Lorna Doone Cookies are a tasty melt-in-your-mouth shortbread! With this easy copycat recipe, you can make the classic square-shaped Nabisco™ cookies right at home from scratch. You'll love them with tea or coffee, as a snack, or to add to lunchboxes.
Make your own melt-in-your-mouth Lorna Doone cookies at home with this easy copycat recipe!
You'll love this dupe of the classic square Nabisco™ cookies! They have the classic rich buttery shortbread taste and lightly crumbly, smooth texture.
Maybe you can't get hold of a box of them where you live, or you just love making copycat recipes from scratch. Whatever the reason, give this recipe a try!
Lorna Doone cookies are shortbread cookies that were first made by the American National Biscuit Company (Nabisco™) in 1902.
The cookie is named after the novel Lorna Doone, which was popular at the time. These iconic American shortbread cookies are crisp and buttery, with a hint of sweetness.
You can find these cookies in most grocery stores, but they're also easy to make at home! This copycat recipe uses simple baking ingredients that you may already have on hand.
Shortbread cookies typically contain a mix of flour, sugar, and butter with no leavening agent to make them rise which gives them their classic crunchy texture with a buttery taste.
But in this copycat Lorna Doone cookies recipe, I've added cornstarch to replicate that tender, melting texture of the originals! It totally works.
These easy shortbread cookies can be served in a variety of different ways.
Serve them with a cup of coffee or tea for dipping, or enjoy them as a light dessert or after-school snack!
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Reader Testimonials
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "They came out very good. Looked great. Not too sweet, perfect texture. Grandkids loved them. My husband enjoyed them too. He would have liked them a little browner. Told me after I fell to sleep he sneaked two more." - Regina, Pinterest
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "The whole family loved these buttery Lorna Doone cookies. Such buttery goodness, yum!!" - Michelle
Why Make This Recipe
Shortbread Lorna Doone cookies are made from scratch which means only clean ingredients.
You probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry!
You can customize the flavor by using your favorite warming spices.
Great to have on hand when having a friend over for coffee or tea.
Kids love this crunchy snack that's just a bit sweet and buttery.
This is an easy copycat recipe.
Ingredients
- Butter and Margarine - Gives these shortbread cookies their classic buttery taste and rich texture. The mixture of the two gives them the right taste and texture.
- Powdered Sugar - Sweetens the cookie while the fine grain of sugar blends in with the ingredients perfectly so they have the right texture.
- Vanilla Extract - Adds light and warm vanilla flavor to the cookies that pair well with the butter taste.
- Salt - Helps balance out the sweet flavor and enhances the cookie.
- All Purpose Flour - The main dry ingredient, flour adds structure to the cookies.
- Cornstarch - Helps add bulk to the cookie dough and contributes to the smooth, melt in the mouth texture.
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full quantities.
Instructions
Wondering how to make this Lorna Doone Copycat recipe? It's easy!
Just follow this step-by-step photo tutorial. Then, scroll down for the recipe card for the full ingredients list and recipe method.
Cream the butter and sugar: To a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter, margarine, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix on medium speed until all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the dry ingredients: To the butter and sugar mixture, sift in the flour and cornflour and mix until it forms a moist crumbly dough.
Shape and chill: Knead a few times to bring it together, then pat into a disc shape, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or put in the freezer for 15 minutes) to firm it up slightly.
Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line two cookie sheets with baking parchment paper. Set aside.
Cut into squares: Remove the dough from the fridge. Add a light dusting of powdered sugar to the counter and cut the dough in half. Roll out each piece until a ¼ inch thickness is achieved. Using a knife or pizza cutter. Cut the cookies into square shapes and place them in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Bake and cool: Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes or until they begin to turn a golden brown color. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cook's Tips
Shortbread cookies are made with a dough that is typically drier than other cookies. The dough is ready when it comes together but still is moist and crumbly.
Make sure your butter and margarine are at room temperature before mixing them into cookie dough. This will help ensure everything mixes together smoothly.
When cutting the cookies, you can dip the knife into powdered sugar to ensure a smoother and even cut into squares. It may not be necessary though.
These cookies take about 10 minutes to bake, but the cooking time can vary depending on your individual oven. You want them very lightly golden, but not browned.
Lorna Doone cookies develop their crunchy texture when they are completely cooled and dried.
Variations
Instead of vanilla extract, try using other flavors such as maple, almond, lemon, or coconut to change up the flavor.
Add food coloring to the mix to match any festive occasion.
Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice to give them a warming flavor twist.
Fold in finely chopped nuts such as pecans, walnuts, or almonds before baking.
For a chocolate twist, drizzle melted chocolate over the cooled cookies.
