Easy Vanilla Bean Shortbread Bars

This weekend, while I was sipping my morning coffee, my daughter once again appeared with Sally’s cookbook in hand, flipping pages and pointing out everything she wanted to bake. This time, it was the Vanilla Bean Shortbread Bars. I took one look at the incredibly short ingredient list and realized we already had everything we needed, including vanilla beans left over from making homemade vanilla last year. A total win.

We got right to it, and I’m so glad we did.

Why I Love This Recipe

This is one of those recipes that feels almost too easy for how good the result is. It comes together quickly with just eight ingredients, no rolling required and no chill time needed. From start to finish, the dough was mixed in under ten minutes, followed by a simple 30-minute bake.

Hands pressing vanilla bean shortbread dough into a square baking pan.

It was also a great recipe for my daughter to continue her baking journey. I let her take the lead on measuring and pouring, and she loved being in charge. She pressed the dough into the pan herself and proudly watched it bake. She even put together a goody bag for her friend and delivered it that same day.

The result is a buttery, crumbly shortbread that’s absolutely delicious. Dare I say, it’s better than Girl Scout shortbread.

Recipe Credit

This recipe comes from Sally’s Baking 101 by Sally McKenney. Lucky for us, it’s been posted online and also available here.

Sally’s Baking 101 is full of approachable, well-tested recipes that are easy to follow and perfect for baking with kids. This is one highly tabbed cookbook in our house.

Open cookbook page from Sally’s Baking 101 with ingredients laid out for vanilla bean shortbread bars.

Notes From My Kitchen

If you’re using a stand mixer, make sure to use the paddle attachment. I accidentally started with the dough hook because I’ve been making so much bread lately and had to switch halfway through. Doh!

We didn’t have a square metal baking pan, so I used a square stoneware baker instead, and it worked perfectly. The coarse sugar on top is a lovely finishing touch, but the bars would still be great without it if you prefer a less sweet shortbread.

The recipe says these will keep for up to a week. We didn’t get anywhere near testing that.

This took exactly 30 minutes of baking time for us. Look for lightly browned, set edges. Plan ahead—you’ll need another 30 minutes for cooling before serving (though they’re still delicious while warm. I can’t help myself).