For Truly Decadent Homemade Shortbread, Don't Cut Your Butter. Do This Instead

Crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies are to die for. When done right, they're amazing; when done poorly, they can be dry. There are a few secrets if you want to know how to make perfect shortbread cookies. One key step to getting decadent shortbread is incorporating cold, grated butter and not overworking the dough.

For the best results, Food Republic reached out to an expert, Audra Fullerton, head recipe developer and baking expert at The Baker Chick. Fullerton shared a good tip with us: "Grated butter is perfectly portioned to be worked evenly into dough, resulting in a buttery shortbread [that is well-textured]." 

The frozen, grated pieces help all of the remaining dough stay cold, which ensures there are little pockets of butter dispersed in the cookies, so they melt evenly as they bake (as opposed to large clumps of cut butter that are not as consistently shaped). This uniformity helps the butter incorporate into the shortbread dough evenly without over-mixing — which creates dry, hard, lackluster cookies. Instead, the small grated pieces make for tiny pops throughout the dough, producing a light, buttery crunch in every bite. 

According to Audra Fullerton, the best way to grate butter and ensure it holds its shape is to "freeze the butter solid, then run [it] over a box grater." Grating it from frozen over a box grater is ideal for those evenly shaped, uniform pieces. This way, the frozen butter doesn't stick to the grater as much as if it were at room temperature. Mix all the dry ingredients before adding the grated butter and combine until it's a reasonably uniform dough ready to be shaped or pressed into a pan.

After tossing the butter into the dough, don't wash the box grater just yet. Instead, use the fine edge to customize the flavor of the shortbread.

For example, zest an orange and add it to the dough with a splash of vanilla extract. The mellow citrus burst pairs perfectly with sweet, creamy vanilla to curate a vanilla-orange shortbread that's packed full of flavor. Try lemon zest paired with lemon juice to form a bright, zesty, lemony yet buttery shortbread cookie.

If you're more of a chocolate person, consider making chocolate cashew shortbread wedges or salted chocolate shortbread by using grated frozen butter and a bit of rich cocoa powder or buttery cashew pieces in the dry ingredients.