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ByRosemary
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These easy and delicious slice and bake or cut out Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies are made even better with the addition of brown sugar. The perfect Holiday Cookie.
Shortbread Cookies are a must bake cookie for the Holiday Season, one of my favourites are my Mom’s Shortbread and one my daughter says are no fail are these melt in your mouth Whipped Shortbread. Both worth making!
As you probably already know, I adore Shortbread, any type, bar or cookie it doesn’t matter. I am practically spending all my time making shortbread cookies for Christmas sharing this year.
In my opinion you either love it or hate it. Remember Shortbread is supposed to be dry, that’s what makes them shortbread. If you are looking for a moist cookie, well it’s not these ones.
So for me shortbread plus cinnamon is perfection. What I also liked so much about these cookies is the fact that they can be rolled and sliced, or made into your favourite cut out cookies, both are easy and delicious.
Table of Contents
How to make Cinnamon Shortbread
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and cinnamon. In the mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar. Gradually add the flour and mix just to combine.
Move the dough to a flat surface and knead to combine. Divide the dough into two parts and roll into a log shape, or form into a compact dough ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate. Remove the logs and cut in 1/4 inch slices, or roll the dough into a 1/4 inch thick and cut out with your favourite cookie cutters, then roll the slices or cut outs in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
Place the cookies on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake, let cool before serving.
If you find the dough too crumbly, then you can add a little more softened butter, or even a few drops of water if you can’t get it to combine. Chilling the dough also helps too.
Why chill the dough?
Chilling the dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. The fat in the chilled cookies will take longer to melt them room temperature dough. This helps the cookies to spread less. Also be sure to use flour with at least 12% protein.
Can the dough be made in advance?
Yes the dough can be made in advance. Wrap the logs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to three days. Or you can freeze the dough wrapped and then placed in a freezer safe bag or container for up to three months.
The dough can either be thawed overnight in the refrigerator before baking and continue with the recipe. Or you can thaw the rolls a few minutes while the oven preheats, this makes it easier to cut the dough into slices. Then continue as instructed in the recipe. Remember that the baking time may take a few minutes longer, but be sure to watch them closely.
How to store the baked cookies
The baked cooled cookies should be stored in an airtight container and kept in a cool area. They will keep for up to a week. They can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to ten days.
How to freeze the cookies
Cool the cookies completely before placing in an airtight freezer safe bag or container. They will keep for up to two to three months.
To thaw the frozen cookies, I always remove them from the tin and place them on a plate ready to be served. That way condensation doesn’t occur to make them soggy.
More delicious Christmas Cookies to make
Italian Orange Ricotta Cookies
Italian Butter Cookies
Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Chip and Nut Fruitcake Cookies
So if Shortbread Cookies are one of your favourites too and you are looking for something a little different, then I hope you give this Cinnamon Shortbread a try and let me know what you think! Happy Baking.
Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies
Rosemary Molloy
These easy and delicious slice and bake Cinnamon Cookies are made even better with the addition of brown sugar. The perfect Holiday Cookie.
Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Cook Time 15 minutesmins
Chilling Time 1 hourhr
Total Time 1 hourhr25 minutesmins
Course Christmas Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 32cookies
Calories 112kcal
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Ingredients
CINNAMON SHORTBREAD
2 1/2cupsall purpose flour(320 grams)
1pinchsalt*
1teaspoonground cinnamon
1cup butter softened(225 grams)
1/2cup brown sugar packed(110 grams)
*If using unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon salt. Be sure to use a good quality butter, apparently this year 2022, store brand butter quality is not what it used to be. Less fat could mean a dry not so tasty cookie.
CINNAMON / SUGAR FOR ROLLING
2teaspoonsground cinnamon
½cupgranulated sugar(100 grams)
Instructions
CINNAMON / SUGAR FOR ROLLING
In a small bowl mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon, set aside.
CINNAMON SHORTBREAD
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, set aside.
