-
Prep time
15 minutes
-
Cook time
50 minutes
-
Makes
8x8-inch pan
Author Notes
Shortbread, meet snickerdoodle. Snickerdoodle, meet shortbread. In this mashup cookie, you get the best of both worlds: a buttery, crumbly, tender shortbread, spiced with cinnamon, and coated in a sparkly cinnamon-sugar crust. To get said crust, all you have to do is grease and sugar the pan (just like grease and flour, but better). I love how the cinnamon toasts in the oven, becoming a bigger-personality version of itself. A little bit of vanilla underscores the snickerdoodle vibe. A couple notes about the execution: The dough comes together with a few clicks of the food processor (easy-peasy!), but do keep an eye on it. When it’s ready, the dough should hold together but still be quite crumbly. When you press it into the pan, that will take care of the rest. And don’t forget to cut the shortbread into bars right after you take it out of the oven. This ensures neat, even squares (if you cut it when it’s cold, its crumbly tenderness will work against you). I love this with tea or coffee, especially as an afternoon snack. —Emma Laperruque
Continue After Advertisement
Watch This Recipe
Snickerdoodle Shortbread
Ingredients
- Cinnamon-sugar crust
-
Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing the pan
-
2 1/2 tablespoons
granulated sugar
-
1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
- Shortbread
-
2 cups
(256 grams) all-purpose flour
-
1/2 cup
(100 grams) granulated sugar
-
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
-
1/2 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
-
1 cup
(226 grams) unsalted butter, cold
-
3/4 teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
Directions
-
Heat the oven to 325°F. Butter an 8x8-inch baking pan. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the sugar crust. Dump the cinnamon-sugar into the buttered baking dish and tap it around, so the inside of the pan is completely coated. Pour the remaining cinnamon-sugar back into the small bowl.
-
Add the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple times to combine. Chop the butter into big pieces and add them on top of the dry ingredients, along with the vanilla extract. Pulse in short bursts until an extremely crumbly dough forms. Overmixing will hurt the tender, crumbly texture, so check frequently. If you can squeeze some of the bits and they hold together, it’s ready.
-
Dump the shortbread mixture into the prepared pan. Use the palms of your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup to press down the mixture until it’s totally smooth. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar evenly on top. Use a fork to prick the dough all over.
-
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is deeply golden-brown and dry to the touch. As soon as it comes out of the oven, use a knife to cut it into 16 squares. Let the shortbread completely cool before serving.
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.
See what other Food52ers are saying.