Join thousands of happy bakers who love this classic shortbread recipe! Our secret? High-quality European butter, cane sugar, and a touch of cornstarch for a rich, tender crumb. Plus, get expert tips to solve common baking issues and ensure melt-in-your-mouth perfection every time!
One Reader Said: “This really is my favorite shortbread recipe! I’ve tried a few other recipes, but I keep coming back to this one! The dough comes together well and is easy to work with. Simple ingredients make such a tasty cookie! I keep some in the freezer so I can thaw one or two at a time when I need a little yummy treat to go with a cuppa tea. They’re perfect!”
There are countless shortbread recipes out there, but this classic shortbread recipe from a dear Scottish family friend is my absolute favorite. With so many glowing reviews, it’s clear this recipe is a favorite for many others too! If I had to pick one recipe to keep in your baking arsenal, it would be this one. Not only is it super simple and versatile, but it’s also a must-have, along with our soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies and a flaky pie crust. Trust me, these cookies are crazy good and, be warned: they disappear FAST!
But tell me, does your shortbread come out crumbly, spread too much, or lack flavor? Trust me, I’ve been there too. After baking thousands of shortbread cookies, I’ve got the best solutions to these pesky problems.
- Since these cookies have so few ingredients, make sure they are the best quality. Use a high-quality European butter like Kerrygold which has a higher fat content than American butters.
- Chilling the dough allows the butterfat to firm up and the glutens to relax, resulting in a more tender cookie.
- To prevent excessive spreading, chill the dough for at least 2 hours.
- For richer flavor, use all-natural cane sugar for a subtle caramelized taste.
By following these simple tips, you’ll have perfectly cooked, delicious shortbread every time. So, grab your ingredients and let’s bake some cookies that will have your family coming back for more. Happy baking!
Why You Will Love This Traditional Shortbread Recipe
- EASY: High-quality ingredients are best here, only a few pantry staples.
- Lasso Worthy: In fact, shortbread biscuits or cookies are all the rage thanks to the Ted Lasso Biscuit recipe — I think you will find these superior!
- Customizeable: One basic batter, multple ways to bake shortbread recipes. Press into a pan for shortbread fingers, roll and cut out for cutout shortbread cookies, press into a shortbread cookie mold!
I enjoy giving precise details in my recipe posts to lead my readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, use the Jump to Recipe to head straight there!
This is hands down the best shortbread I’ve ever made (or eaten) — absolute buttery heaven, a huge hit at my recent BBQ. Delicious.
Leslie
If you love shortbread recipes, you will love these other popular cookies: Crumbl Cookie recipe, Greek Butter Cookies and Raspberry Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies <<– a must try! Simple and elegant, these gorgeous Champagne Truffles recipe!
It yields about 2 ½ dozen, and is easily doubled to make 5 dozen Scottish Shortbread Cookies.
What is Shortbread? A history of Scottish Shortbread (aka Shortbread Biscuits).
According to Saveur this delicious confection was once considered a festive food consumed only on Christmas or on Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year’s Eve, shortbread has evolved into a treat enjoyed year-round—and there are as many variations of it as days in the calendar.
Since medieval times the term short has been used to describe all things crisp and crumbly, but it wasn’t applied to cake and bread until the 1600s, when it came to refer to baked goods that contained a lot of butter or shortening.
The first shortbread recipe appeared in a Scottish cookbook dated 1736; early formulas called for yeast, but by 1850 most were utilizing only butter, flour, and sugar, combined in a ratio bakers still use.
Traditional Shortbread Recipe ingredients
This is a recipe from a dear Scottish family friend, I could listen to her beautiful Scottish lilt all day!
- Butter | Use the real deal, no blends here, real creamery butter. Use salted or unsalted butter, if using salted, omit the salt. Splurge for some European butter for this recipe, with limited ingredients, you want the highest quality ingredients. European butters (like Kerrygold) have a higher fat content and less water = best shortbread recipe ever!
- Sugar | I use all-natural pure cane sugar which adds a little caramel taste and requires creaming a little longer, granulated white sugar or bakers sugar also called caster sugar may be substituted. I even know of people who have used powdered sugar and brown sugar.
- Optional vanilla Extract | Adds a lovely vanilla hint to the cookie; try other extracts as well, like almond, lemon, orange, but add ⅛-¼ teaspoon.
- All-purpose flour | I use unbleached flour in most of my baking; see below for how to make gluten-free.
- Cornstarch | Cornstarch adds an amazing tenderness, lightness and a bit of chew to the cookie. A soft, buttery bite, I like non-GMO cornstarch. And yes, this was in our Scottish friends’ original recipe!
- Sea salt | Or kosher salt, you just need a touch! If using table salt, use a little less.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Scottish Shortbread
Step 1 | Make short bread dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or hand mixer), fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until light and creamy, about 1-2 minutes; gradually add ½ cup sugar, beating well for about 2-4 minutes, beating longer for cane sugar or brown sugar as it’s more coarse. Add vanilla if desired.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, and salt and whisk until combined well.
Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed after each addition. (Mixture will be stiff)
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface; it will be crumbly.
Step 2 | Knead and prepare dough
Knead dough until it holds together, about 7-8 times. Folding it over on itself, using the heel of your palm to work the dough. See notes if too dry and crumbly.
Press dough into an un-greased 11×7 or 9×9 pan (if doubling, use a 15×10 in a jellyroll pan, parchment lined if desired for easier removal).
Prick dough at 1-inch intervals with a fork, and score (cut, but not all the way) using a sharp knife into 2 ½ x 1-inch bars.
Step 3 | Chill Shortbread Dough
Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. *Make sure to chill; this will firm the butterfat back up and allow for that delectable light, crisp crumb you get with Scottish Shortbread.
Or freeze for one hour if you are short on time. As it sits in the fridge, not only does the butterfat firm back up giving these biscuits that light, crispy crumb, but it also helps the glutens to relax in the dough and the ingredients to get to know one another. Do not skip this step!
Step 4 | Baking Scottish Shortbread Recipes
If desired, sprinkle with raw sugar, turbinado or Demerara sugar, or colored sugars before baking.
Bake in preheated 325°F (162° C) for 35 minutes, until set and very lightly golden brown. Cool in a pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes; then cut the shortbread into bars using previously scored lines.
Cool completely before removing from the pan.
Shortbread Cookies Recipe variations
Can I make sugar-free Shortbread Cookies?
Yes, I have had great success substituting monk fruit (granulated) sugar cup-for-cup in many recipes, I am confident it will work well with this recipe too. Be sure it is a cup-for-cup sugar replacement.
Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies
I have found that converting recipes to gluten-free is easy with simple ingredients. You can substitute the all-purpose flour for your favorite 1-to-1 Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour, rice flour or Almond Flour. I prefer using a 50/50 mix of GF AP Flour and Almond flour in gluten-free shortbread cookies.
How to make Rolled Cookie Cutter Shortbread cookies
Shortbread dough is so versatile. If you want to cut shapes with cookie cutters, chill the dough in 2-3 discs wrapped in plastic wrap for 2 hours.
Using a rolling pin or your hands, roll or press dough to about ⅓ – ½ inch thick and press cookie cutters into the dough, transferring shapes with a spatula to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Like these fun Valentine’s Day Shortbread cookies below.
Or shape into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick and cut it into finger-sized rectangles, piercing with a fork for the traditional shortbread appearance. or cut into squares, then cut squares at a diagonal.
Transfer to parchment lined cookie sheet with a few inches between each cookie for a crisper cookie. Bake at 325° F (165° C) for 10-12 minutes, do not let them brown, golden is what you are after. Read on for how to dip them in chocolate.
How to make chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies
If you’d like to dip these shortbread cookies into a little dark, milk, or white chocolate as shown in the pictures.
- 1 cup of your choice of chips (dark chocolate, semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate chips)
- 2 teaspoons butter
Melt on high in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-30 second intervals, stirring well between heatings. The chocolate will continue to melt with residual heat; it’s important not to overheat it as it will cause it to “break”. If it burns or breaks, add a teaspoon at a time of a little vegetable oil, whisking until smooth and glossy.
Dip as desired and add sprinkles if desired.
How to press Shortbread into a cookie mold
If you want to get fancy, press dough into a pretty shortbread mold and make patterned shortbread cookies! Easy and gorgeous! Plus it makes a geat gift!
I love this snowflake mold, simply press dough evenly into pan, and bake as directed, they are a little thicker, so might need an additional 3-5 minutes of baking time. Cool in pan, then invert onto cutting board and with a sharp knife, slice your Scottish shortbread cookies.
Storing Scottish Shortbread
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
You can freeze the dough and bake as directed, or simply freeze cooled, baked cookies and thaw at room temperature.
If baking frozen dough, bake an additional 2-3 minutes, covering it with foil if they start browning too quickly. Remove from the freezer for 20-30 minutes while you preheat your oven.
Traditional Shortbread Recipe Tips
- Butter Quality: Use a high-quality European butter like Kerrygold. European butters have a higher fat content, providing a richer flavor and a more tender crumb.
- Sugar Type: I prefer using all-natural cane sugar for its slightly caramelized taste. Caster sugar can also be used for a finer texture, while powdered sugar can also be used.
- Cane Sugar: Since all-natural cane sugar has a coarser grain than refined sugars, beat it a little longer to break it down before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Cornstarch Addition: Adding cornstarch makes the shortbread more tender and gives it a lighter texture.
- Chill the Dough: Chilling the dough for at least 2 hours will firm up the butterfat, and allow the glutens in the flour to relax, resulting in a more tender cookie with better taste and texture.
FAQs about this Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Shortbread tends to have a crumbly texture, but if too crumbly try kneading it a few times and see if it begins to hold together, something about kneading by hand will typically bring the mixture together.
