Crumbly cookies It is distinguished by its special tenderness; it really melts in your mouth. These baked goods are made with shortcrust pastry. It contains a lot of butter (or margarine), which gives it a delicate, buttery flavor.

There's more than one recipe, and the basic ingredients can be supplemented with other, additional ingredients. The key is that these cookies are made with butter or margarine. It plays the main role in shortcrust pastry. The classic recipe is 1:1:2, where the 1s are the margarine (butter) and sugar, and the 2s are the flour. By following this ratio, the recipe is always right, the dough is perfect, and the baked goods are a success!

Classic composition

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  • 400 g flour
  • 200 g butter
  • 4 yolks (75 g)
  • 200 g powdered sugar (for homogeneity, it is better to use it rather than sugar).
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 20 grams of cold water

As we see, butter is listed, but please note that most home cooks make cookies with margarine rather than butter. This reduces the calorie content and makes the cookies lighter. These homemade cookies have a calorie content of approximately 400 kcal per 100 grams.

Shortbread cookies get their name from the fact that they crumble when pressed, leaving tiny, sand-like crumbs. This property is also known as "crumbliness." This crumbliness is the main characteristic of these margarine-based pastries. Shortbread dough is considered the simplest and most pliable; however, without experience, it's easy to ruin it due to ignorance of certain nuances. But this won't happen if you follow the information below.

Cooking secrets

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A recipe isn't just a list of ingredients; it's also the secrets of craftsmanship. The same ingredients can either turn into a masterpiece or leave you disappointed. So, to ensure your homemade cookies are tender and crisp, follow these guidelines:

  • There is no need to knead the dough for a long time;
  • Knead the dough and work with it in a cool place. If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate the finished dough before rolling it out. Then, refrigerate the rolled-out dough sheet for 5 minutes. You can repeat the process with the cut-out shapes before baking.
  • Use only the yolks, not the whole eggs (our recipe has exactly this composition);
  • Before chopping, freeze the margarine. This is the secret to crispness!
  • Use low-gluten flour (the higher the flour grade, the more gluten it contains). Alternatively, you can reduce the gluten content by adding more sugar (which, by the way, is already included in our recipe).
  • Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper, because if you do it on the surface, you will have to constantly add flour (dust the surface and the rolling pin), you will end up with excess flour in the dough, and this will make the cookies less tender and crispy.
  • This recipe contains the perfect amount of flour! Don't add more (even by dusting the dough), as this will ruin the flavor of the cookies and they'll likely burn.
  • To achieve a crispy, thin crust and crisp texture, brush your homemade cookies with egg before baking. Just be sure to add a little salt and beat the egg before brushing.

7 steps to making shortbread cookies

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  1. Mix flour, powder and baking powder.
  2. Add cold chopped butter (cut or grated).
  3. Add yolks, cold water, mix and knead.
  4. We form a ball from the dough and put this ball in the refrigerator for half an hour.
  5. Next, we will pinch off a piece of dough to work with, and it is better to cover the rest with film so that it does not dry out.
  6. Cut off a piece of dough, which will need to be rolled out into a sheet 0.5 cm thick.
  7. Cut the cookies with cookie cutters, place them on a baking sheet, and bake at 22-240°C for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the baking process, as all ovens are different.

Your homemade cookies are ready! As mentioned, you can add cocoa, zest, nuts, raisins, and more to the basic recipe, as desired! The cookies can also be made in various shapes, including puff pastry, with your favorite cream or jam used as a filling.

Interestingly, these cookies can be eaten as a stand-alone treat or used in other dessert recipes. For example, cookies are needed to make cheesecake. They are also an ingredient in such beloved desserts in our country as chocolate sausage, potato cake, and others.

Video recipe for making crumbly cookies