Buttery Crumbly Shortbread Cookies

# Ingredient List:

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

02 - ½ cup granulated sugar

03 - 2 cups all-purpose flour

04 - ¼ cup cornstarch

05 - ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

01 - Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

02 - In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy.

03 - Sift in the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and sea salt. Mix gently to form a soft dough, taking care not to overwork it.

04 - Press the dough evenly into an 8x8-inch baking pan or divide it to shape into a ½-inch thick rectangle on the prepared baking sheet.

05 - Score the dough into wedges or finger shapes using a sharp knife, then lightly prick each section with a fork.

06 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the edges are pale golden without browning.

07 - Allow the baked dough to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully cut along the scored lines. Let cool completely before serving.

01 -

They melt on your tongue in the most magical way, with zero guilt because the simplicity means you taste every buttery grain.
Once you nail the technique, you've got a go-to that impresses people without requiring fancy ingredients or hours of fussing.
The dough comes together in minutes, which means you can satisfy a craving without overthinking it.

02 -

Room temperature butter is non-negotiable—cold butter won't cream properly, and cold dough is stiff and hard to work with.
Overworking the dough develops gluten, which makes shortbread tough instead of tender, so mix just until combined and stop.
Cutting while they're still slightly warm from the pan is key—wait too long and they'll shatter, cut too early and they'll be fragile.

03 -

A bench scraper makes scoring cleaner and less likely to drag through the dough than a knife alone.
If the edges brown too quickly while the center stays pale, tent the pan loosely with foil for the last few minutes.