the recipe I use when making raspberry almond thumbprints—and I add a touch of almond extract to the dough. Follow the assembly/baking instructions from that recipe.
- As a Shortbread Crust: Press the dough into a 9×13-inch pan and use as the crust for lemon bars. Or you can halve all of the ingredients in the recipe below and use as the crust for lemon blueberry tart, raspberry streusel bars, or apple pie bars. Each of these 4 linked recipes call for melted butter in the crust, but using today’s recipe provides a slightly sturdier and flakier foundation. Follow each linked recipe as instructed (including pre-baking the crust if necessary), only swapping in today’s dough.
I do not recommend using this recipe for shaped/cookie cutter shortbread cookies. The butter-heavy dough loses shape in the oven. Instead, I recommend my regular sugar cookies or the buttery shortbread in my cookbook.
And finally, let’s add some goodies!
Flavors & Add-Ins
Add liquids/zest when you add the vanilla & beat in dry add-ins (such as nuts, sprinkles, or chocolate chips) on low speed after the dough is all mixed/clumped together. If adding spices such as cinnamon, add when you add the flour & cornstarch. *You can also divide the dough in half and beat half of these add-ins (including liquids/extracts if needed) into half of the dough.
- Plain: Keep the recipe as written below. Feel free to drizzle with salted caramel or melted chocolate or decorate with royal icing, this cookie icing, or vanilla buttercream. The pictured green cookies are decorated with vanilla buttercream tinted green to look like a Christmas tree! I used Wilton #32 piping tip.
- Peppermint: Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract. After the cookies have cooled, drizzle 4 ounces (113g) of melted semi-sweet chocolate on top, and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
- Sprinkles: Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract and 1/3 cup (about 50g) of sprinkles. Instead of coarse sugar, sprinkle a few teaspoons of more sprinkles on top of the pressed dough before docking and baking.
- Chocolate Chip: Add 3/4 cup (135g) mini chocolate chips. I recommend mini size so you get more chocolate in each cookie. Keeping that in mind, feel free to use 1 cup (180g) regular size instead.
- Cinnamon Pecan: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 cup (130g) chopped pecans. Instead of coarse sugar, sprinkle the pressed dough with a mixture of 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Other add-ins: 1 cup (about 130g) chopped any nut variety, 3/4 cup (about 115g) dried cranberries or raisins, 1 cup (about 180g) flavored morsels such as butterscotch or white chocolate, 1 teaspoon your favorite extract, 1 Tablespoon (15ml) citrus juice such as lemon or orange + 2 teaspoons zest, or 3/4 cup (about 115g) Heath Bar Bits O’ Brickle English Toffee. Feel free to combine add-ins such as citrus juice, zest, 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup dried cranberries. These are the add-ins I’ve tested, so let me know if you try others!
See Your Cookies!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
PrintShortbread Wedge Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 16 large, 24 medium, or 32 small
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Let me teach you how to make buttery shortbread wedge cookies using a simple 6 ingredient dough. There’s no chilling necessary and the cookies will never over-spread because you’re baking them in round pans. See above for optional flavors & add-ins.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (28g) cornstarch
- optional: coarse sparkling sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper leaving enough overhang around the sides to easily lift shortbread out. (Tip: Parchment is used so you can easily remove the shortbread and not cut it while it’s in the pan. I like to use a square of parchment and I cut a 1-inch slit in the center of each side. This helps reduce the amount of creases when lined in the pan.)
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and salt and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour and cornstarch and beat on low speed for 1 minute as the mixture begins to combine. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat for 1-3 minutes or until the dough clumps together. (It will eventually, just keep mixing it.) If you’re adding dry add-ins (see above), this is when you’ll add them.
- Divide dough in half. If you want to be totally accurate, weigh the halves to make sure they’re even. Recipe makes almost 1.5 lbs of plain dough (will weigh more if you added add-ins). Press each half of dough into a prepared cake pan. You want it nice and compact in the pans. Sprinkle with optional coarse sugar. Dock the surface all over with a fork to prevent air bubbles.
- Bake the shortbread for 28-30 minutes or until very lightly browned on top and around the edges.
