How to Make Coffee Shortbread Cookies

These shortbread cookies are the perfect addition to your morning coffee. They are a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookie with a hint of bitterness.

These cookies are also a recreation of the Trader Joe’s British Shortbread Collection Cookies. Check out my “English Toffee Shortbread Cookies.”

Techniques

• Brown Butter
• Cream Butter and Sugar
• Roll out Dough

How it Works

Brown Butter

Browning butter is a technique used in many cookie recipes to add a toasted nutty flavor to cookies. It works by toasting the butter solids. You achieve this by heating butter at a medium-low temperature until the butter solids fall out of the solution and turn a golden-brown.

Cream Butter and Sugar

Many baking recipes require that you cream together the butter and sugar. But why is this such an important step? Beating the butter and sugar fully incorporates the sugar into the butter, preventing “hot spots” of butter or sugar in your dough. This process also incorporates air into the mixture, leading to a lighter and fluffier cookie.

Roll out Dough

The most important thing to remember when rolling out a butter-heavy cookie dough is not to overwork the dough. This means that you don’t want to continually re-roll dough. This will create a tougher cookie instead of a cookie with light buttery layers. When rolling out dough, you also want to ensure that you are rolling it evenly to allow for even baking.

What you Need

• Flour: I use just a standard all-purpose flour in these cookies.
• Butter: I prefer salted butter, but unsalted butter will make cookies that taste slightly sweeter.
• Brown Butter: For additional instructions on how to make brown butter, you can go to my post “How to Make Brown Butter.”
• Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar dissolves into the butter more easily and creates a lighter texture. You can substitute granulated sugar, but increase the sugar to ¾ cup.
• Brown Sugar: I like to use a dark brown sugar for a stronger molasses flavor.
• Instant Coffee
• Vanilla Extract
• Salt
• Hand Mixer: This is key in making the ideal texture of these shortbread cookies.

How to make Coffee Shortbread Cookies

Take ½ stick of butter and brown it in a pot at a medium-low heat until the butter solids fall out of solution and turn a warm golden-brown. The butter should also give off a toasted nut smell when it’s ready. Then move to a heat-safe bowl to stop the cooking process.

In a large bowl, add the brown butter and softened butter and mix for 30 seconds to help incorporate the two butters. Add powdered sugar and brown sugar to the butter and beat for 3-5 minutes until it has a whipped consistency. Add the vanilla extract and water and mix for an additional 30 seconds.

In a medium bowl, add flour, salt, and instant coffee. Whisk until well combined.

Add the flour mixture to the large bowl in 1/3^rd increments and mix with a spatula.

Preheat oven to 350 F and wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.

Roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness and use a 2-inch diameter circle cookie cutter. Try to limit the number of times you re-roll the dough. This recipe should make about 36 cookies.

Bake at 350 F for 14-16 minutes until the edges have turned golden-brown.

Cookies will last for 5 days on the counter or 3 months in the freezer.