Cardamom Shortbread Cookies (Buttery & Tender)
Dec 01, 2018, Updated Mar 30, 2026
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These cardamom shortbread cookies are tender, buttery, and lightly spiced with ground green cardamom — the warm, aromatic spice that’s common in Middle Eastern and Indian baking. All you need is 7 ingredients, 10 minutes of prep, and these cookies will be ready in under an hour (including chill time). The dough comes together quickly, chills in a log, then slices into perfect rounds.
I live for unique flavors in baked goods. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good classic cookie, but life is too short for plain cookies in my opinion! That’s exactly how I ended up developing the recipe for these cardamom shortbread cookies. My recipe makes about 24 cookies – perfect for an office potluck or sharing with friends, family and neighbors!
And while you’re here, make sure to check out some of our favorite cookies like Turkish apple cookies, thumbprint cookies, Italian pistachio cookies, krumkake and viral tahini cookies that take the internet by storm every single year.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
These cardamom shortbread cookies are one of our absolute favorites to bake. They’re buttery, tender, and lightly scented with cardamom.
They’re your classic shortbread cookies with a fun twist, and they’ll definitely have you reaching for another. Plus, they’re incredibly easy to make and the dough can be prepared ahead of time, which is always a win.
What are Cardamom Shortbread Cookies?
Cardamom shortbread cookies are a simple butter cookie flavored with ground green cardamom. Cardamom is an aromatic spice used throughout Middle Eastern, Indian, and Scandinavian baking. Unlike traditional shortbread, which relies on vanilla (or no spice at all), these cookies have a warm, slightly floral flavor that yields a unique flavor profile. I grew up thinking of cardamom as a Middle Eastern spice since that’s where I always encountered it – so I was shocked to see cookies like these in bakeries in Copenhagen when I first traveled around Europe. It seems that there is something about this spice that makes it popular across many different national baking traditions!
The base is classic shortbread: butter, powdered sugar, flour, and a touch of cornstarch for tenderness. The cardamom lifts everything, turning an everyday cookie into something you’d find in a Persian pastry shop or a Swedish fika spread. I personally think it pairs well with Persian tea, but I’m sure that my Scandinavian readers have their own preferred pairings!
Ingredients
- Flour: Regular all purpose flour works best for this recipe.
- Cornstarch: Don’t leave it out since it makes the cookies smooth and tender in the middle. It cannot be substituted with other starches.
- Powdered sugar: While many cookie recipes call for granulated sugar, these call for powdered sugar, also known as confectioner’s sugar.
- Cardamom: The main flavor of these cookies come from ground green cardamom which you can find in Iranian, Middle Easter, Mediterranean or Indian stores.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter that’s not very cold. Margarine or other substitutions such as coconut oil cannot be used in this recipe.
How To Make Cardamom Shortbread Cookies
- In a bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, and cardamom.
- Add the butter and mix until fully combined.
- Add the milk, one spoon at a time, and mix until the dough comes together.
- Shape the dough into a log, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, slice the dough into ¼-inch thick rounds and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Recipe Tips
Measure properly: Using more flour than what’s mentioned in the recipe will result in dry cookies. The dough is supposed to be soft and easy to handle.
Don’t overbake: You don’t need to bake the cookies for too long, just enough for the edges to barely turn golden.
Variations on Cardamom Cookies
These cookies can easily be customized to your liking. While the amount of powdered sugar, butter, and flour should stay the same, you can add extra ingredients to jazz them up:
Nuts: Add chopped hazelnuts, almonds, or pistachios right after adding the butter.
Coconut or nut crust: Form the dough into a log, brush all sides with a bit of egg white, and roll it in unsweetened desiccated coconut or finely chopped nuts.
Dried fruit: Fold in chopped dried fruit such as apricots or cranberries right after adding the butter.
How to Store Cardamom Cookies
Store the cookies in an airtight container and keep in a cool and dry place for up to 4 days. To freeze, place the baked cookies in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.
You can also wrap the raw cookie log in a wax paper and plastic wrap, then freeze for up to 4 months. To bake, let the cookie dough thaw in the fridge overnight and when you’re ready, proceed with the baking instructions.
You can also make the dough and keep it refrigerated for up to 4 days. When you’re ready to bake, take the dough out of the fridge and follow the baking instructions
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, ground cardamom and cardamom powder are the same thing. Use green cardamom (not black cardamom, which has a smoky flavor). For the freshest flavor, you could grind your own from cardamom pods – though I personally think that hand-grinding probably wouldn’t be worth the effort if you have access to store-bought ground cardamom.
Cardamom is widely used in Middle Eastern, Indian, and Scandinavian baking. While these shortbread cookies are inspired by Middle Eastern flavors, cardamom cookies appear in many cuisines.
That’s a tough one since the flavor is so unique. You really need to try it yourself, but if I really had to describe it in words I suppose I could say that it has a warm, slightly sweet, and floral flavor with hints of citrus and mint.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!
Cardamom Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, corn starch, powdered sugar, cardamom and salt.
- Add in the butter and mix using a electric hand mixer until fully combined.
- Add in the milk and mix until it forms into a dough. Use your hand to knead the dough if needed. Knead the dough until it's smooth and form it into a ball. Make sure not to knead it too much, just enough to bring it together.
- Form the dough into a log about two inches in a diameter and wrap tightly in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take the cookie dough log out of the fridge, place it on a cutting board and cut slices about ¼ inch thick.
- Place the cookies on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 12 minutes until they’r slightly golden on the edges and at the bottom.
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes then transfer to the cooling rack.
Notes
- You can find ground cardamom at Middle Eastern, Arabic, Iranian or Indian ethnic stores. It’s light green.
- If the cookies turned out dry, there could be a couple of reasons: First, you added more flour than needed and second, overbaking. Bake the cookies until the edges are barely golden.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container and keep in a cool and dry place for up to 4 days.
- You can refrigerate the cookie dough log for up to 4 days or freeze it up to 4 months. When ready to bake, take the log out of the fridge, slice and bake according to the instructions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I followed the recipe but the cookies were so bland and didn’t taste like any Persian pastry/cookies I had before.
These are more shortbread style cookies, they’re not supposed to be Persian.