Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tart Shortbread

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Inspired by brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts, this super buttery shortbread is baked with a layer of cinnamon sugar in the middle. It’s basically a grown up version of a brown sugar cinnamon pop tart with elevated flavors and a delicious soft and tender texture.

How to make buttery shortbread

Taking direct inspiration from my strawberry pop tart shortbread recipe, I used the exact same shortbread recipe because it’s just too good!

When developing the recipe for the shortbread, I was very drawn to Scottish shortbread. It’s typically more rich, dense, and thick compared to regular shortbread due to its high fat content. In other words, it’s just better.

So for this pop tart shortbread, I made sure to up the butter and bake these bars low and slow. By doing so, you’re left with a dense but buttery tender shortbread bar that just melts in your mouth.

Another ingredient I used to boost the richness of these bars is almond flour. By swapping out some of the regular flour with almond flour, I’ve decreased the absorbency of the dry ingredients. Almond flour does not absorb as much liquid as regular flour, so these bars are able to remain extra buttery but with a dense and closed texture.

Layered brown sugar cinnamon shortbread

The one and only tricky part of this recipe is sandwiching the brown sugar cinnamon between two layers of shortbread dough, especially because the dough is soft and sticky. It requires some slight arts and crafts, but works like a charm!

First, take a sheet of parchment paper and place it under your baking dish. Trace the outline of the dish onto the paper using a marker. Then flip over the sheet (to conceal the marker) and set it aside.

Then, spread half of the shortbread dough into a prepped square baking dish. Spread the brown sugar cinnamon on top and press into an even layer.

Scoop the remaining shortbread dough into the center of the paper square and spread it even to fill that entire square. It can be a bit tricky, so I recommend holding the paper opposite the side you are spreading to prevent the sheet from moving around.

Once smooth, quickly flip the sheet of wax paper overtop the second half of the dough inside the pan. Peel back the paper and voila! Your brown sugar shortbread is now sandwiched. Gently smooth out the edges and it’s ready to bake.

Brown sugar shortbread baking tips

1. Properly measure the flour – I say this in every post, and for good reason. It’s the number one reason why most recipes fail, especially for cookie dough. If there’s too much flour, this shortbread will turn out dry and crumbly. If you can, measure the flour with a food scale. Otherwise, to ensure you use the exact amount needed, gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level if off with a flat edge. If you scoop directly into the flour container, it packs it down into the cup which could leave you with 1/4 cup or more of added flour.
2. Softened butter – Before you start, make sure your butter is softened to room temperature. This will create a smooth shortbread dough that bakes into a delicious melt-in-your-mouth texture. Alternatively, you can pop the butter bars in the microwave and heat in 5 second intervals, turning the bars between each time. Be careful not to overdo it as you don’t want MELTED butter. Then, place just the butter in the mixing bowl and mix on high speed until smooth.
3. Powdered sugar – This is the secret to a buttery shortbread. Powdered sugar blends seamlessly into the dough, creating a soft texture. I don’t recommend replacing this with any other sugar as the outcome will be very different.
4. Mixing – After adding the flour, gently mix together the dough. Over mixing will create a tough shortbread.

Chilling brown sugar shortbread bars

Once the bars are baked, it’s VERY important to let them chill for at least 1 hour. If you dig in right away, they’ll fall apart and turn into a buttery mess.

It’s the same reason why you must let brownies cool before slicing. When chilled, the butter will solidify giving you a dense but soft texture. So if your shortbread come out of the oven looking TOO buttery, don’t worry. Chilling will completely set these bars.

How to store brown sugar cinnamon shortbread

Keep the shortbread in the refrigerator in an air tight container. It will keep for up to 5 days.

For more shortbread recipes, check out my:

• Strawberry Pop Tart Shortbread
• Cookies and Cream Pop Tart Shortbread
• Ruby Chocolate Shortbread
• Slice & Bake Cookies
• Snickers Tart
• Strawberry Pizza
• Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts

Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and leave a review below if you make this brown sugar shortbread. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!

Watch how to make this brown sugar shortbread!

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