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Jump to recipeButtery brown sugar shortbread cookies topped with mounds of creamy icing. These little gems melt in your mouth, and are so easy to make!
These little shortbread squares disappear quickly in my house. I would say it’s because they are so adorable, but the three guys I live with would probably disagree.
The cookies are tender and buttery. And with a little mound of creamy, smooth frosting on top…perfection!
Frosted Shortbread Squares
After mixing up the dough (which has the tiniest hint of cinnamon in it), you pat it into a square baking dish lined with plastic wrap. It makes for easy patting, and easy removal after it chills. (This is how infrequently I use plastic wrap…this red wrap is leftover from last Christmas season!)
Put the dough into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to chill. You could certainly leave it in longer, you just may need to let it sit a few minutes longer at room temp to soften a bit before cutting. This kind of dough is also great for freezing.
When you remove the dough from the fridge, let it sit at room temp for just a few minutes…if you start cutting the squares and it crumbles or breaks apart, just let it sit a few more minutes. As the butter warms up a bit, it will cut nicely. Using a pizza cutter makes your cuts smooth and much less likely to crack the dough. I cut this pan into 8 rows by 6. I’m not sure why…I usually do 8×8. As you can see, I ended up with some shortbread rectangles. Guess what? They tasted just as good!
Place your cookies on baking pans (I use my beloved baking stone). If you bake one pan at a time, store the rest of the cookie squares in the fridge while the first batch bakes. (Using chilled dough helps the squares keep their shape as they bake).
Let the cookies cool on wire racks while you make the frosting.
I like to tint the frosting with whatever color is seasonal.
You want to be sure the cookies are completely cool before icing them, or the frosting will melt. You could pipe the icing on, it would be lovely. I often put the frosting into a Ziploc bag and cut off a small corner and squeeze dollops on top of each shortbread square. Most of the time, though, I use a spoon to scoop the frosting and spread it a bit. The recipe makes enough for plenty of icing on each cookie. Don’t skimp on the frosting!
Here are a few other yummy cookie recipes to try:
Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies
Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies)
And here’s the recipe for these buttery gems….
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- For Frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- pinch of salt
- 1 -2 Tablespoons milk
- Food Coloring
Instructions
- Line a square baking dish with plastic wrap
- In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together
- Add cinnamon, vanilla, salt and flour
- Mix until combined
- Press dough into baking dish, folding plastic wrap over the top and pressing until uniformly flat
- Refrigerate for about 30 minutes
- Take out of fridge and let sit on counter for about 5 minutes
- Using edges of plastic wrap, remove from dish and unwrap
- Cut dough, using pizza cutter, into squares (8 rows in each direction)
- Place cookies about an inch apart on baking pan or stone (placing unbaked squares into fridge until ready to bake, if necessary)
- Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes, or until edges of cookies are lightly browned
- Remove cookies to cooling rack
- To make frosting:
- Mix butter, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon (if using) in mixing bowl
- Add food coloring to desired color
- Add milk 1 Tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency
- When cookies have cooled completely, frost with icing. No skimping, there's plenty!
This sounds so mouth watering!!! 🙂
They really are! Thanks for stopping by!
These sound so good! I will have to try them!
I made these for a tea party I hosted! Perfect little bite size desserts and not overly sweet (depending on how much frosting you add).
How fun! These would be perfect bites for a tea party. Love it!