Incredibly buttery and melt in your mouth this Scottish shortbread is the perfect sweet treat. A wonderful homemade Christmas baked good to share with friends and family. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this easy shortbread recipe.
Growing up my mom cooked and baked a lot, the two things she made most frequently were these shortbread cookies and this delicious scone recipe. We always had shortbread on special occasions. While we may not be from Scotland, we are from England and this is a true favorite of our families!
Once you take your first bite of this shortbread you will fall in love with the texture. The butter coats your tongue and leaves a lingering warm sweet taste.
This is perfect served at an afternoon tea alongside my ever-so-easy cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches.
Let's get to the recipe
Ingredients
You'll only need a couple of things to make these delicious Scottish shortbread cookies!!
- All-Purpose Flour. Also known as plain flour just make sure you measure it properly I highly suggest weighing your flour with a scale but you can use measuring cups!
Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!
- Cold Butter. I prefer salted butter but you can use unsalted butter. The butter needs to be cold, so straight out of the fridge is perfect!
- Granulated Sugar. You can also use caster sugar. The white sugar is used in the shortbread dough as well as sprinkled on top.
- Salt. Just a smidge helps balance out the flavors.
For the ingredient quantities jump to the recipe card.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and get a quarter sheet pan you can also use a 9"X13" pan out no need to grease or line the baking sheet with parchment paper because of all the butter in the shortbread already.
In the bowl of a stand electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a regular medium-sized bowl add the flour, sugar, and salt and mix to combine.
Add the cold butter.
Mix on low/medium speed until the butter is mixed in and pea-size pieces of butter are left OR mix by using your hands to rub the butter into the dry ingredients.
If you grab a handful of the dough you should be able to squeeze it in your hand into one piece.
Transfer the dough to the pan and press down evenly. Use a rolling pin or glass to roll the shortbread dough to ensure it's tightly in the pan.
Using a butter knife score the shortbread, basically marking the shortbread - you are not cutting all the way through, into whichever size pieces you want. My mom always cut the shortbread into rectangles but you can do any shape! Scoring up, down, and across.
Prick all over with a fork. If your fork sticks and pulls some of the shortbread up then gently use your clean finger next to the fork as you press down to kind of hold the shortbread in place.
Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on edges. Once baked cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Sprinkle sugar on top and shake pan side to side to distribute evenly. Using a sharp knife cut on the previously scored marks while still warm then let cool completely.
Store shortbread in an airtight container. They will last for up to a week.
Check out this post on my Cookie Baking Tips
How to freeze
Shortbread freezes beautifully. Let it cool completely then place in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. Let thaw on the counter at room temperature for an hour or two.
Can you double
You can totally double the recipe and bake the shortbread bars in a half-sheet pan. In the recipe card below press the 2X button to double the ingredient quantities.
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★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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PrintRecipe Card
Scottish Shortbread
Incredibly buttery and melt in your mouth this Scottish shortbread is the perfect sweet treat. A wonderful homemade Christmas baked good to share with friends and family. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this easy shortbread recipe.
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 30 Cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
- Scant 1 cup Granulated Sugar/ Caster Sugar
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 12oz Cold Butter, I prefer salted but you can use unsalted
- 3-5 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C and get a quarter sheet pan or 9"X13" pan out no need to grease it.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a regular medium-sized bowl add the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix just to combine, then add the cold cubed butter. Mix on low/medium speed until the butter is mixed in and pea-size pieces of butter are left OR mix by using your hands to rub the butter into the dry ingredients. If you grab a handful of the dough you should be able to squeeze it in your hand into one piece.
- Transfer the dough to the pan and press down evenly. Use a rolling pin or glass to roll the shortbread dough to ensure it's tightly in the pan. Using a butter knife score the shortbread, basically marking the shortbread - you are not cutting all the way through, into whichever size pieces you want. Scoring up, down, and across. Prick all over with a fork. If your fork sticks and pulls some of the shortbread up then gently use your clean finger next to the fork as you press down to kind of hold the shortbread in place.
- Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on edges. Once baked cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Sprinkle sugar on top and shake pan side to side to distribute evenly then while still warm cut on the previously scored marks. Once completely cool store them in an airtight container. Last for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Scottish
Keywords: how to make shortbread, easy shortbread recipe, english shortbread
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Aderonke Kosoko says
Good evening ma'am, savoury pastries pweeeeez! More of these recipes!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Aderonke! I will be sure to add some savory pastries to the to-bake list!! Hope you give the shortbread a try! XX Liz
Susan M says
I’m getting ready to make this recipe. You indicated that it’s best to weigh my ingredients, but there are no weight measures in the recipe - only cup measurements. How many grams/ounces of each ingredient t do I need?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi, Susan thanks for reaching out. On the recipe card, you will see buttons labeled Units US and M if you click the M it converts it to metric measurements. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if you try the recipe I would love to know what you think! XX Liz