This complete guide to Shortbread includes an easy to follow recipe for tasty shortbread as well as everything you ever wanted to know about Shortbread.
What is Shortbread
Shortbread is a delicious biscuit that has a high fat to sugar ratio that oftens comes from one part sugar to two parts butter. When you have a ratio like this it is referred to as short and is also the foundation of great short crust pastry.
It was originally created in Scotland in the middle ages and is still a firm favourite of the Sottish people today and recognised as one of their national dishes.
A shortbread biscuit can also be called a Shortie or a Shortbread cookie.
For more on the history of Shortbread check out this short and fascinating Wikipedia article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortbread
How to make Shortbread biscuits
Here is a simple and easy to follow recipe to make perfect Shortbread biscuits.
Ingredients for Shortbread
The ingredients to make Shortbread are Butter, Sugar and Plain Flour. You need 2 parts butter to 1 part sugar to 3-4 parts flour. For an exact recipe see the printable recipe card later on in this post.
Method for making Shortbread
The method for Shortbread is also simple , soften the butter and beat with the sugar.
Then gradually mix in the flour until is forms a wet dough of almost paste consistency.
Roll the dough out then form and cut this into whichever shapes you desire and cook in the oven until it is just turned in colour (anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the biscuit).
Remove from the oven and allow the shortbread to cool on a wire rack and then enjoy this crumbly and delicious biscuit.
Cooking tips for Making Shortbread Biscuits
Five simple tips to help you make great tasting shortbread.
- Chill the dough for at least 3 hours before cooking and make sure it is already cut into shapes when placed in your fridge or chiller.
- Avoid over mixing the dough, you really want it to stay crumbly.
- Sift the flour and add gradually to the butter and sugar mix for an even mix.
- Score or pop the surface of the dough before cooking to ensure an even cook and no cracks. This is why so much shortbread you buy in the shops has a patterned dot effect.
- Cut the shortbread while it is still warm for a clean cut.
Classic Shortbread Recipes
We have a great shortbread recipe included in this guide but you may also like to have a look at these great examples of the classic Shortbread Recipe.
BBC Food Shortbread Recipe
Summary: A simple and very basic short bread recipe that will only take 5-10 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients: Butter, Sugar, Flour
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Very Easy
Foodie Rating: 4 out of 5
Recipe: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/shortbread_1290
Family Budgeting Shortbread Recipe
Summary: A really easy shortbread recipe that produces the traditional finger style shortbread recognised the world over.
Ingredients: Butter, Caster Sugar, Flour
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Very Easy
Foodie Rating: 4 out of 5
Recipe: https://family-budgeting.co.uk/easy-shortbread-recipe/
Happy Foodie (Penguin Books) Shortbread Recipe
Summary: A twist on the usual recipe by adding semolina to give it a tasty crunch.
Ingredients: Butter, Caster Sugar, Flour, Semolina
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Very Easy
Foodie Rating: 3 out of 5
Recipe: https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/the-very-best-shortbread/
Variations
Here are twelve tasty twists and variations to the classic Shortbread recipe.
- Chocolate Chip Shortbread – Just add a handful or two of choc chips to the mixture
- Orange Shortbread using Orange Zest or Orange Flavouring
- Top with white chocolate rice crispy cakes before they set but after the shortbread has cooked and cooled
- Vanilla Shortbread
- Cheese e.g. parmesan or mature cheddar to provide a savoury hit to your shortbread biscuit
- Nuts e.g pistachio, hazelnut, almond
- Lavender or lemon thyme
- Maple bacon https://www.closetcooking.com/bacon-maple-shortbread/
- Top with strawberry or blackcurrant jam – You can form the shortbread into a jam tart tin and create shortbread jam tarts
- Marmite – just add half a teaspoon mixed in to the dough for a really savoury hit
- Chilli – A small amount of dry chilli in the dough will add a lovely touch of fire against the sweet, just like it does when added to chocolate. You could also consider ornage chocolate chips with chilli shortbread.
- Cover in chocolate and sprinkles (as per the picture above and a great one for the kids)
Vegan Shortbread
To create a Vegan shortbread recipe simple swap the butter for a dairy free version.
Ingredients for Vegan Shortbread
- 55 grams of caster sugar
- 100 grams of dairy free butter
- 175 grams of plain flour
Method
The method for making vegan shortbread is the same as the non vegan version. Simple blend the dairy free butter and sugar, and then mix in the flour, shape and bake for 20 minutes.
Shortbread as an ingredient
Shortbread is delicious on its own but also makes a great ingredient in a variety of tasty dishes. Here are 3 great examples for you to try.
Shortbread is great to make with kids
As you can see from the pictures in this recipe Shortbread Biscuits are a great recipe to make with kids. This is because it is simple to make, is a very forgiving recipe (nothing major can go wrong), and produces a very tasty biscuit.
Easy Shortbread Recipe
Here is the detailed recipe card on how to make Shortbread Biscuits for you to print or pin.
Easy Shortbread Biscuits
A simple and easy to follow recipe for Shortbread Biscuits (Shorties, Shortbread Cookies) that only requires three ingredients, is ready in under 30 minutes. Trust me you will be making these shortbread biscuits over and over again.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Baking, Snack
Cuisine baking, Biscuits, treats
Servings 4 people
Equipment
1 Large mixing bowl
1 Rolling pin
Cookie cutters Optional depending on what shape of shortbread biscuit you want
Ingredients
- 55 grams sugar
- 100 grams salted butter (softened) add a pinch of salt to eh mix if you only have unsalted butter
- 175 grams plain flour
Instructions
Add the softened butter to a large mixing bowl
Add the sugar to the same bowl
Mix together well until all the sugar has mixed in with the butter
Sift in the plain flour, mixing as you do
Once all the flour is in the bowl mix the dough with your hands until a thick paste is formed
The dough should be stiff but not too elastic in texture
Roll out the dough to your desired thickness
Cut and form the dough into your desired shape and chill in the fridge for three hours
Remove from the fridge and cook in a preheated oven for twenty minutes or until the dough shows some colour
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack
Enjoy with a cup of tea
Keyword Shortbread, Shortbread Biscuit, Shortbread Recipe, Shortie
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