- Remove from the oven, place pans on a wire rack, and cool shortbread for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove the shortbread from the pans by picking it up with the parchment paper on the sides. Cut each into 8 large, 12 medium, or 16 small wedges. You want to make sure you cut the shortbread while it’s still warm. Enjoy warm or cool shortbread completely on wire racks.
- Cover and store shortbread at room temperature for up to 1 week. If you added a topping such as glaze, icing, buttercream, or melted chocolate, refrigerate after 2 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the shortbread dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 3. Baked shortbread freezes well for up to 3 months. Unbaked shortbread dough freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before continuing with step 3.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Fat Daddio’s 8-inch Round Cake Pan or Wilton 8-inch Round Cake Pan | Parchment Paper | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Coarse Sprinkling Sugar | Cooling Rack
- Vanilla: Feel free to add the beans scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean in addition to the vanilla extract. Add when you add the vanilla extract. If you want to swap in vanilla bean paste, substitute it for the same amount of extract.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch can also be known as cornflour. (Not to be confused with cornmeal.) It keeps the cookies soft and tender. If you don’t have it, replace with the same amount of all-purpose flour.
- Pan Size: I recommend 8-inch round cake pans. If using 9-inch round cake pans, the cookies will be quite thin unless you added an add-in to the dough. Bake time will be slightly shorter if using 9-inch pans. Bake until tops and edges are very lightly browned. See post above for directions for shortbread bars in square or rectangle pans.
- Half Batch: You can halve this recipe to yield 1 pan of shortbread wedges. Same bake time.
Easy to make!!!
Quite basic and easy to follow. Able to make quickly for something last minute. I topped one with Christmas sprinkles and mixed dried cranberries and white chocolate chips into the other. Prefer cookies but still a great recipe.
I kept these plain- because I love the simplicity of shortbread. Just a sprinkle of sparkling sugar on top.
This recipe was fun, easy and delicious! I like that with one dough you can make different flavors depending on the add ins!
This was delicious!!! I only had one 9in pan on hand so I used that and extended the bake time by a few minutes. They turned out much thicker but still amazing. Before I make this again, and I def will, I will buy some 8 in round pans. My kids and husband went nuts over them, it was a super easy Christmas cookie.
Love this shortbread recipe and the options for variety! Guess what all of my friends are getting for their Christmas treat this year–
The 4 varieties I made all turned out great and it was easy to pit this together.
These came together easily and look super impressive. My favorite kind if recipe! I added mini chocolate chips and Christmas m&ms to half and just sprinkled the other with green sugar. Can’t wait to try all the flavors!
Hi Sally! Firstly, I love all of your recipes. Thank you for sharing them – I can’t count how many I’ve made and how often I tell my friends about website :).
I haven’t made this yet but I’d like to. Question for you – I was thinking about making these and serving as a more formal dessert with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of your salted caramel. Do you think that would work? I’m wondering if the cookie texture would be too stiff to eat with a form and knife and/or if I would need to add a topping to make sure the flavor would balance well with the ice cream and caramel. Please let me know what you’d recommend.
Thanks!
Hi Michelle, that sounds like a delicious idea! You can definitely pair these shortbread wedge cookies with ice cream and caramel. Hope it’s a hit with your guests!
Delicious! The recipe was easy to follow and customise to your own flavour choices
I made these with Snickerdoodle seasoning for one and the other I decorated with peppermint candy cane sprinkles. The cookie just melts in your mouth. This is another “keeper” recipe my neighbors love. They will be included in the box of goodies I hand out for Christmas to all our neighbors.
Love this recipe! Really easy, not time consuming, not a ton of dishes, & love the options that can be made. I was looking for a recipe hubby would like, plus can make a few batches for holiday gifts, easy to pack & gift. I saved 4 recipes to test but stopped after trying this one. Made it twice so far, once following, just adding a tiny bit of extra vanilla. Then the second time tweaked to hub-D’s tastes (purist, vanillahead). He loves these and I love that they’re fun! Will definitely be gifting them. Thanks for this great new cookie!
<3 shortbread. This was very simple and turned out great!
