Irish Shortbread Cookies with a Secret for Easy Roll-Out
Sneak Preview: Irish Shortbread Cookies are classic shortbread cookies cut into shamrock shapes and glazed with green icing. Includes an easy roll-out secret for the dough.
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Do you celebrate holidays at your office with food? Somebody at my work decided we should all bring green food for a potluck in March. I threatened to bring a green salad. Then I remembered my favorite shortbread cookies.
Three Reasons You’ll Want To Make These Cookies
- You will need only a
few ingredients and even less talent. A miniature shamrock cookie cutter, green food coloring, shortbread cookie dough,and a simple frosting. That’s it! - The best thing about these cookies, besides the fabulous flavor, is that they need no decorating.
- Rolling out the dough doesn’t have to be a sticky mess. That’s where this secret I learned from Dorie Greenspan comes into play.
Happy Bakers Speak Up
“I used to make and eat shortbread when I lived in England. This turned out to be the best! I chilled the dough overnight and made sure to not leave in the oven once a couple of the edges started turning golden brown. Perfection! Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂” —JOANNA
How To Roll Out Irish Shortbread Cookies Using a Zippered Plastic Bag
Open the bag on three sides and let your cookie-cutter go wild. Because the dough has been thoroughly chilled, the cut-out cookies are easy to pick up with your hands or peel off the plastic before transferring to a cookie sheet, ready to bake.
Here’s the best part…
Clean-up is as simple as throwing the bag away. No flour to sweep up. No sticky dough to scrape from your counter or cutting board.
Dorie’s technique is adaptable to almost any roll-out-the-dough-and-cut-into-a-shape recipe. Give it a try!
WARNING:
Parting Thoughts: I have a special place in my heart for iced cookies. If you like them too, check out these Simple Cinnamon Jumbles with Brown Butter Icing, Iced Oatmeal Cookies with Coffee Icing, and my Mini Black and White Cookies.
Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.
Irish Shortbread Cookies
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Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup (85 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Icing
- 2 cups (227 g) powdered sugar, sifted, if lumpy
- 3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract optional
- 2 + drops green food coloring
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Combine 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature and 3/4 cup (85 g) powdered sugar into a large bowl. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Combine 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder in a separate bowl. Add slowly to the large bowl with butter using low speed. Stop beating as soon as the flour mixture is incorporated. Overbeating will result in toughness.
- Form the dough into a slightly-flattened ball. Place into a zippered plastic bag. Chill about 30 minutes. With bag cracked open slightly to allow air to escape, roll dough until evenly distributed throughout bag. Place back into refrigerator until firm–at least another 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Can be frozen at this point.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Remove cookie dough from fridge and carefully cut two sides of bag with kitchen shears or scissors, leaving one side intact. Lay top layer of plastic back and use cookie cutter to make cookies. Because the dough is cold and firm, they should peel off the plastic easily. Place onto prepared cookie sheet. Re-roll scraps after replacing plastic over top of new ball and refrigerate a few minutes until firm again. Repeat as needed until all dough is used.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until light brown around the edges. Time will vary greatly depending on the size and shape of cookies. Check early and often. Cool 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack and wait until cold before icing.
Icing
- Whisk together the 2 cups (227 g) powdered sugar, sifted, if lumpy, 3 tablespoons milk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract. If too thick, add more milk a few drops at a time. If too thin, add more powdered sugar or let sit for a while. Tint with 2 + drops green food coloring.
- Ice cookies and allow to rest until dry. I prefer to turn cookies upside down and dip them into the icing just enough to cover the surface. Goes faster, although a little messy, until you get the hang of it. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap for 1 month in the freezer.
Equipment
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather Technique inspired by Dorie Greenspan.
Updated and republished in March 2019.
Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.