Brown Butter Shortbread

Name: Brown Butter Shortbread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 20 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 cup powdered sugar; 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; ½ tsp salt; 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (melted)

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Brown Butter Shortbread is elevated shortbread that is full of brown butter flavor! You can make this recipe into cookies or bars, and leave plain or dip in chocolate. They are simple but oh-so delicious!

Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with flaked sea salt.

I absolutely love brown butter added to baked goods. It's a subtle elevation of flavor, but it takes a cookie or bar from good to AMAZING. I have recipes for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brown Butter Brownies, and Brown Butter Ginger Cookies, and I wanted to make another holiday cookie with brown butter.

This Brown Butter Shortbread is nothing short of amazing. I love the tender texture of a good shortbread, and the brown butter in this recipe makes the flavor so buttery and delicious.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Variations
Step by Step Instructions
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
Other Cookie Recipes to Consider
Brown Butter Shortbread

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Great for the Holidays - Shortbread is a great, simple addition to a cookie tray, and you can make this festive by sprinkling the chocolate with festive sprinkles.

Crowd Pleaser - This will definitely surprise everyone by how good it is!

Prep Ahead - you can make this dough ahead of time and keep the log in the fridge until you're ready to slice and bake.

Ingredients

Butter - I've made this recipe with unsalted butter and salted butter, and they both work well! If using salted, just decrease the salt to ¼ teaspoon.

Powdered Sugar - I use powdered sugar in this recipe to sweeten it, as it incorporates really well with the butter and isn't grainy.

Pure Vanilla Extract - this adds a hint of vanilla flavor which pairs perfectly with the brown butter.

Salt - just a little to bring out the flavors.

All-Purpose Flour - I always use unbleached all-purpose flour when I am baking.

Chocolate - I use semi-sweet chocolate chips for a little drizzle or dip. This is optional but as a chocolate lover, love the addition of chocolate.

Variations

Different Sugar - you can use granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar.

Skip Browning the Butter - okay I HIGHLY don't recommend this variation, but if you're short on time, you could skip browning the butter. That would make this just a regular shortbread recipe, but would still be very good.

Different Chocolate - I use semi-sweet chocolate chips but you could use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate!

Add Nuts or Sprinkles - you can add nuts or festive sprinkles after they've been dipped in chocolate.

Step by Step Instructions

Process photos of Brown Butter Shortbread.

Photo 1. Brown the butter. Add the butter to a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Let the butter melt, bubble, foam, and then brown, keeping a very close eye on it. Cool the butter in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Photo 2. Once cooled, add the powdered sugar and brown butter to a large mixing bowl and beat until well combined. You can either do this with a hand mixer, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Wipe down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.

Photo 3. Add the vanilla and salt, and mix to combine. Add the flour and mix until combined, without over-mixing.

Photo 4. If you are going to make these into shortbread bars, press them into a greased 8x8" baking pan (or one lined with parchment paper), poke them with holes with a toothpick, and bake in an oven preheated to 300 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown.

Photo 5. If you are going to make these into shortbread cookies, divide the dough into two pieces and roll into two logs, and wrap in plastic wrap. Let it chill in the fridge for 1 hour. Slice the cookies into ¼" cookies and bake at 325 degrees F for 12 minutes.

Photo 6. Remove the bars from the baking dish and cut into slices.

Photo 7. Drizzle the bars with melted chocolate, or dip in melted chocolate.

Photo 8. Dip the cookies in melted chocolate and then sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool completely. I like to place mine in the freezer.

Expert Tips

Don't Overmix the Dough - this ensures the cookies are super tender and not tough.

Don't Skip the Chilling of the Dough - If you're making these into cookies, you want to make sure you chill the dough is ensures the dough doesn't spread.

Chill the Butter - Once the butter is browned, be sure to chill it for 15 minutes to let it cool off.

Storage - store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days, in the fridge for a week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Brown Butter Shortbread Bars drizzled with melted chocolate on a cream colored scalloped plate with a plate of brown butter shortbread cookies in the background.

Recipe FAQs

What is brown butter?

Brown butter is regular butter that has been cooked until the milk solids caramelized and turn brown, which gives it a delicious nutty flavor.

Can this dough be rolled out?

Yes! Just be sure to chill the dough first and flour your surface before rolling it out to ¼" thickness.

Should I cut the shortbread bars while they are warm or chilled?

I like to chill my shortbread for about 20-30 minutes before cutting. They will still be warm but will set up nicely. Then cool completely on a wire rack prior to drizzling or dipping in chocolate

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.