The only time I like shortbread is with millionaire bars. But I am trying to explore new recipes so I tried these. I did use 60 grams vanilla sugar and the rest regular sugar. I made them in 3 6in pans so I could try more flavors. I did chocolate chip with flaky sea salt, toffee, cookie nip, vanilla, and maple (sprinkled maple sugar). All are delicious and I will definitely make these again!
Very simple and delicious! Thank you for including a simple option at this hectic time of year. And the options are endless for add ins!! Thanks!
Great recipe. I had a bag of trail mix leftover from a recent backpacking trip and rough chopped it and added to the shortbread. Shortbread Wedge Cookies w/ Cranberry Blend Trail Mix (cranberries, raisins, peanuts, pepitas, and almonds). I really like this website! Cookies turned out great…not to sweet.
A nice simple recipe that used basic pantry ingredients and techinques. The docking marks I made with the fork completely closed up during the bake. Were they supposed to be deep indentations or shallow?
Hi there! You can definitely make the docking marks deeper next time. Hope you loved them!
LOVED these cookies! I added chopped almonds to one pan and drizzled melted chocolate over those. I topped the dough in the other pan with sugar sprinkles. While shortbread is dense, these also came out flaky. I planned to try some leftover buttercream on a plain one tomorrow, but they really don’t seem to need it. I will try the thumbprint variation sometime.
This dough was easy to make and so versatile! I added mini chocolate chips and topped them with a glaze.
These are amazing cookies and they were so simple to make. Love that you can switch it up with the add ins! But they don’t even need any add ins at all 🙂
Plus, during the holidays when we are all hard at work in our kitchens, we especially appreciate one bowl recipes like this!
I absolutely loved this recipe with chocolate chips & sprinkles added. The texture of the chocolate chips against the tenderness of the shortbread cookie is beautiful! I also love that it’s so versatile!
These are delicious! I do not have 8” cake pans, so I used three 6” pans and baked them for about 24 minutes. They came out perfectly. I also used chocolate chips for one pan, sprinkles for another and plain with green icing for the third. They were at hit at out cookie exchange.
This recipe was super easy and tasted great! My house smelled amazing while these were cooking!
This recipe was so easy to put together and so fun to make different flavors! I think we have a new santa cookie recipe for sure!
This recipe turned out so well! The buttery shortbread melts in your mouth and is delicious! I baked mine for a little less time than the recipe called for and they are perfect.
These turned out well but were a bit plain. I didn’t use add ins, which would have helped! The shortbread texture was very good though. They were tasty the next day with a tart jam on top though for some extra flavor – we topped them with lingonberries and ate them for a sweet breakfast with coffee, which was lovely!
Mine didn’t turn out perfectly. I think they needed more baking time. I also prefer sweeter which these are not designed to be but the others in my household liked the taste.
These were easy to make and hard to mess up! I thought I had over beaten them but they still came out perfectly. I used 7 x 9 ceramic baking dishes as I don’t have 8 inch cake pans. I did half of the recipe as short bread with mini chocolate chips mixed in and the other half as plain shortbread with 4 oz of coarsely chopped chocolate sprinkled over it with chopped raw almonds over half and chopped peanuts over the other half. The only thing I would do differently would be to use less chocolate as it overwhelmed the taste of the shortbread.
I have made two batches of these cookies, both have come out very well. Everyone in my family just loved it. I made the first batch with chocochips and the other one with sprinklers. Just loved making them. Looking forward for more such challenges.
I made this recipe using the 8” pan to make wedges. It is wonderful !! I would like to make the full recipe in a rectangle pan to cut in squares. What size pan? I couldn’t find it. Thanks!
Hi Cynthia! See the section of the post titled “Can I Use This Dough for Other Shortbread Cookies?” for details on making shortbread bars.
This is a fun one because… Options! Love all the options. We made one pan plain and one pan cinnamon pecan. Family was split on which one was better so you can’t go wrong. We also had some leftover buttercream that people could add themselves if they so desired… I recommend the buttercream. Takes these cookies to a new level. My 10-year-old made these so a great recipe for beginners!
This was a relatively easy, yet elegant recipe-perfect for a busy time of year that also calls for the making of special treats. I especially appreciated the use of standby ingredients and opportunities for customization in this recipe. Thanks so much for another great monthly challenge!