These cookies are a legend in my mom’s side of the family. My mom is one of 5 children. She grew up in Hawaii and her and her two sisters went to public school there. Every Friday, the three of them would buy a shortbread cookie for a nickel and wrap the buttery cookie in wax paper to bring home to eat. For over 30 years, the three of them (who are all great chefs and bakers) have tried to recreate the magical recipe. And this past weekend, the recipe was published by a former Hawaiian public school cafeteria worker who said these cookies were baked nearly every day and kept in 5-gallon tins.
My mom and my two Aunts all experimented with the recipe to make sure they taste exactly how they remembered. And this recipe gets it just right. The hint to these cookies is the salted butter. Don’t use unsalted and don’t use fancy Irish butter, just regular salted butter from the grocery store. And the longer they sit after baking, the better they taste since the flavors have time to meld together. The cookies are rich, so we cut them small to get 2 dozen, but the size is totally up to you. The key to storing these pups is to always keep them in a tin with some parchment paper (it keeps them crispy as well as moist).
The cookies are buttery, just the perfect amount of sweet and highly addictive. We’ve had three different batches in our house this past week for tasting purposes and none of us can stop eating them. They taste delicious with a cup of tea or coffee. This is one of those recipes that I want to pass on to my children and them to theirs. Enjoy!
4-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies
Makes 2 dozen (cut small)
The key to this recipe is the butter. Don’t go fancy, just regular ol’ salted butter. Keep the cookies stored in a tin container with parchment paper to keep them nice and fresh.
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks salted butter (1 cup total), room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/3 cup sifted flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Grease a 9-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
- In a stand-mixer, cream the butter (about 3-5 minutes). Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
- By hand, gradually mix in the flour and salt until well combined and crumbly.
- Press the mixture evenly into a baking pan. Prick the top with a fork.
- Bake 50-60 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool slightly, then cut into bars or triangles.
Recipe adapted from the Honolulu Star Advertiser.
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
I love having shortbread and tea for a little afternoon snack- I used to do digestives and tea when we were in London. Can’t wait to try these out!
I miss digestives!!! They sell them at World Market btw, but I try not to remember that or else I will get myself into trouble… Miss you!
Omg I finally made these and I can’t control myself! They are so good!!
YAYA!!!!! So happy you tried them! Miss ya girl!
That’s so wonderful that your family finally has this recipe after so many years! It looks delicious. Thank you for sharing it.
Okay, you just posted a recipe for shortbread cookies that I can make with only four ingredients? You may have just changed my life. I can’t wait to try these (and then will probably never stop eating them after I do)!
Seriously they are SO addictive!!! Be careful! Freeze them or give them out immediately!
I’m also from Hawai’i and remember those shortbread cookies! We always had the best lunches, when I was in school lunch cost 25 cents, and that was full price. I am anxious to make these, hope I don’t eat them all myself. I will get some Passion-Orange juice and really relive old times.
Liz that sounds like a perfect snack: some shortbread and Passion-Orange juice!! I hope you try the recipe, SO simple and are almost identical to the ones growing up.
Just made these… super simple and so tasty! I omitted the extra salt, and used a larger pan for thinner cookies.
These don’t taste like my prairie Canadian shortbread roots, but wonderful nonetheless.
Thank you, thank you!
Steffi,
SO happy you tried them!!!
xo
Koko
Thank you so much for the recipe! My brother and I love Hawaiian shortbread, whether from Honolulu Cookie Co to various brands found in Hawaiian groceries. I made this recipe for myself and it’s delicious! My brother is also away in the Army for the holidays so I shared my batch with him and followed your tips on storage and mailed the tin today. Thank you for allowing my brother to have a wonderful homemade, sentimental gift for Thanksgiving! Cheers!
So happy you tried them and sent them off for the holidays. This story melts my heart! Happy holidays!
Help! Sticks of butter now come in 1/4 cup size and 1/2 cup size. If I use two sticks, which size should I be using?
1/2 cup size! xoox
I love this! I will be making these for classmates. I was wondering if the batter is roll-able (into cookie shapes) because I want to dunk the bottoms of half into dark chocolate and make the rest strawberry shortbread.
I think you could definitely give it a try! I made mine in a pan so they came out as squares. So another option would be to make them in the pan and then dunk them afterwards? Let me know how it goes!!!
I too am from Hawaii and I remember racing to the cafeteria after school to buy these cookies. Usually there were only a few available, so if you were lucky you got at least one. I can’t wait to try this.
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