Shortbread Cookie Recipe (Easy Recipe from Scotland)

This shortbread cookie recipe is directly from Scotland. You can be sure it’s authentic; and if you follow all my tips, you’ll have the best tasting shortbread, ever! (And I’ll tell you why it’s truly not even a cookie!)

Originally published January 23rd, 2014.

As you can see, this is a post from 6 years ago. In September of 2014, I flew to Scotland to be a judge in a cake baking competition. I wrote about my impending participation,  and added this shortbread cookie recipe at the end. You can click the “jump to recipe” button or simply scroll down for it.

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The first thing I have to tell you is that it pains me to call shortbread a “cookie”. Any Scot would agree with me, because it’s simply in a class by itself. It’s always referred to as just plain “shortbread” in Scotland, as well of the rest of the UK. Shortbread fingers are most traditional shape, but I’d hazard a guess that the shortbread made in moulds goes back even further in history.

If you care for my explanation on why I’m calling this a shortbread cookie recipe, you can read my explanation at the bottom of this post. Trust me, there’s a good reason (but it kills me)!

Why is Scotland famous for shortbread?

The main reason Scotland is famous for shortbread is because that’s where it was invented. Although the first recipe was a “medieval biscuit bread”, it morphed into its current buttery recipe later on in history. Scotland is also known for making the best shortbread.

Shortbread is also a tradition for Hogmanay, or New Year’s Eve, in Scotland. It’s coming up, so why not make a double batch for Christmas and New Year’s Eve? It’s a great way to start the new year, with some Scotch whisky! (FYI: Scotch whisky is always spelled without an “e”.)

Why do they call it shortbread?

A very long time ago, biscuits were made from leftover baked goods which were repurposed into another form. You may remember I explained that “biscotti” means “cooked twice” in Italian, which is where the word, “biscuit” comes from. When butter began being added, these biscuits were no longer cooked twice, but the name remained.

What is the difference between butter cookies and shortbread?

I have to explain the difference because another site claims that butter cookies are better than shortbread! I had to take a moment to compose myself after reading that. Despite that fact that there are so many types of butter cookies/biscuits, including some fabulous French ones, I can guarantee that this person has never had good shortbread!

Of course, taste and opinions are both subjective, however, a butter cookie usually has other ingredients and isn’t as plain and simple as this shortbread cookie recipe.  Shortbread, and shortcrust pastry are just as they sound–they don’t have eggs and other binders, so the result is a short, crumbly texture. When you put a good shortbread biscuit in your mouth, it’s a crumbly, buttery, sweet bite of goodness!

Another difference between butter cookies and shortbread would be the quality of ingredients (however, it works both ways) so please read on as I cover that next.

What makes a good shortbread?

A good shortbread comes from two things: the very best ingredients, and a proper recipe. You now have that recipe (which is the hardest part)! It is so difficult for me to see so many recipes floating around on the internet claiming to be “shortbread”. It’s also important to get the ingredients measured properly, and you can only do this with a scale. I highly recommend using a scale for shortbread that looks like what I’ve made in these pictures.

Again, I would guess many people sharing these recipes have never even tasted proper shortbread (you don’t have to go to Scotland for that). Buy the best quality flour, sugar and most importantly, butter, to make the best shortbread. You won’t be disappointed. (Regarding Lewis Road Creamery butter, it’s simply astoundingly good!)

From 2014: I am incredibly honored and overjoyed to have been asked to be a judge in this year’s Scottish Baking Awards Competition, which will be held at Mar Hall Resort and Spa, near Glasgow, in September! As I was born in Scotland, it means so much to me to be able to participate as a judge in such a prestigious competition.

Regarding my trip to Scotland: maybe I can answer your questions, or it may inspire you to book a trip, remind you of someplace you’ve been. It’s possible that I’ll  just make you want to run to your kitchen to bake up a Scottish cake or biscuits you just can’t wait to try! Please buy a scale if you don’t have one yet! Weighing the ingredients will insure excellent results. No one uses cups in Scotland.

Take a virtual trip to Scotland with me!

Another type of shortbread you can make: Millionaire’s Shortbread aka Caramel Shortcake 

This shortbread cookie recipe is a fabulous start to make gifts for the holidays! To be honest, shortbread makes a great gift any time of year.

 (The Best) Shortbread Cookie Recipe

recipe adapted from Lofty Peak (slightly adapted for US use)          make about 20 fingers

PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Mix all the ingredients together by hand or mixer, to a stiff consistency (the butter shouldn’t be too soft, but also not straight from the fridge, especially if you use a mixer). Don’t overwork the dough; stop when it just comes together. That’s it, you’ve made shorbread dough! I told you it was easy!

