12 Store-Bought Butter And Shortbread Cookies, Ranked Worst To Best

Butter and shortbread cookies are ideal when you want a rich cookie that isn't overwhelmed with additional flavors and mix-ins. The rich buttery base speaks for itself — when done well, that is. A classic butter cookie is similar to shortbread but typically has more sugar, which gives it a hint of sweetness. They are often baked at a higher temperature to slightly caramelize the sugar, making them slightly sweeter and smoother in texture. Shortbread is usually more crumbly, almost sandy, with a noticeable butter taste.

With that in mind, I set out to buy as many shortbread and butter cookies as possible to get a better sense of what's out there. Since these are still quite comparable, I was looking for a buttery cookie with a rich crumb. The keyword is "buttery," because butter is a big factor for me. While some recipes use lard or other shortening ingredients, I specifically wanted to see butter on the ingredients list, as butter is a starring ingredient in making high-quality shortbread cookies, as well. The sweetness or overall crumbliness wasn't a factor, but texture and size were. The taste, texture, and size varied, but I'm confident I found a few fantastic options.

The Murray Sugar Free Shortbread Cookies have a floral shape, which I think is somewhat interesting. They are very thin and somewhat small, and by looks alone, they don't seem very authentically shortbread-like. After trying them, I can say they're the worst of the bunch, though not because they particularly taste bad. Instead, they didn't seem like a shortbread cookie at all. There's hardly any butter taste, and the texture just seems like a cookie without much of a crumbly texture at all. 

They are extremely compact, as if the ingredients are pressed together so tightly to form the flower shape. There's no flakiness whatsoever, and I wouldn't think this was a shortbread cookie if you gave it to me in a blind taste test. Come to find out there's no butter in the cookie, just oils and milk in the form of whey protein concentrate. The sucralose doesn't come across as too strong, luckily, but everything about this cookie feels generally subpar.

The Little Dutch Boy Bakery Spritz Shortbread Gourmet Cookie Tin had some problems from the start. The box was perfectly pristine, but the cookies inside were smashed to smithereens. There were three whole cookies among 24 — the three on the plate. This meant the cookies were mere crumbles, and the three whole cookies were coated in pulverized crumbs, making them feel gritty (you can see the residue if you zoom in on the photo).

They're crumbly enough, but have a noticeable almond-like flavoring. There's no almond extract, but the ingredient list lists both natural and artificial flavors. The worst offense is that there's no butter, just palm oil shortening. The shortening helps give it a flakiness, but it certainly isn't buttery enough. Perhaps some butter flavor comes from the aforementioned flavorings, too. While these weren't the absolute worst cookie I tried, I'd skip them if you're seeking a more authentic shortbread experience.

I was expecting more from one of Pepperidge Farm's cookies, since I really like the Milano cookie selection. But the Chessmen Butter Cookies were a bit lackluster compared to the other treats on this list. I can appreciate that they have a pleasant flakiness and a buttery taste. The treats actually have a solid butter content that's reflected in the ingredient list, so they bested the bottom two entries. However, they're very dry, hard, and thin, which doesn't make them all too satisfying to eat.

I've seen people use them as a topper for banana pudding, which softens in the cookie's moisture; this might be the best use for them. Alternatively, they might be better dunked in a cup of coffee, but I wouldn't feel inspired to eat them on their own. Compared to others on this list, they weren't as rich and buttery, either. They're certainly a step up from Little Dutch Boy Bakery's cookies, but I wouldn't call these the best butter cookies out there.

Admittedly, the Brexonic Sugar Free Butter Cookies Traditional Danish Cookies are your best bet if you want a sugar-free cookie variety. You'll get 36 cookies in a medley of shapes, making them well-suited for entertaining or monitoring your sugar intake. The aroma is quite buttery when you open the package, and the flavors are okay. At least we see butter in the ingredients list, but the malitol, sucralose, and artificial flavoring stick to the tongue, which the butter cannot save.