In the bowl of the mixer, on medium-low speed cream the butter and sugar until creamy approximately 2-3 minutes.
Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until almost combined. Move to a flat surface and gently knead to form a compact dough. Divide in two parts and form into two logs 4 inches (10 cm) long, or form into a single dough ball (if making cut out cookies). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 60 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 325F (160C). Line 1-2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the fridge and slice into 1/4 inch slices or on a lightly floured flat surface roll the dough into a 1/4 inch thickness, with your favourite cookie cutters cut out. Roll the slices or cut outs in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
Make sure you use a high protein flour (about 12%) to prevent spreading.
The most common mistakes when making shortbread are over-working the dough, and incorporating too much flour. The less you work the dough, the more crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth your shortbread cookies will be.
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.
Step 3: The Secret to the Absolute Best Shortbread
After shaping the cookies, don't rush to the oven! Instead, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so (overnight is OK, too). A short stay in the fridge will firm up the cookies and solidify the butter. This will help keep them from spreading too much.
Traditional Scottish shortbread is a simple recipe made with sugar, butter, flour, and salt. Other shortbread styles will include leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda, which makes them crisp instead of crumbly like traditional Scottish shortbread.
Should butter be cold or room temperature for making shortbread? Always start with cold butter straight from the refrigerator. This will keep the dough from warming up, making it greasy and difficult to roll out.
The word "bread" comes from "biscuit bread" which was made from leftover bread dough that was sweetened and dried out in the oven to make biscuits. Why do you poke holes in shortbread? The holes allow the moisture to escape during baking and more even heat distribution. This helps dry out and crisp up the cookies.
Butter is an emulsifier and it makes cookies tender. It also adds in the crispy-around-the-edges element. Adding too much butter can cause the cookies to be flat and greasy. Adding too little butter can cause the cookies to be tough and crumbly.
A good way to check to see if the shortbread is baked is to see if they are set - they will be slightly firm around the outside, and may be just beginning to turn golden around the edges. You want to keep them nice and pale so make sure your oven is running at the temperature it says that it is.
Remove the shortbread from the oven and turn it out of the pans and onto a clean work surface. Immediately cut the shortbread, while it's warm; if you wait until it's cool, it won't cut easily. Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut each round into 12 wedges.
Shortbread has so few ingredients that you can't get away with cutting corners; good quality butter and sugar are essential, and plenty of them. Rice flour gives it that special sandy texture that sets it apart from the common biscuit, and a pinch of salt helps to balance that rich, delicious sweetness.
Chilling the dough before baking will help the shortbread keep their shape while cooking. In the oven, the dough will spread as the butter in the mixture melts, but baking it from chilled helps reduce this effect. It's most important to do this if you are baking the shortbread in individual biscuits.
Cookies with high moisture content, such as soft and chewy varieties, are more susceptible to spoilage when left out overnight. On the other hand, drier cookies, like biscotti or shortbread, can typically withstand longer periods at room temperature without significant quality deterioration.
Creating little holes in the top of the shortbread helps any moisture escape from the dough so it cooks more evenly, this also helps create the very 'short' texture of the biscuits. In baking terms, 'short' means crumbly with a melt-in-the-mouth texture.
1. Shortbread is called short because of the traditional ratio of one part sugar to two parts butter that lends a high fat content to the dough. This yields a soft, buttery crumb that melts in your mouth, similar to short crust pastry.
Start with a teaspoon of fat and mix your dough well. If the dough is still falling apart, you can keep adding more in small increments. And at the end of the day, you can always add a little bit of water as well if your shortbread still hasn't formed a cohesive dough.
Is shortbread supposed to be soft when it comes out of the oven? Yes, upon cooling it will firm up. Shortbread should have a soft and tender texture but be slightly crisp when you bite into it.
Introduction: My name is Aracelis Kilback, I am a nice, gentle, agreeable, joyous, attractive, combative, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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