Simple 4-Ingredient Scottish Shortbread Cookies
Traditional Scottish Shortbread cookies only contain flour, rice flour, butter, and sugar. While they are rich and buttery, they have the unique addition of rice flour providing a sandy texture. This is a fun recipe to make with kids. They are traditionally made during the holidays and for special occasions. However, they are enjoyed all year. They are quick to make and get better with time.
Servings: 28 bars
Ingredients
- 360 g (3 cups) all-purpose flour fluffed, scooped, & leveled off if using a measuring cup
- 160 g (1 cup) rice flour
- 225 g (1 cup) granulated sugar superfine is preferred (pulse regular granulated sugar in a food processor until fine)
- 340 g (12 oz / 3 sticks) butter, softened salted or unsalted
- ½ tsp salt add only if using unsalted butter
Flavor Options
- 1 tsp vanilla or 1 vanilla bean split and scraped removing beans
- ⅓- ½ cup candied ginger or other dried fruit like cranberries raisins, etc.
- ⅓- ½ cup of chopped nuts almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, etc.
- ⅓- ½ cup mini chocolate chips/chunks
- Earl Grey flavoring open 1 tea bag and pour the tea contents into the dough
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (from 1 lemon) lime, or orange
- chocolate dip (for dipping after cookies have cooled)
Instructions
- Preheat oven 325˚F (163˚C). Line a 13x9-inch baking dish with overhanging parchment paper.TIP: Use scissors to cut a slit at each corner down to the pan so the flaps overlap, and the paper stays smooth in the pan.
- Use a hand mixer or a spoon and stir butter until smooth. Add sugar and mix or stir again until well combined and the butter is light, fluffy, and pale in color.TIP: Don't have, can't find, don't want to use superfine sugar? You can simply use a food processor to pulverize your granulated sugar to reach that superfine consistency, though not powder form.
- In a separate bowl, combine both flours and salt, if using. Then, sift them into the bowl on top of the butter mixture.
- Before mixing, add any optional flavorings. Then, use a spoon or your hands to quickly combine the mixture into a dough. The dough will look dry and be crumbly after you have mixed everything together. The dough has been mixed enough when you squeeze the crumbled dough together and it forms a ball that stays together.
- Press dough evenly into the parchment-lined baking dish. You can use your hands, knuckles, or a spatula. Once the dough is compacted, you can use a small rolling pin to smooth out the top.
- Then, use a knife to score, ¼-inch deep, the dough 7-8 rows across by 4 rows down to make 28-35 shortbread cookies. Use fork tines to prick rather deeply the dough 3-4 times in each scored section. The dough holes will somewhat close after baking.TIP: Adding fork tine holes is decorative only. It is not necessary, just traditional.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once pan is removed from the oven and the shortbread is still warm, cut the shortbread (while still in pan) all the way through along the scored sections to make 28-35 shortbread cookies. If your holes have mostly closed, you can go back with a fork and make the holes more defined. Sprinkle superfine sugar over the top.
- Allow the bars to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes.
- Remove the shortbread from the pan using the overhanging parchment paper and allow the cookies to finish cooling on a wire rack.TIP: Cooling is important so the bars set up nicely making them easier to separate smoothly.
Video
Notes
Storing:
Store the shortbread in a sealed container at room temperature for up to several weeks. The flavor improves over time.