Roll out into the shape of a pan or tin you want to bake them in.

I baked this in an 8 x 8 pan. Trim the edges to the approximate size. 

Next, place it in the pan of your choice. One mistake many people make is rolling the shortbread too thin. Proper shortbread should be quite thick (no less than 3/4″ or 2cm if making fingers). Tip: make sure your fingers are wide enough that a fork can prick them. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the dough into fingers.

Then prick the shortbread with a fork, about half way through. 

This gives the biscuits the authentic and iconic shortbread pattern. 

You can also shape the dough into a ball, roll it out into a round, and score into triangles, then prick with a fork.  

Here’s yet another option: a shortbread mold (brush the mold with a little oil, and sugar first to ensure it comes out nicely). I love all of these moulds as they have so many gorgeous designs AND they’re made in USA! Roll out the dough, place over the mould and roll with a rolling pin. 

Remove the excess dough then turn out onto a tray. Isn’t it beautiful even before baking?

If your shortbread mould doesn’t have a pretty design, prick it with a fork.

Place in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until slightly brown on edges. Sprinkle with sugar immediately upon removing from the oven. Shortbread shouldn’t be darkly colored. Let your shortbread cool on or in the pan or tray before moving to rack to cool completely.

Store in a sealed container (an old Walker’s tin is excellent) and keep in a cool, dry place. Shortbread will keep well for weeks, but is also excellent after being frozen. If you plan to keep your shortbread for more than two weeks, I’d suggest freezing it.

A proper shortbread cookie recipe is one of those things that makes you think of the old adage, “simple is best”. 

If you like my cut crystal glasses. Here are some similar ones that I found. I love them because they are Italian-made Scotch glasses, like me! The scotch whisky glass was one I purchased in Scotland, but you can purchase the same brand (set of 4) without the Scotland emblem here. And here is a beautiful thistle shortbread mold. Have you noticed the thistle on my logo? That’s because I was born in Scotland!

Continue to Content

How to Make Shortbread and The Scottish Baking Awards 2014

Yield: 20 fingers

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Classic and authentic Scottish Shortbread recipe containing only three ingredients: flour, butter and sugar.

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Ingredients

• 340 g (2 1/4 cups) all purpose flour
• 113 g (1/2 cup) sugar
• 227 g good quality salted butter, (2 sticks) softened (you can use unsalted, which is the norm for baking, but add a good pinch of salt)
• a little extra sugar for sprinkling on top of baked shortbread

Instructions

Heat oven to 375º F (190 ºC)

1. Mix all the ingredients together by hand or mixer, to a stiff consistency (the butter shouldn't be too soft, but also not straight from the fridge, especially if you use a mixer). Don't overwork the dough; stop when it just comes together
2. Roll out into the shape of a pan or tin you want to bake them in. I baked this in an 8 x 8 pan. Trim the edges to the approximate size. 
3. FINGERS: Place it in the pan of your choice. One mistake many people make is rolling the shortbread too thin. Proper shortbread should be quite thick (no less than 3/4" or 2cm if making fingers). Tip: make sure your fingers are wide enough that a fork can prick them. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the dough into fingers. Next, prick the shortbread with a fork, about half way through. 
4. ROUND: You can also shape the dough into a ball, roll it out into a round, and score into triangles, then prick with a fork.  
5. MOULD: (brush the mold with a little oil, and sugar first to ensure it comes out nicely). Roll out the dough, place over the mould and roll again to press into it. Remove the excess dough then turn out onto a tray. If your shortbread mould doesn't have a pretty design, prick it with a fork
6. Place in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until slightly brown on edges. Sprinkle with sugar immediately upon removing from the oven. Shortbread shouldn't be darkly colored. Let your shortbread cool on or in the pan or tray before moving to rack to cool completely.

Notes

Store in a sealed container (an old Walker's tin is excellent) and keep in a cool, dry place. Shortbread will keep well for weeks, but is also excellent after being frozen.

If you plan to keep your shortbread for more than two weeks, I'd suggest freezing it.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 333Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 147mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information is only estimated.

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For those of you who are interested in why I chose to use the term “shortbread cookie recipe” instead of just “shortbread recipe”. It’s simple, there are so many Americans searching for a this type of recipe every day. If I use the term “shortbread” on its own, this recipe will be lost, probably somewhere on page 326 of Google.

I truly and honestly want to share this authentic and traditional Scottish shortbread cookie recipe (see I did it again!) with as many people as possible. This is the best way for me to acheive that goal, so I’d rather use the term cookie in my post so that I can save more people from the inauthentic recipes out there. (For those of you who know about SEO, it’s all about that.)