The worst part is the texture, which feels ultra-dry, and almost mealy on the tongue. The lack of tenderness indicates to me there's not enough butter. They're by no means the worst cookies, but they're not good either, even with the inclusive, sugar-free aspect. The addition of butter isn't enough to distract from the other issues.

If you want a sugar-free cookie, the Voortman Bakery Zero Sugar Shortbread Cookies are your best option among the three brands I tried. Let's start with some of the negative aspects: Unfortunately, there isn't any butter to offer richness; instead, we see vegetable oil to give moisture. It's sweetened using malitol, but we get a hit of vanilla extract, which seems to distract from the lack of butter and sugar. There's a slight aftertaste from the maltitol, but it's still the best of the sugar-free options. You could even try the brand's delightful fudge-striped version for a chocolatey addition.

While there's nonfat dry milk to provide some dairy, the absence of butter clearly means these aren't the most authentic recipes. On the plus side, the texture is much better than Brexonic's because it has a softer, less dry crumb. The size is quite large, and I've never seen a vanilla ring so big before. Still, Voortman Bakery lacks buttery richness, which means it can't go any higher in the ranking.

The Great Value Pecan Shortbread Cookies are a fine option if you're already shopping in-store, but some excellent cookies are coming up on this list. These taste nice enough, but have a couple of problems keeping them from ranking higher.

I think the pecans are added to distract you from the fact that there's no butter in the recipe. Pecans naturally have a buttery quality, so it's hard to tell how these Great Value cookie tastes alone. Without butter, they don't taste too rich or offer the profile I was looking for. Instead, it includes vegetable oil shortening and whey as a dairy ingredient. These provide a generic flavor that doesn't make the cookie particularly enticing.

It does have a good crumbly consistency, and the pecans add a burst of texture. Still, it's not an authentic butter shortbread. The pecans make it memorable rather than acting as the cookie's foundational flavor. It makes a tasty afternoon treat to eat with tea or coffee, but I wouldn't buy it to impress guests.

To be honest, the Keebler cookies were better than expected. I didn't think they'd be all that good, but they clearly beat out six other brands. They have a nice crumbly texture as you bite into them, and butter is listed in the ingredients, which you can tell contributes to the slightly flaky texture. Butter doesn't come through clearly in the flavor, though, likely because soybean and palm oil are also added. It's only mildly buttery and isn't especially rich or potent, keeping it out of the top five.

There's nothing particularly offensive about these, though I doubt I'd get them again when there are multiple options that taste considerably better and richer. I think the flavor could appeal to a wider customer base, and the price is pretty good if you buy it from a more affordable retailer like Walmart. The slightly butter-forward taste gives it a boost over the Great Value cookies.

From this point on, the cookies are all very tasty and may vary based on personal preferences, so I'll give a couple of insights for each about what might appeal to customers. Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies are wonderfully crumbly with a crisp, snappy texture. Although not moist, they aren't as dry as Keebler's, which I prefer. I think the Lorna Doone are a better-tasting version of Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Butter Cookies because they have the most similar shape and size: Thinner and smaller than everything else.

The cookies have a buttery flavor that makes them so enticing to eat, but I really like the size. You get four small square cookies in each packet, making it easy to enjoy without worrying about anything going stale. Actually, I found that many of the cookies on this list softened when left out, so this helps eliminate that issue.

I could have ranked this higher based on the sizing, but there's no butter here. Instead, it has a blend of oils and artificial flavoring to provide the fatty component. In a Girl Scout Trefoils vs. Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies tête-à-tête, it was deemed a draw based on personal preference, and I can totally see that. You'll either love these or you won't.

Is it cheating if these contain cinnamon? The gluten-free Siete Family Foods Grain-Free Mexican Shortbread Cookies aren't the typical shortbread cookie, and instead (like the name implies) pull from the Mexican version of the dessert. I was debating making this my second choice, but ultimately, there isn't any butter to give it the richness I was specifically looking for. Other recipes for this type of cookie have butter or lard, but I can't fault Siete for sticking to its mission to create "heritage-inspired foods with thoughtfully selected ingredients." 

