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Eight pieces of Scottish shortbread on a crumpled piece of parchment paper.
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4.75 / 4 votes

Scottish Shortbread

This traditional Scottish shortbread recipe is made with butter, flour, granulated and powdered sugar, and salt to create a perfectly crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth biscuit.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Servings: 8 wedges
Calories: 260

Equipment

  • 9 1/2-inch (24-cm) non-stick round tart pan with removable bottom

Ingredients

  • Baking spray
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • Large pinch Kosher salt
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Lightly coat a 9 1/2-inch removable-bottom tart pan with baking spray.
  • Dump the sugars and butter into a food processor and pulse a few times to coat the butter and cut down the sugar.
  • Scoop in the flour and salt and process until the dough turns powdery and begins to clump lightly.
  • Dump the dough into a plastic bag and knead it until it forms large clumps.
  • Turn out the dough into the pan and press it into an even layer with your fingers.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: To make a beautifully flat top, press another bottom of a tart pan (or a pie plate) into the dough.

  • Press the tines of a fork into the edge of the pan to make a delicate ridged rim. Poke the shortbread all over with a skewer or toothpick. With a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 triangles.
  • Wrap the pan with plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  • Crank the oven to 300°F (150°C).
  • Bake the shortbread until the top is lightly golden, 40 to 50 minutes.
  • Transfer the tart pan to a rack and immediately re-cut along the lines again which will have closed up. Let the shortbread cool completely in the pan.
  • Remove the tart ring and gingerly pile the wedges onto a plate. Devour, devour, devour.

Notes

  1. Change the shape--If you'd prefer to make rectangular shortbread biscuits, press the dough into an 8-inch square cake pan and score it into sixteen 4-by-1-inch or eight 4-by-2-inch biscuits.
  2. Let it cool--The shortbread will firm up a bit as it cools. It'll be very tempting to dive in and devour these right away, but letting them cool completely will give you a cookie that doesn't crumble when you eat it.
  3. Storage--The shortbread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1wedge | Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 8mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g