Jewish Shortbread
These delicious Jewish Shortbread Cookies are perfect for the holiday season! They’re soft, nutty, sweet and cinnamon-y.
With the holiday season upon us, and Christmas right around the corner it’s time to bake and fill those cookie jars! If you’re looking for a rich and flavourful cookie recipe to try, these Jewish Shortbread are delicious. So let’s get baking together. I bet you’ve got all the ingredients in your pantry right now…grab an apron, preheat your oven, let’s go!
A family favourite cookie recipe.
Jewish Shortbread Cookies are one of my most favourite cookies ever…they’ve appeared on many cookie trays over the years…my Grandma made the best ones! These cookies are rich, nutty and sweet. You just can’t go wrong with sugar, cinnamon and ground pecans (or walnuts), especially during the holidays.
Jewish Shortbread Recipe Notes:
- These cookies are a little delicate. Like all shortbread cookies, these are a little delicate, so take care when coating them in sugar, and when storing them.
- Nuts: You can use either ground pecans or ground walnuts. I have used both, and both are equally delicious.
- Making ground nuts: To make ground nuts I use a small hand food processor…you just need to pulse them a few times to get them to the consistency of coarse sand. Just make sure not to over-pulse or you’ll end up with nut butter. You can also buy pre-ground nuts.
- Butter: Use only butter, not margarine. Salted or unsalted works.
- Cinnamon Sugar Mix: Make sure to coat the cookies in this cinnamon sugar mixture when they are warm, so it sticks to the cookie. When they’re cool, the mixture won’t stick.
- Freezing: These cookies can be frozen. Keep them in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 months.
- This recipe is adapted from the Best of Bridge.
Recipe Option: For another fun baking option, you can turn this recipe into a cookie pie! Check out my recipe for a Jewish Shortbread Cookie Pie here!
Jewish Shortbread Cookies
These delicious Jewish Shortbread Cookies are perfect for the holiday season! They’re soft, nutty, sweet and cinnamon-y!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chilling Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Baking
Ingredients
Cookie:
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup finely ground pecans or walnuts
- 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla, mix.
- Stir in the ground pecans, flour and salt. Mix well.
- Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- When ready to make the cookies, roll the dough into a 1 inch ball. Then roll the dough in your hands to shape it into a crescent.
- Place the cookie on a baking sheet (I like to line mine with parchment paper).
- Bake for 14-16 minutes. The cookie edges should be slightly golden brown, you don’t want to over bake them.
- While the cookies are baking, in a bowl combine the 1/4 cup sugar and the 2 tsp cinnamon. Set aside.
- After the cookies have baked, let them rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes.
- Then coat them in the sugar/cinnamon mix. Make sure the cookies are warm when you do this (not hot). I just tap the bottoms in the sugar mix, then I flip them over and lightly press the tops into the mixture, making sure to coat them. If not enough sugar mix sticks, I sprinkle more on.
- Enjoy!
Keywords: Jewish shortbread cookies, Jewish shortbread
More Christmas Cookies to Bake!
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Have a delicious day!
Note: This recipe was originally posted in December 2011. I have since updated this post with new images. Same great recipe, just better pics! Enjoy.
Yummy yum yum! These sound divine 🙂 (I think that’s the first time I’ve ever used the word divine in a sentence).
I have never heard of these but I love all the ingredients. They look great.
I love your recipes, photography, and the whole website
Hi
I love your blog
I am going to try these cookies today, I do have a question though, how do you get the sugar and cinn. to stick to the cookie?
happy day
deezie
deeziesunshine@aol.com
these look amazing! i love anything flaky and shortbread-like with cinnamon on top!
I always use almonds in this recipe, been making it since the 70’s (from Best of Bridge) .. have made them every year since! 🙂
Look and sound delish. I will have to try them at some time.