52 shortbread recipes

Buttery shortbread cookies topped with caramel, coated in melted chocolate, and pressed with chopped pecans. Homemade Turtle-style candy cookies that make a gorgeous gift box treat.

Date pecan snowball cookies rolled in powdered sugar with a buttery, crumbly shortbread base. No eggs, no leavening, just butter, flour, dates, and pecans.

London strips: layered cookie bars with a buttery shortbread base, strawberry jam filling, and a bourbon-walnut meringue topping dusted with powdered sugar.

Apple dessert bars with a buttery shortbread crust, cinnamon-lemon apple layer, and a rich coconut-nut custard topping that bakes into chewy squares.

Cranberry orange tart with a buttery almond shortbread crust and glistening marmalade-glazed cranberry filling. A stunning make-ahead holiday dessert that chills overnight.

Mocha nut butter balls: tender, snowball-style shortbread cookies flavored with cocoa and instant coffee, packed with toasted walnuts or pecans, rolled in sugar.

Almond Butter Cookie Sandwiches: tender shortbread-style cookies made with ground almonds, sandwiched with raspberry jam or chocolate ganache. Linzer-style elegance, makes 24.

Better than sex cake is a four-layer chocolate-pecan icebox dessert: a buttery pecan shortbread crust, sweet cream cheese, chocolate pudding, and whipped topping. A make-ahead potluck legend.

Buttery pecan snowball cookies rolled in powdered sugar. No eggs, no leavening, just six ingredients for a crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread-style cookie.

Rolled and cut oatmeal cookies with finely chopped rolled oats worked into a buttery shortbread-style dough. Holds shape through cutting, perfect for cookie decorating.

Fig chess tarts with a buttery lemon-scented shortbread shell, filled with brown sugar custard studded with chopped dried figs and walnuts. A Southern chess pie translated into bite-sized tart form.

A layered Southern dessert with a buttery pecan shortbread crust, creamy sweet potato and cream cheese filling, and billowy whipped topping. Crunchy, creamy, and utterly indulgent.

A stunning fresh strawberry pie with a buttery pecan shortbread crust, whipped cream cheese filling, and whole berries glazed in homemade strawberry sauce. Worth every minute.

Apricot almond bars with a buttery shortbread crust, spiced almond meringue topping, apricot glaze, and chocolate drizzle. Four layers of European-style pastry in every square.

Microwave pecan pie bars: shortbread base, chewy pecan filling, and a semi-sweet chocolate topping. 28 bars cooked entirely in the microwave, ready in 30 minutes.

Zesty fig and date pastry bars with walnuts, orange juice, and lemon zest on a buttery shortbread crust with a crisscross lattice top. A bright, old-school cookie bar.