Everything tastes better with vanilla, and these glazed vanilla shortbread cookies are no exception. They’re made with a traditional 1-2-3 shortbread base and enhanced with a touch of vanilla. And while they’re delicious plain, I love dipping them a simple vanilla glaze. Each one bakes up crisp and melts in your mouth, and there’s no required chill time!
Traditional 1-2-3 shortbread is made with just three ingredients: 1 part sugar, 2 parts butter, and 3 parts flour (by weight). This recipe sticks to that ratio but adds a little vanilla and salt (via salted butter) for the best flavor. I made these specifically for my vanilla series to help use up my stash of 15 different vanilla bean pastes, but you can substitute vanilla extract in a 1:1 swap with very good results, just like with my vanilla bean cupcakes.
Ingredients for Vanilla Shortbread
I kept pretty close to the classic 1-2-3 recipe for the cookie base and just added vanilla and a little salt. If you want to make these cookies extra special, the optional vanilla glaze comes together in seconds. It really highlights the buttery vanilla flavor of these cookies! I’ve listed what each ingredient does below so that you can make educated substitutions if needed.
- Salted butter. The fat in butter gives these shortbread cookies the crisp exterior and melt-in-your-mouth crumb—and it also makes the vanilla glaze richer! I use salted butter for the best flavor and ease of use. If you prefer to use unsalted butter when baking, add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the dough and a pinch to the glaze to enhance the overall flavor. Plant-based/dairy-free butter can generally be substituted in cookies, but I haven’t tried it with this recipe yet.
- Granulated sugar. Sugar adds sweetness, structure, and moisture to these shortbread cookies. Without it, the vanilla shortbread would be dry, crumbly, and bland. You can substitute another granulated sugar if desired.
- Vanilla bean paste. I like using vanilla bean paste in vanilla-centric recipes for the added depth of flavor, but vanilla extract works just fine if you don’t want to splurge on vanilla bean paste.
- All-purpose flour. Plain flour has the perfect amount of protein to make the crumb on these shortbread cookies crisp and delicious. A 1:1 gluten-free flour should work, but I haven’t tested it to know for certain.
- Powdered sugar. These cookies don’t need a glaze, but I love the extra bit of sweetness that the vanilla glaze lends. Powdered sugar dissolves quickly, which makes it the best choice for icings.
- Water. A splash helps thin out the buttery vanilla glaze. Without it, the glaze would be more like a frosting and need to be spread rather than dipped.
How to Make Vanilla Shortbread Dough
One thing to note before you start making this classic 1-2-3 shortbread recipe: Shortbread comes together best when using room temperature butter (68-72°F or 20-21°C is the sweet spot). Too cold of butter, and it will be too hard to cream properly. Too warm of butter, and the dough will be sticky and hard to work with. Room temperature butter is just soft enough to cream nicely but firm enough to roll out without sticking too much.
Cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla bean paste or extract on medium high speed. The mixture will start out dense and grainy, but after 5-7 minutes, it will be much fluffier and lighter in color. Scrape down the bowl once to make sure the butter at the bottom of the bowl got incorporated.
You can see the difference between creamed butter and under-creamed butter below in the image on the right. The creamed butter is on the top of the spatula, and the under-creamed butter is on the middle left of the spatula near the clump of vanilla bean paste. Note the difference in color and texture.
Once your butter mixture has about doubled in size, add the flour. Beat together on low until a crumbly dough forms. Then, increase the speed to medium and mix until a soft, workable dough forms. Depending on your mixer, it may clump into one large ball or 2-3 smaller chunks around your beater.
Tips for Rolling Out Shortbread Dough
Before rolling out your vanilla shortbread, make sure your dough didn’t get too warm during the mixing stage. You’re looking for around 72°F/21°C on a quick-read thermometer. Or, if going by touch, a dough that feels gritty but isn’t sticky. It should leave a thin, fatty layer of residue on your fingers.
If your dough is a little warm, wrap it in plastic or beeswax wrap and chill for 10-15 minutes.
I’ve gotten the cleanest rolls by gathering all the dough into a ball, rolling it in a circle to smooth out all the edges, and then flattening it out. This helps get rid of any large air bubbles that could cause cracking later.
I prefer these glazed vanilla cookies on the thinner side, so I roll out the dough to about ¼” (6 mm) thick. You can make thicker shortbread cookies; just know that they will take longer to bake.
Use a cookie cutter like this fluted round cutter to cut out similar shapes, then gently peel the cookies off of your workspace. I use an offset spatula to separate the dough from the workspace easily. A spatula or bench scraper would also work well.
