dessert
Crisp Sugar Shortbread Pieces
↓ Jump to recipe
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
15 minutes
Total
25 min
Serves
24–30 pieces
Crunchy, sweet, and made from four ingredients, these shortbread cookies bake into little golden squares with a hard sugar crust. Simple to make and they go quickly.
Ingredients
- 200 g unsalted butter, melted and warm (not hot)
- 1 tbsp sugar for the dough
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2.5 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
- Extra granulated sugar for coating
Instructions
- 1Mix the warm melted butter with 1 tablespoon of sugar and the baking soda.
- 2Stir in the flour until a cohesive, pliable dough forms.
- 3Shape or cut into small uniform pieces or rustic diamonds. Dip the top face of each piece into a bowl of sugar.
- 4Place sugar-side up on a baking sheet and bake at 180 °C (350 °F) for 15 minutes until crisp and golden.
Cook's Note
Use warm melted butter, not softened or cold. Warm melted fat coats the flour immediately and stops the dough from developing any chew. If the butter is cold, you get a different, crumblier result.
Best Served With
Hot tea with lemon, or just on their own.
Why This Recipe Works
When fat melts and coats the flour before water gets involved, the flour proteins don't bind together much. That means very little structure develops in the dough, the cookies bake up short and crunchy rather than chewy.
Make It Yours
- Add a pinch of sea salt to the sugar coating.
- Mix lemon or orange zest into the sugar bowl.
- Press a small piece of chocolate onto each cookie right out of the oven.
Leftover Strategy
Keep in an open tin at room temperature, they stay crisp for a week. Avoid sealing in an airtight container; trapped moisture softens them.
Want to impress guests with this dish? Ask Jeff →
Pairing
Black tea with lemon. For an evening setting, a glass of dessert Muscat.