45 shortbread recipes

White chocolate hazelnut cheesecake with a crushed hazelnut cookie crust, hazelnut liqueur filling, and milk chocolate chunks. A rich, layered baked cheesecake topped with chocolate curls.

Chewy toffee almond bars with an oat and brown sugar shortbread crust topped with a buttery caramel almond layer. A batch makes 48 bite-sized treats.

Pecan toffee bars with a buttery shortbread crust, Heath brickle bits, coconut, and melted chocolate on top. Layered dessert bars with crunch, chew, and gooey chocolate.

Brigette's almond crescent cookies bring together buttery shortbread, rolled oats, and finely chopped almonds, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. A classic passed-down holiday bake.

Almond crescent cookies with rolled oats and finely chopped almonds, dusted with powdered sugar while still warm. A heartier, oat-packed twist on classic holiday shortbread crescents.

Butter toffee pecan bars with a shortbread base, boiled butter-sugar topping, and swirled milk chocolate on top. A three-layer cookie bar that yields 36 pieces.

Russian tea cakes (also called Mexican wedding cookies): buttery nut-studded shortbread balls rolled twice in powdered sugar. A classic holiday cookie tin staple in 30 minutes.

Elegant shortbread-style cookies with ground toasted pecans and a splash of dry sherry. Pressed with decorative designs and ripened overnight for the best texture. Makes 90 cookies.

Butter pecan tea cookies rolled in powdered sugar while warm. A classic snowball cookie with a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread texture, baked until firm but not browned.

Caramel pecan bars with a buttery shortbread crust topped with pecan halves in a honey-brown sugar caramel finished with cream. Makes 50 bars from one jelly roll pan.

Hot cinnamon apple parfait layers warm spiced apples and golden raisins with crushed shortbread crumbs and vanilla ice cream. Comfort dessert that lands somewhere between apple crisp and sundae.

Buttery pecan shortbread cookie balls dipped in vanilla frosting and rolled in tinted coconut. Melt-in-your-mouth tender, baked low and slow, and perfect for holiday cookie exchanges. Makes 48.

Orange sugar-crusted meltaway cookies with chocolate chips and chopped nuts, dipped in fresh orange juice and rolled in sugar to form a delicate citrus-sugar shell. A bright, buttery shortbread-style holiday cookie.