Flower-Shaped Buttery Shortbread (Printable Version)

Delicate buttery shortbread shaped like flowers, ideal for spring gatherings and afternoon tea.

# List of Ingredients:

→ Shortbread Dough

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
04 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
05 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Decoration

07 - 2 tablespoons coarse sanding sugar or colored sprinkles, optional
08 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar, for dusting, optional
09 - Edible flower petals or pastel icing, optional

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
03 - Mix in vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, mixing until just combined without overworking the dough.
06 - Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll to 1/4-inch thickness.
07 - Using a flower-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies and transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.
08 - Sprinkle with sanding sugar or lightly press in edible flower petals if desired.
09 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until edges are just turning golden.
10 - Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
11 - Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar or decorate with pastel icing if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • They look impressive enough to gift or serve at tea, but the dough comes together in under 10 minutes with basic equipment.
  • The cornstarch creates a shortbread texture that's impossibly tender and almost melts on contact, something I discovered by accident when I was out of regular flour one afternoon.
  • You can make the dough ahead, chill it, and bake fresh cookies whenever you want—perfect for those moments when you suddenly need something beautiful for guests.
02 -
  • The dough should never be warm when you roll it out—if your kitchen is hot, chill it for 15 minutes between creaming and rolling, or the cookies will spread and lose their shape.
  • Not overworking the dough is genuinely the difference between tender shortbread and tough cookies, which I figured out after batch number two. Mix just until the flour disappears, then stop immediately.
03 -
  • Room temperature butter isn't optional—it creams into the sugar in a way cold butter simply cannot, and this is what gives the cookies their signature tender crumb.
  • The parchment paper is worth using because these cookies are delicate and will stick without it, stealing a little piece of your dignity along the way.
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