8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 cups cake flour (you can use all purpose but cake flour makes a much softer cookie)
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients; use hands to knead until ingredients are blended. Press dough into ungreased pans. Before baking, mark rectangle cookie lines with knife to get the authentic Panera shortbread cookie look!
Bake at 325 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Don't over bake!
Watch out, these are melt in your mouth addictingly ( a word I just made up) good!
Note: If you like a sweeter shortbread cookie try the frosting recipe below, very similiar to paneras shortbread cookie frosting recipe:
Ingredients;
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted or salted butter depending on your taste ( I prefer salted) softened
2 Tbsp Milk ( Whole, Skim, 2%) any will work just fine.
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Directions;
Combine Ingredients
Whip for 30 seconds on low, then crank it up to high speed for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
Add food coloring and spread over cookies!
Enjoy!
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I tried it today and was very pleased. My shortbread cookies turned out amazing and they taste like panera bread's cookies. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that those panera cookies are my weakness, so having this recipe is dangerous! I am so glad you like them :)
ReplyDeletegreat recipe! i used a meat pounder to get that authentic pattern. just make sure to not press down too hard. thanks!
ReplyDeletedo you have a recipe that is like the icing they use for their pumpkin cookies?
ReplyDeleteWhat size pan? And do you cut them into cookies after they bake? I am soooo looking forward to trying this recipe...they are my absolute favorite:)
ReplyDeleteyes, cut them after they cool. Let me know what you think about them and if you make a variation send me a picture! :) Thank you so much!
ReplyDeletewhen I make these I usually make them in to cut outs but you could also press them in to a shallow rectangular cookie sheet! If you make them in to cut outs just sprinkle the surface, dough and rolling pin with flour.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the request for the pumpkin cookie frosting recipe, try this buttercream recipe, here is the link http://kariscooking.blogspot.com/2011/02/world-famous-paradise-bakery-sugar.html
ReplyDeleteYou can go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a piece of aluminum Gutter Guard Mesh, and press that on the cookies. Very Panera authentic looking. These cookies are delicious!
ReplyDeleteLove this, very creative idea Lisa! Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome recipe.. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kindly!!! Hope you have a wonderful day :)
DeleteThanks so much for this recipe. I think I'll make them as heart cut-outs and sprinkle with pink sugar for Valentine's Day. I may even bake a few plain and then dip them into melted chocolate for that half-chocolate look. Thanks again for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteawesome idea!
DeleteAnyone have or no where to find the icing receipe that's similar to what they use on the Shortbread?
ReplyDeletei am a shortbread fanatic and could easily enjoy one shortbread with a cup of tea daily and never get tired of it. the problem would be stopping at just one LOL
ReplyDeletepanara breads are by far my most favorite ever. i have a recipe that uses rice flour, and i like that one plenty well, but this one i am going to HAVE to try! thanks for sharing!
you are welcome, I am a fanatic as well! When I drive by Panera they call my name every time!
DeleteOne riff on this recipe is to add chopped macadamia nuts and milk chocolate chips. Spread the batter across the cookie sheet, score, bake, and then cut after baking.
ReplyDeleteI made milk chocolate macadamia nut cookies for a fundraiser bake sale, and they sold the packeges of six small cookies (2"x2") I assembled for $6 each, and the reviews were great!
great to hear, thank you!
DeleteIcing.... I need the icing recipe too.... I like it that it is hard and not a soft icing
ReplyDeleteHow many cookies does this recipe make? Thanks
ReplyDeleteinstead of making them into the squares, could you make them into shapes? i know their frosted cookies are shortbread too, didnt know if you could roll out the dough like sugar cookies then use cookie cutters??
ReplyDeletethanks for the recipe!
-amanda
Did anyone find the icing recipe? :)
ReplyDeletei was wondering if i should melt the butter or use a pastry cutter or what lol help!
ReplyDeleteGeez, Kari, are you ignoring the request for the frosting recipe?! I'd like it too!
ReplyDeleteI just tried to make these. I had such high hopes, but I am fearful that they are not going to be good at all. They are in the oven now. I checked and double checked the recipe and the ingredients, but what I ended up with looked like a gooey pile of mess. I don't know how you could make any cookie what so ever out of them, so I just plopped some of the ooey gooey dough on a pan. Do you have any ideas about what may have gone wrong or is the dough supposed to be like that?
ReplyDeleteTry chilling your dough before you bake them.
DeleteSorry, I dont have the frosting recipe yet, if you find it send it my way and I will post it for all :)
ReplyDeleteTry Alton Brown's royal icing on the food network website with a little orange extract for the pumpkins and a little lemon extract for the flowers. It works pretty well.
ReplyDeletePerfect recipe! I also added a 1/2 tsp almond extract and they were delicious. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI usually frost sugar cookies using the Wilton color flow icing recipe. It sets firm and shiny, much like Panera's. I also use orange flavor for pumpkins and cinnamon for Valentine's. Yummy! I don't have the recipe with me now but I'd be happy to post it later if anyone wants it. Can't wait to try the frosting on the shortbread cookies! - Laura
ReplyDeleteHello! If you are doing this recipe with cutouts, does the cooking time stay the same? I read that you can use it as cutouts but just to flour the surface and the rolling pin. Does it need to be chilled before rolling it out? About how thick should I roll out the dough? Thanks in advance for your help, sounds like a delicious recipe!
ReplyDeleteI just made these myself and opted for cookie cutters instead of form pressed. Room temp butter (don't rush this step), sifted together dry, vanilla, pastry cutter to mix. Be patient mixing and wait until you've worked all the way to dough. It holds together nicely, better than pie dough, not so sticky as bread dough. I floured everything (including my cutters) and rolled to about 1/3". They spread only slightly. I didn't watch the clock so much as use my nose...when you just start to smell them its time to check. Mine came out slightly golden on the bottom and firm to a light touch.
DeleteJust finished trying this recipe. I wouldn't say it's exactly the same flavor as the Panera recipe, but still a very tasty cookie. Texture is decent but the flavor is a bit flat...possibly a dash of salt could fix that.
ReplyDeleteI have these in the oven right now. Shortbread cookies are my all time fav. I pressed the dough into a square shortbread pan. I of course had to taste a bit of the dough before putting it in the pan. I think they taste quite yummy and can't wait til they finish cooking to taste one. Thanks for the recipe. Also, for people ?? about the pan size. My shortbread pan is probably and 8 x 8 pan and it is definitely looking like there it too much dough to have put it all in there. I'm going to continue on but keep that in mind for next time :)
ReplyDeleteI used this recipie only i added 1/4 cup powder sugar and lemon and orange zest and a squeeze of the lemon juice in the cookies and for frosting i used a butter powder sugar vanilla milk recipie which i squeezed lemon juice in and lemon zest and orange zest both i loved them
ReplyDeleteI still don't see anything that says what size pan to use. Quarter sheet pan?
ReplyDeleteI made these cookies and used a 9x13" pan, ungeased, but used parchment paper to press the dough - about 1/4" deep. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteMy question is this - I have seen several versions of this recipe and some use 1/2 cup powder sugar, this one uses 3/4 cup - as anyone used the 1/2 cup and what were results in taste? Also, anyone used regular all purpose flour instead of cake - results? taste? Thanks. KG