These Shortbread Cookie Bars skew a bit extra tender and melt-in-your-mouth thanks to 1 key swap: utilizing confectioners’ sugar as an alternative of granulated sugar. As a result of it dissolves immediately into the softened butter, confectioners’ sugar creates a brilliant easy dough and a finer, extra delicate crumb. Like most shortbread, the dough comes along with nearly no effort—no chill time, no rolling. You’re simply urgent it into the pan, which minimizes gluten improvement and provides you that attribute sandy texture. Docking the dough with a fork isn’t simply ornamental; it lets steam escape so the slab bakes evenly fairly than puffing up in spots.Â
Shortbread Cookie Bars
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) complete milk
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract
- Garnish: assorted sprinkles
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Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Line an 8-inch sq. baking pan with parchment paper, letting extra lengthen over all sides of pan.
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For shortbread: Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar at medium pace till creamy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla.
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In a medium bowl, whisk collectively flour and salt. With mixer on low pace, step by step add flour combination to butter combination, beating till dough comes collectively and stopping to scrape backside and sides of bowl. Press dough into ready pan. Prick dough throughout with a fork.
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Bake till flippantly browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in middle registers 200°F (93°C) to 205°F (96°C), 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool fully in pan on a wire rack.
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For buttercream: Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium pace till creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. With mixer on low pace, step by step add confectioners’ sugar and salt, beating till easy and stopping to scrape backside and sides of bowl. Add milk and vanilla, beating till easy and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Enhance mixer pace to excessive, and beat till mild and fl u  y, about 2 minutes.
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Unfold buttercream onto cooled shortbread. Garnish with sprinkles, if desired. Utilizing extra parchment as handles, take away from pan, and lower into bars. Retailer in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days.
