1. Preheat the oven to 300 °F. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat well. With your mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour. Mix until the dough comes together and all ingredients are incorporated. Do not overmix! The dough should be a little stiff. If it seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water. Divide the dough in half.
2. Form a 2-inch wide by 8-inch long log with your dough. If it’s a little crumbly you can dampen your hands while you roll the dough. Wrap the log in parchment or wax paper. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until well chilled.
3. Transfer one piece of dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out into a 9-inch circle and place it in one of the prepared pans. Repeat with the remaining dough.
4. Using a sharp knife, score each dough circle into 12 triangles. Press the tines of a fork into the shortbread to make a decorative pattern. This is an important step that prevents bubbles on top of the dough during baking. You can also press the fork around the perimeter of the shortbread to give it a crimped look.
5. Bake the shortbread for about 35 minutes, or until the surface is a light, golden brown with slightly darker edges. Remove the shortbread from the oven and turn it out onto a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the warm shortbread into wedges along the scored lines.

Optional icebox cookie method:

1. Form a 2-inch wide by 8-inch long log with your dough. Wrap the log in parchment or wax paper. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until well chilled. When you’re ready to bake, remove the paper and cut the log into ½-inch slices. Place the discs on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Using cookie molds:

1. If you don’t want to use the 9-inch pan method, you can make shortbread in cookie molds. Make sure to choose deeply carved molds, because shortbread does not hold fine details when baked. Dust the molds with flour or powdered sugar, then press some dough firmly into the mold. Gently release the dough from the edge of the mold using your fingertip. Place the molded dough on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Your cookies should be firm and light golden brown on top with slightly darker edges. Note that larger cookies might need to stay in the oven a few minutes longer.
2. If these shortbread cookies weren’t adventurous enough for you, make sure to try my one-of-a-kind Irish Whiskey Shortbread Cookie recipe next!