Flower Shaped Shortbread Cookies (Print Version)

Buttery flower-shaped shortbread with gentle vanilla and optional floral accents for elegant gatherings.

# Ingredient List:

→ Shortbread Dough

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
04 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
05 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Decoration

07 - 2 tablespoons coarse sanding sugar or colored sprinkles, optional
08 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting, optional
09 - Edible flower petals or pastel icing, optional

# Recipe Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
03 - Mix vanilla extract into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, mixing until just combined. Do not overwork the dough.
06 - Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll to 1/4-inch thickness.
07 - Using a flower-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies and transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
08 - Sprinkle with sanding sugar or lightly press edible flower petals onto cookies, if desired.
09 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until edges are just turning golden.
10 - Cool cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes.
11 - Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar or decorate with pastel icing if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • They taste impossibly buttery and rich yet stay light and crisp, like eating a cloud made of golden sugar.
  • You can pull them together in under an hour, making them perfect for last-minute gatherings or when you need something that looks fancy without the fuss.
02 -
  • Overworking the dough is the number-one way these cookies fail—mix just until the dough comes together and stop, even if it looks a tiny bit shaggy.
  • Don't bake them until they're golden brown all over; they're done when the edges just barely start to turn color, because they continue cooking on the warm baking sheet.
03 -
  • Let your butter come to room temperature properly—it should yield to gentle pressure but not be greasy or soft, otherwise your dough will spread too much in the oven.
  • If your kitchen is warm, chill the rolled-out dough for 10 minutes before baking so the cookies hold their flower shape instead of spreading into blobs.
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