Shortbread has gotten some serious time in the limelight recently, thanks to its prominent role on the hit Apple TV series, Ted Lasso. I personally love when food gets a role in anything I watch, so I was riveted both to and by those amazing looking biscuits Ted kept whipping up for his boss. His recipe has been shared by Apple TV (and now many other sites), but my version is more in line with traditional Scottish shortbread (because of the sugar I call for) and comes to you as the result of many, many rounds of testing. Yes, this Whipped Vanilla Shortbread is incredible – tender, melt-in-your mouth bites of sweet buttery bliss. No big deal.

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Tips and tricks for making the very best shortbread. Like, ever.

Taking the time to select the right ingredients and to whip your butter for a long time will result in the lightest, most tender shortbread biscuits you’ve ever tried. These are truly delicious, and the best sidekicks for a hot cup of coffee I’ve ever met.

What is the best butter for shortbread?

Yes, the butter you choose matters here. I tested this recipe with regular, store-brand butter first. It was delicious, sure. But them I tested again with high quality, grass-fed Irish butter (Kerrygold) and the flavor was significantly better. It was more deeply delicious, and richly scented with actual butter flavor. So, good quality grass-fed Irish butter is the way to go. No substitutions here!

What sugar do you use in shortbread?

Classically, caster sugar (called baking sugar sometimes) is used in traditional sugar. Caster sugar is a much more finely ground product, and it works beautifully in a number of baked goods – namely, shortbread. Now, caster sugar isn’t available at any of my go-to supermarkets, and this is probably true for you as well. So, what we’re going to do is simply blitz up some regular ole’ granulated sugar in the food processor and that works just as well.

What is the best flour for shortbread?

This is where I go a bit rogue, straying from tradition jut a little. Most recipes for shortbread call for all-purpose flour, which is classic and great. But I tested with cake flour and let me tell you – it’s THE MOVE. The quality butter paired with that super light flour makes for a truly melt-in-your mouth shortbread that is next-level great. Trust me – grab that box of Swan’s Down and don’t look back.

Sift, always.

Sifting is nothing more than taking a few minutes to push/shake your cake flour through a strainer, sifter, or sieve of some sort. This keeps it ultra light – the opposite of packed. It also ensures that there will be absolutely no bits of this and that loitering around in our shortbread dough. We don’t want that, right? Nope.

Whip It Good

Okay so. You may or may not have noticed that I’m asking you to whip your butter for five minutes, at which point I then ask you to add the sugar. Then, we’re going to go and whip the stuff for another five minutes. We’re doing this because it truly makes a difference. It creates this ultra creamy, light and airy dough that bakes into the shortbread of my dreams. You’ll get a crisp outer shell and then this incredibly tender, melt-in-your mouth interior. This is because we’re using cake flour, fine sugar, and a lonnnng whip. We wind up with a delicate dough that makes for delicate shortbread.

Other Shortbread Flavors to Try

Vanilla-Lime, Orange, or Grapefruit

The flavor of vanilla and citrus is legendary – soft and sharp all at once, making for one interesting blend. You can reach for the zest of any citrus you like here, and you can’t really go wrong, honestly. My personal favorite is the orange-vanilla, as I’m a longtime lover or any and all things Creamsicle adjacent. These Dreamsicle Rolls are evidence of that fact. You can use about 1 TBSP of the fresh juice in the dough without compromising anything, and about 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh zest.

Almond

Classic, homey, and still an interesting detour from the expected vanilla, almond is a perfect option for flavoring your shortbread. Almond extract is very strong, so you won’t be swapping it for your vanilla evenly. Instead, use about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the almond extract, and you’ll be all set.

Masala Chai-Spiced

Spicy black pepper, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves make for a heady blend in more than just your morning cup of tea. This beloved Indian flavor mix is honestly delicious in everything, baked good especially. To make Masala Chai-Spiced Shortbread, keep everything in this recipe as it is written, but when you add the powdered sugar, also add:

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.

Snickerdoodle

To the dough, after adding the powdered sugar, also add 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle the top of the unbaked dough (after pressing it into the pan) with cinnamon sugar. Bake as directed.

Ginger-Molasses

Add 2 tablespoons of molasses and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger to the dough, along with the vanilla. Happy holidays 🙂

What You’ll Need to Make These Ted Lasso Biscuits

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted Irish butter (grab the grass-fed, good quality stuff!)

¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups cake flour, sifted

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup sanding sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

How to Make this Whipped Vanilla Shortbread Recipe

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Butter and powdered sugar an 8-by-8-inch cake pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, whip the butter for a full 10 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Add the sifted powdered sugar and the vanilla, and whip for one minute more. Add the sifted flour and the salt and whip just until combined.

Transfer the dough to the greased pan and press it down as evenly as you can, smoothing out the surface (a glass or measuring cup work great here). If using, sprinkle the top evenly with a thin layer of sanding sugar. Bake just until light golden brown, about 26 to 28 minutes. Let the shortbread cool completely in the pan before turning it out and slicing into bars.

If you like the looks of this Vanilla Shortbread, you might also want to try:

Whipped Cornbread Cookies

Strawberry Lemonade Sugar Cookies

Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Homemade Danish Wedding Cookies

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Whipped Vanilla Shortbread (yes, like Ted Lasso’s)

Print Recipe

Tender, light-as-air, truly melt-in-your-mouth vanilla shortbread takes only 5 ingredients. The ingredients you select matter here, and how you treat them as well. So follow the simple directions carefully, and you’ll be on your way to better biscuit bliss …

Author: Lauren McDuffie
Yield: Makes an 8-by-8-inch shortbread 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 cup unsalted Irish butter, at room temp (grab the grass-fed, good quality stuff!)
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, plus more for topping (or caster sugar, if you can find it)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt

Alternative flavor suggestions: try a teaspoon of almond extract for almond shortbread. The zest and juice of 2 limes makes for great vanilla-lime shortbread. Orange and lemon zests are lovely as well.

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Butter an 8-by-8-inch cake pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, whip the butter for 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
If using granulated sugar, put it in a food processor and process until it’s finely ground. Skip this step if using caster sugar (it’s already finely ground).
Add the processed sugar and the vanilla to the butter, and whip for 5 more minutes (yes, a full 10 minutes of whipping). Add the sifted flour and the salt and whip on high just until combined.
Transfer the dough to the buttered pan and press it down as evenly as you can, smoothing out the surface (a glass or measuring cup work great here). Sprinkle the top evenly with a thin layer of sugar and press it lightly into the surface. Bake just until light golden brown, and faintly cracked on the surface, about 48 to 55 minutes. Let the shortbread cool completely in the pan before gently turning it out and slicing into bars. NOTE: I actually prefer to slice them into small squares because the shortbread is so light and tender that long bars tend to break (though that’s what I’ve pictured). Smaller, two-bite squares are perfect.

Keywords: Whipped Vanilla Shortbread