These Shortbread Cookie Bars skew a little more tender and melt-in-your-mouth thanks to one key swap: using confectioners’ sugar instead of granulated sugar. Because it dissolves instantly into the softened butter, confectioners’ sugar creates a super smooth dough and a finer, more delicate crumb. Like most shortbread, the dough comes together with almost no effort—no chill time, no rolling. You’re just pressing it into the pan, which minimizes gluten development and gives you that characteristic sandy texture. Docking the dough with a fork isn’t just decorative; it lets steam escape so the slab bakes evenly rather than puffing up in spots.
Shortbread Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread:
- 1½ cups (340 grams) salted butter, softened
- 1 cup (120 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon (13 grams) vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Buttercream:
- 1 cup (227 grams) salted butter, softened
- 4 cups (480 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) whole milk
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract
- Garnish: assorted sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, letting excess extend over all sides of pan.
- For shortbread: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar at medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until dough comes together and stopping to scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Press dough into prepared pan. Prick dough all over with a fork.
- Bake until lightly browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 200°F (93°C) to 205°F (96°C), 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- For buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. With mixer on low speed, gradually add confectioners’ sugar and salt, beating until smooth and stopping to scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Add milk and vanilla, beating until smooth and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat until light and fl u  y, about 2 minutes.
- Spread buttercream onto cooled shortbread. Garnish with sprinkles, if desired. Using excess parchment as handles, remove from pan, and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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