I'd be more than happy always to keep a bag stocked in my pantry, but it doesn't quite hit the buttery decadence I wanted for this ranking. It's a great cookie, though, with a whiff of cinnamon that makes it a breeze to eat multiple — the small size helps, too. The bag is small, but the cookies are fantastic, and I polished them off pretty quickly. The cinnamon and the crunchy, thin texture help it stand out.

I preferred the touch of cinnamon and size over the Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies, but again, this is a personal choice. Like Lorna Doone, though, this was penalized because I needed a true, authentic butter flavor to make it to the top.

My top three are truly the best butter and shortbread cookies out there, with butter abound. The Trader Joe's French Galettes Butter Cookies have a unique texture that may or may not be appealing. It's compact, crumbly, and a tad dry when you bite it, but it has a glossy top that contributes to a smoother mouthfeel. These are marvelously buttery — truly the most butter-forward of anything thus far — and contain an incredibly short ingredient list to keep it to the basics. 

Because of the density and firmness, these would be excellent for dunking into a latte or hot chocolate. I found these incredibly easy to eat, but they're somewhat large in circumference, so I didn't really feel inclined to eat more than one at a time, especially given the simplicity of the flavor. The TJ's cookies are much richer and buttery than the Siete Family Foods Grain-Free Mexican Shortbread Cookies, thanks to the actual butter inclusion, so there's not much of a comparison there.

There's a reason basically every grandma had a tin of these Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookies in the house: They're tasty. You may even recall seeing the tin and opening it, only to find it used as a sewing kit with the cookies long gone. I get the appeal now, because these are easy to eat and easier to finish, hence the second place ranking. I quite like the variety of cookies, which makes them perfect to bring out if you have family over. Unlike the Little Dutch Boy Bakery tin, none of the cookies were broken or had so much as a crack or crumble.

These butter cookies look good and taste better. The cookies are marvelously rich and buttery with a smidge of sweetness. The different shapes make it fun to pick out which to get — they also provide different textures on the tongue, as some have coarse sugar on top to give a rougher mouthfeel and an added sprinkle of sweetness. The cookies are firm yet not ultra-crunchy like the Trader Joe's ones. I like the vanilla ring, but the coconut one adds a mild pop of flavor.

Walker's All-Butter Shortbread Rounds is almost like eating butter, but better. These straddle a unique line of being firm enough to hold themselves together while giving you some resistance as you take a bite, but they're incredibly crumbly, too. I've purchased Walker's before, and broken cookies seem to be a consistent issue, which I assume is mainly because of the butter content. That's certainly something worth noting if you are buying them to use for entertaining guests or giving to a party host.

I prefer the buttery, less-sweet flavor of those to the Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookies to secure the highest spot in the ranking. The Danish treats have 9 grams of sugar in a 34-gram serving, whereas the Walker's have 6 grams in a 33-gram serving. This also shows the difference in sugar content that you can typically expect between butter and shortbread cookies. I'll say these particular Walker's cookies are thick and somewhat large, so you may want to consider a different shape if you want a smaller portion, such as the mini all-butter fingers. These are decadent, butter-forward, with a fantastic texture — neither too dry nor hard — and deserve first place. And yes, this was the first pack I finished!

First, with the exception of the Trader Joe's cookies, I bought all of these cookies through Walmart and had them delivered. When ranking them, flavor was the most important factor. I wasn't expecting a huge difference among the dozen I tried, so the ones that were unpleasant stood out a lot. Crumbliness wasn't a factor, as this can vary between shortbread and butter cookies, but I was still looking for a cookie that held together (and some were excessively brittle or too crunchy).

Size really only comes up toward the top of the ranking as I tried to narrow down my favorites. While I didn't expect a moist cookie at all, it still needed to be neither excessively dry nor too moist or soft. Ideally, the butter would provide some richness to act as a balance. A cookie would rank high if it had a buttery base that melted in my mouth. Something ranked lower if its flavor or texture was too overwhelming, whether that was chalky or dry.