The beauty of these cookies is their versatility. Play around: you can fill them with jam, Nutella, peanut butter, or chocolate ganache. More

[Photograph: Leela Punyaratabandhu] The most difficult thing about this recipe is to gauge just the right consistency of the dough; if it's too dry, you can't roll it into balls and if it's too wet, the flowers won't hold their... More

This shortbread has a tender crumb complimented by a polished, wedge presentation. Feel free to adjust the levels of sugar and salt to your personal taste, and don't be afraid to add fresh herbs to the dough, such as chopped rosemary or thyme. More

This recipe is adapted from one by Jamie Oliver, from his book Cook with Jamie. It's a little less dainty than some other versions of shortbread, made extra crumbly by the addition of cornstarch and semolina flour. It's perfect on it's own, or served with berries, sorbet, or ice cream. More

Buttery shortbread is imbued with finely diced pieces of chocolate covered toffee. More

Trader Joe's makes the best white chocolate for this ice cream. It's extremely creamy with strong notes of vanilla, chocolate, and herbs. More

Traditional buttery shortbread takes a dip in dark chocolate. More

Made with four simple ingredients—flour, sugar, salt, and butter—shortbread cookies seem like the baguettes of the cookie world. And like a crusty baguette with a warm meal, there's just something comforting about a good shortbread cookie. This comforting simplicity prompted me to offer 25 batches of homemade shortbread cookies to a recent fundraiser for food blogger Jennifer Perillo. Over the last few days, I've baked dozens of shortbread cookies for virtual strangers, and I learned a few things along the way about these simple cookies. More

I'm tempted to deem these the perfect lunchbox treat for back-to-schoolers, but really they're the ideal mid-day pick me up for anyone. More

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