Buttery Italian Shortbread Cookies - Real Recipes from Mums

If you’re wondering how to make Italian Shortbread Cookies, this recipe is a great place to start!

Very light and buttery, these Italian Shortbread Cookies will melt in your mouth! They don’t take long to whip up a batch, so in no time you too can be enjoying one with a coffee!

Ingredients (makes 12 Biscuits)

230g Salted butter at room temp
120g Icing sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
250g Plain flour
1 TBS Milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Place the butter, icing sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until combined, light, and fluffy.
Add the flour and mix until it’s crumbly and looks like it can’t be mixed more.
Add the milk and keep mixing. The dough should clump together after about 15 seconds. If the dough doesn't come together, add another tablespoon or two of milk.
Place the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a very large star tip, and pipe onto a lined baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie
Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely, and then sprinkle with icing sugar

Notes

To make these Italian Shortbread Cookies a lemon flavour, add in zest of 1 lemon, and juice from half. Don’t add in all the milk, just dribble it in until the correct consistency is achieved.

On the hunt for more incredible baking ideas? Our Subway Cookie recipe is an absolute showstopper!

148 Comments

- - kay1987 said
  - 14 Jun 2024
    6:27 am
These look amazing. Not sure I’d stop at one though

- - mom486197 said
  - 21 Aug 2023
    10:09 am
Simple recipe for a delicious cookie

- - GemmaLaurenMary said
  - 31 Dec 2022
    12:05 am
This takes me back to memories of a child at Christmas.

- - cassy26 said
  - 09 Dec 2022
    9:34 am
Oh yum. My mum loves shortbread. I’ll try this recipe for her

- - Mad Bean said
  - 30 Aug 2022
    3:30 pm
Looks so good. I’ll have to try this recipe. My hubby lived in Italy for 5 years before we got together. It might be a nice eat down memory lane.

- - mum1 said
  - 19 Jul 2022
    2:23 pm
These look delicious with a cuppa. Love the idea of adding a little lemon to them as well

- - renata said
  - 20 Jun 2022
    10:06 pm
I have made these cookies many times. They are delicious and easy to make. Great with tea or coffee.

- - mom160289 said
  - 16 Jun 2022
    10:36 pm
I make similar and they are just delicious and moreish

- - mom400215 said
  - 14 Jun 2022
    10:08 pm
It is not a good thing to be scrolling through reading amazing recipes like these biscuits late at night when I’m hungry. I’m making these tomorrow

- - meedee said
  - 13 May 2022
    12:22 pm
I will be looking for awesome Christmas gifts to make for work mates this year.

- - mom336285 said
  - 22 Apr 2022
    12:48 am
Nostalgia! My mum used to make these when I was a kid. Yum!

- - mom480417 said
  - 21 Mar 2022
    11:33 am
Sounds so simple and easy. My son loves when I bake. And i am very new to baking, always in search if great and simple recipes.

- - hopefullyheidi said
  - 28 Feb 2022
    1:11 pm
Great additional not to make them with a lemon flavour. I wonder if you could also do orange?

- - smart_ass said
  - 31 Jan 2022
    4:04 pm
yum – love a good buttery shortbread

- - romvar said
  - 24 Jan 2022
    11:43 am
My mother-in-law makes these biscotti. They’re delicious and so light. Perfect with a short black.

- - mom57569 said
  - 13 Jan 2022
    3:33 pm
These are the nicest, easiest biscuits I have made. I have a couple of favourite biscuit recipes and everyone that I have made this recipe for loves them. I sometimes pipe the mixture and sometimes I would just roll it. It doesn’t matter which way I did it they always turn out beautifully

- - mom112023 said
  - 01 Jan 2022
    8:54 am
They look so good. Shop bought short breads are so disappointing so I need to have a go at these. Thanks.

- - Andrea said
  - 28 Dec 2021
    8:19 am
Yumo, I will have to make these, they sound so easy

- - mom101628 said
  - 28 Dec 2021
    12:07 am
Wow – who knew how easy shortbread cookies could be. Thanks so much for sharing. These will be made many times in the coming years, I’m sure.

- - SAS185 said
  - 11 Dec 2021
    9:40 pm
I’m definitely gunn give these a go. They look great, and who doesn’t love shortbread cookies. Even better, don’t have to buy any unknown ingredients to make them.