Storage & Freezing
Storing: These Lorna Doone cookies can be stored outside of the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. If you live in a humid climate, it's best to store them in the fridge.
Freezing: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to two months by tightly wrapping it in plastic wrap and placing it in a freezer-safe bag. When you're ready to bake, let the dough thaw overnight in the fridge before proceeding with the recipe as directed.
Baked cookies can also be frozen by tightly wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and placing them in a freezer-safe container or bag.
FAQs
This is a difficult question to answer as it depends on your personal definition of healthy. These cookies are made with butter and sugar which some people would consider unhealthy. However, they do not contain any artificial flavors or colors that some people would consider to be healthy.
Yes, you can make these cookies without cornflour. The cornflour helps to give the cookies a crispy texture, but it is not necessary, though the texture will change slightly. You can replace the cornstarch with flour.
More copycat recipes
We hope that you love this tasty copycat Lorna Doone recipe! Be sure to also check out these other copycat recipes too!
Dessert Recipes
These Lorna Doones are sooo good. We hope you love these other dessert recipes too!
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📖 Recipe
Lorna Doone Cookies (Copycat)
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup margarine
- ½ cup powdered sugar (60 grams) icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (195 grams) (plain flour)
- ¼ cup cornstarch (30 grams) (cornflour)
Instructions
- Add the butter, margarine, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Sift in the flour and cornflour and mix to a crumbly dough. Knead a few times to bring it together, then pat into a disc shape, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or put in the freezer for 15 minutes) to firm it up slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line two cookie sheets with baking parchment paper.
- Lightly dust the counter with powdered sugar, then roll out the dough to about ¼-inch thick. Cut into square shapes and place each one onto the baking sheet.
- Tip: dip the knife into powdered sugar to make cutting easier.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden.
- Transfer the Lorna Doone Cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Pam says
I love Lorna Doone cookies and I love that these have just pure, natural ingredients!
Beth Sachs says
Such a simple cookie to make and perfect with a cup of tea!
Paula says
Hi, Does it matter if the Butter is "salted" or not? Ty
Michele says
The whole family loved these buttery Lorna Doone cookies. Such buttery goodness, yum!!
Dan says
I love shortbread and these were perfectly buttery. Just like the ones at the store!
Toni says
Everyone at my house loved these cookies! I will definitely make it again!
Marcia says
I did not have margarine on hand, so I used all butter. I shared some of the cookies with my neighbor and we both agreed they were absolutely divine.
Erin says
They were so good! I took them to our office cookie exchange.
Erika says
Worked perfectly. Loved them.
Mike says
There’s nothing "pure," "clean," or "natural" about margarine. It’s terrible for you.
Daffydil says
Then not making them and skipping the recipe is probably best for you. Smh
Tom says
Lorna Doone’s do not have butter or margarine, or vanilla extract in their recipe. They use soybean/canola/palm oil instead. But I’m sure this recipe is fine.
Lissie says
Turned out really good. Will make again!
Ashley Dennis says
This was great! Super soft dough — I actually used a full
Cup of butter and omitted the margarine. Was sooo yummy. Saving this recipe!
I rolled into balls and then gently pressed a cookie press into them for a design (paw print). Baked for about 11mins at 350. Yummy!
Daffydil says
It's a good shortbread cookie, but it still doesn't compare to Lorna Doone
Tanya Ray says
It was fun to make a homemade version of cookies that I grew up with. Worth the effort!
Jim Warren says
Lorna Doones have gotten so expensive! My wife made this recipe and they're wonderful.
Clint L says
Seemed like a fairly simple recipe to me. My girl loves the Lorna Doone cookies and asked me to bake these out for her. I've never tried the Lorna Doone cookies but these seemed tasty enough. Easy to execute. I cut them with a 2.5" round biscuit cutter, and then I baked them 10 minutes and had a look. Nothing - still rather pale and definitely not ready for a tasting. Gave them another 3 minutes to see if we could get a look to match the divine smell coming out of my oven (I love baking cookies!). Still too light. Gave them 2 more minutes and then yanked them - ready or not. They expanded only a small amount and looked like white shortbread cookies to me as they cooled on the racks. Taste test found them to be okay but still a bit underdone. Timing off on oven for sure, other than that. Easy, peasy.
By the way. The recipe says take half of the dough and make the cookies. What happened to the other half? Might want to consider revising the recipe on that part...
Anonymous says
My family loved this recipe!
Victoria says
I just tried your recipe. My Mother really loves Lorna Doone so this copycat recipe was perfect for me to try. It was better then I expected because Mom really loved it. Especially when I told her this was a copycat of Lorna Doone her eyes just popped. Thank you kindly for sharing this recipe it'll be a staple in our household.