11 shortbread cookie recipes

Pictou County oatcakes from Nova Scotia, the classic Maritime Canadian shortbread-style oat cookie. Crisp, crumbly, brown sugar sweet, ready in 20 minutes.

Mexican polvorones, crumbly cinnamon shortbread cookies coated in a chocolate-cinnamon sugar. Baked low and slow for a melt-in-your-mouth traditional Mexican cookie.

Old-fashioned egg-yolk cookies with six rich yolks, lemon and vanilla extracts, rolled in sugar before baking. Tender shortbread-style cookies that use up leftover yolks from angel food cake.

Checkerboard cookies, a visually striking shortbread-style cookie with alternating vanilla and chocolate squares. An impressive icebox cookie for holiday tins.

Cream filbert cookies with a whole hazelnut hidden inside each shortbread ball, glazed in vanilla icing and rolled in sugar. Vintage Pacific Northwest holiday cookie with a sweet crackly finish.

Mexican polvoron cookies rolled in a cinnamon-chocolate-sugar coating while still warm. Tender, crumbly shortbread-style cookies with a hint of cinnamon baked low and slow.

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.

Bachelor buttons: traditional English shortbread-style cookies made with butter, flour, sugar, and a hint of nutmeg. Tender, pale, walnut-sized teatime classics.

Pina colada squares with a buttery shortbread base, thick pineapple-rum filling, and a golden coconut meringue top. A tropical three-layer bar cookie.

Glazed lemon squares with a Bisquick shortbread base, a tangy lemon-coconut custard filling, and a sweet lemon glaze on top. A bright, citrusy bar cookie with three distinct layers.

Filled cookies sandwich a sweet raisin filling between two rounds of tender vanilla shortbread, sealed with fork tines and baked golden. Old-fashioned American lunchbox classic, like a homemade fig newton.