Shortbread is one of the simple joys in life that’s actually really easy to make at home. Most of the time I’ve already got all the ingredients on hand. This copycat recipe for a simple (yet oh so delicious) version of Lorna Doone cookies hits the spot every time. It’s a really uncomplicated flavor, yet the texture is so incredible.

Like the original these square shortbread cookies aren’t super sweet. If you’re looking for something like that better stick chocolate chip cookies. Instead, these cookies have only a little bit of sugar in them for more of what the English might call a biscuit instead of a cookie.

The sugar in this recipe is powdered sugar, which makes the dough extremely tender. This means they literally melt in your mouth. But, it also means that you need to chill the dough before rolling it out.

You’ll need to work quickly as you roll out the dough so that it stays cold. You might even consider putting half the dough back in the fridge while you roll out the first batch.

I found that this dough tended to stick to the rolling pin, even my well-floured marble rolling pin. What helped was simply rolling more slowly as it gave the dough time to release from the rolling pin.

Then cut your dough into squares and you’re set to bake them up. To my delight these cookies don’t spread very much in the oven, keeping their angular shapes well.

I love to have these with some hot tea, but their comforting and familiar flavor makes them the perfect snack or dessert for just about any occasion.