Name: Scottish Shortbread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Scottish
Ingredients: 3 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour; Scant 1 Cup Granulated Sugar/ Caster Sugar; 1/4 Teaspoon Salt; 12oz Cold Butter, I prefer salted but you can use unsalted; 3-5 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar, for sprinkling on top

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.

plate full of Scottish shortbread biscuits on top of a Christmas linen on a white marble surface with Christmas trees in the background

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.

scottish shortbread in a red tin on top of a rack on a white marble surface with red berries

Let's get to the recipe

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Ingredients
Instructions
How to freeze
Can you double
More delicious British recipes
Recipe Card
Recipe Ratings & Comments

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.

flour, sugar and salt in a metal bowl on a marble surface with a Christmas linen

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.

cubed butter added to dry ingredients in a metal bowl on a marble surface with a Christmas linen

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.

hand holding shortbread mixture over the dough in a metal bowl on a white marble surface next to a Christmas linen

If you grab a handful of the dough you should be able to squeeze it in your hand into one piece.

hand pressing shortbread dough together into a clump on a marble surface with a Christmas linen

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.

hand pressing shortbread dough into pan and a knife scoring it

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.

fork pricking shortbread and fingers pressing with the fork to prevent it from lifting up

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.

sugar topped on shortbread then cut into squares on a white marble surface

Store shortbread in an airtight container. They will last for up to a week.

Scottish shortbread cookies on a speckled plate on top of a Christmas linen on a white marble surface with a cup of coffee and Christmas trees

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.

More delicious British recipes

These sausage rolls are the perfect appetizer for any party! Super easy and irresistible.

While many think of Yorkshire puddings as an accompaniment to only beef they are also actually perfect with any roast dinner! We love them with turkey, chicken, or pork!

There's no better dessert than Sticky Toffee Pudding, trust me!

hand holding a piece of shortbread up close

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Recipe Card

Scottish Shortbread

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5 from 3 reviews

Print Recipe

Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 30 Cookies 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

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

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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.