Place the cookies at least 1″ (3 cm) apart on lined baking sheets. I baked this shortbread on parchment paper and silicone mats, and I preferred the more golden edges with the silicone mats. If you don’t have any, though, parchment paper still works just fine!
Combine the leftover scraps and reroll as many times as needed. Once you have all of your cookies cut out, you can bake them immediately. I tested baking these cookies from room temperature and chilled, and there wasn’t a big change in spread. So if you don’t have the time, it’s fine to skip chilling.
For more defined edges, chill the prepared trays in the fridge or freezer for up to 30 minutes uncovered or one day if covered.
How to Bake Shortbread Cookies
Docking (poking holes into) the cookies isn’t really necessary for shortbread cookies this thin, but it is traditional! I use a fork to poke two lines of holes into each cookie, then bake them at 350°F for 12-15 minutes.
Vanilla shortbread cookies are baked when the very edges and bottoms of the cookies are a pale golden brown. They will get crispier the longer you bake them. My husband prefers the lighter-colored cookies, but I like the darker ones with the extra crunch.
How to Glaze Shortbread Cookies
These buttery vanilla cookies are great plain. You can also top them with a simple vanilla glaze made from melted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla! Just whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl and thin it out with a touch of water. Then, dip the cookies into the glaze.
For a thin layer, lightly shake the cookie back and forth a few times to allow excess icing to drip off, then wipe the rim of the cookie along the side of the bowl to clean up the edges.
FAQs about Vanilla Shortbread
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
This vanilla shortbread recipe is part of my vanilla series, which I started to use up the 15 different vanilla bean pastes I tested. Here are some of my favorite classic vanilla recipes:
Dish Cleanup: Gonna Take a While
I rate my recipe cleanups on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is only a handful of dishes, and 5 is everything including the kitchen sink.
This recipe has a cleanup rating of 4 with the glaze. There’s a mixing bowl, a few measuring bowls/cups, a rolling pin, and a cookie cutter, along with an offset spatula or bench scraper. The mixing bowls for both the dough and the glaze wash up pretty easily with warm water.
If you choose not to make the glaze, it’ll cut down on a few bowls and a whisk, leaving you with a little less to clean up!
Vanilla Shortbread Recipe
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Vanilla Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Shortbread
- 11 Tablespoons (150 g) salted butter softened to 70°F (21°C)
- ⅓ cup (75 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups (225 g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
For the Vanilla Glaze (Optional)
- ½ cup (50 g) powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (28 g) salted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
To Make the Vanilla Shortbread:
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.* If planning to bake immediately (skipping the optional chill time), preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, add softened butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat on medium high speed for 5-7 minutes, until the mixture is very pale and fluffy and about doubled in size.11 Tablespoons (150 g) salted butter, ⅓ cup (75 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Add the flour, then beat on low until the flour is incorporated and the dough looks crumbly. Increase the speed to medium low and beat an additional 2-3 minutes, until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the mixing bowl and holds together. You may have one large dough ball or 3-4 clumps of dough around the beater.1 ⅔ cups (225 g) all-purpose flour
- Transfer the dough to your workspace and shape it into a large ball, pressing out any large air pockets. At room temperature, the dough should be only a little tacky (not sticky!) and fairly pliable. If the dough feels sticky and is warmer than 72°F/21°C, wrap it tightly and chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to let it firm up.
- On your workspace, roll out the dough to about ¼" (6 mm) thick. Cut out cookies 2" (5 cm) in size, then peel the cookies off your workspace with an offset spatula and place at least 1" (3 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. Combine the leftover scraps and reroll as many times as needed.
- For a traditional look, poke each cookie 2-3 times with the tines of a fork (called docking). If desired, chill uncovered baking sheets for up to an hour in the fridge.**
- Bake for around 12-15 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are a light golden brown.Note: If using parchment paper, you may need to bake for an extra minute or two. If using a dark-colored baking sheet, you may need to bake for a minute or two less.
To Make the Vanilla Glaze (Optional):
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, water, and vanilla until combined.½ cup (50 g) powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons (28 g) salted butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 2 teaspoons water
- Once the cookies have cooled, dip them into the glaze one at a time and wipe off any excess on the rim of the bowl. If the glaze begins to harden or separate, heat it in the microwave it for 5-10 seconds and stir vigorously for a few seconds to recombine.Place glazed cookies on parchment paper or silicone mats for about an hour to set until firm, then store in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Recommended Supplies
Nutrition
I’d love to see how your shortbread cookies turn out: Take a photo and tag me on Instagram @floralapronblog to share with me, or use the hashtag #floralapronbakes.