If still too crumbly to hold a shape, add a few drops of water, mixing until it holds its shape. If it holds its shape enough to press into a baking pan, don’t worry too much about how crumbly it is, it should blend and bake together well.
You bet! Follow the same process, careful not to over process the dough after adding the flour mixture.
You will find recipes using all types of sugar! Classic white sugar, castor or baker’s sugar (here in the states), brown sugar and powdered sugar.
I use all natural cane sugar, the grain is a little larger, but I love the slightly caramel flavor it lends to the shortbread.
For this recipe, you can easily replace the sugar with classic white, or baker’s sugar, but I have never tried using powdered or confectioner sugar, though I am told it works.
– Butter | The quality of your butter and the fat content can change the moisture content, so be sure to start with REAL butter. How did you measure the flour? It might be too much flour. Use the spoon and level method.
– Was it my flour? Perhaps you used a pastry flour, gluten-free flour or whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour absorbs more moisture which would lend to a dryer crumb.
– Be sure to cream your butter and sugar together well, at least 2-3 minutes on medium speed.
– Knead! The dough will be somewhat crumbly when you take it from the mixer, get in there with your hands and gently knead the dough until it begins to come together.
High Altitude Adjustment for Traditional Shortbread Recipe
This recipe is a winner at sea level, high altitude, and anywhere between! Since there isn’t any leavening, no adjustments are necessary!
Be sure to print out my FREE gifts from the kitchen gift tags or these Christmas gift tags, to complete your cookie gifts!
I hope you try this simple butter cookie and trust that it will soon become your favorite cookie!
Get the pan!
- Love this shortbread cookie mold! The snowflake design is so pretty and makes beautiful cookie gifts.
- Here is my favorite non-holiday shortbread mold.
Our favorite shortbread recipes
- Lemon sandwich cookies (yummo)
- Lemon shortbread cookies (melt-in-your-mouth!)
- These Greek Butter Cookies (aka Koulourakia) are a simple shortbread cookie.
- Linzer Raspberry Cookies
Need more great cookie recipes?
- Oatmeal Cutout Cookies
- Oreo Crumbl Cookie | Crumbl Cookie Recipe
- Pfeffernusse Cookies (German Spice Cookies)
- White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Greek Butter Cookies | Koulourakia
- Pan Banging Sugar Cookies
- Classic Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies or M & M Chocolate Chip Cookies
Best drinks to serve with shortbread
Who doesn’t love dunking a rich cookie into a cold glass of milk or a warm cup of tea or coffee? Try this easy Christmas morning chai Dutch Bros (not just for Christmas morning), or my homemade chai tea latte, for the adults, this Starbucks Eggnog latte, or this classic Irish coffee.
More from The Fresh Cooky
Be sure to rate and comment below the recipe card if you loved this Shortbread Recipe! And be sure to share on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest?
Like this recipe?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks; I love using Irish butter like Kerrygold, softened (use salted or unsalted butter, if using salted, omit the salt)
- ½ cup cane sugar I use all natural pure cane sugar, white or bakers sugar may be substituted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract try other extracts as well, like Almond or orange, but use just a fraction
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch I use a non-GMO cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt omit if using salted butter
- all natural or sanding sugar for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Beat butter (1 cup) at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar (½ cup), beating well about 2-3 minutes. Stir in vanilla (1 tsp).
- Combine flour (2 cups), cornstarch (¼ cup), and kosher salt (⅛ tsp); whisking to mix; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed after each addition. (Mixture will be stiff and may be crumbly)
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 8-10 times.
- Press dough into an un-greased 11×7 or 9×9 pan (if doubling, use a 15×10 in jellyroll pan, parchment lined if desired for easier removal).
- Prick dough at 1-inch intervals with a fork, and score (cut) into 2 ½ x 1-inch bars. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Make sure to chill, this will firm the butterfat back up and provide that delectable light, crisp crumb you get with Scottish Shortbread. If desired, sprinkle with all-natural sugar or sanding sugar before baking.
- Bake at 325° F (162° C) for 35 minutes, until set and lightly browned. Do not over bake! Cookies should be just lightly golden at the edges, baking too long will make them dry. Cool in a pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes; cut the shortbread into bars using previously scored lines. Cool completely before removing from the pan. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 6 months. This recipe easily doubles!
Notes
- Roll or press dough to about ⅓ inch thick and press cookie cutters into the dough, transferring shapes with a spatula to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Like these fun Valentine’s Day Shortbread cookies
- Or shape into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick and cut into finger-sized rectangles, piercing with a fork for the traditional shortbread appearance. or cut into squares, then cut squares at a diagonal.
- Transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet with a few inches between each cookie for a crisper cookie. Bake at 325 for 10-12 minutes, do not let them brown (golden is fine.)
- If you want to get fancy, press dough into a pretty shortbread mold, bake as directed for additional 3-5 minutes until just golden.
- The quality of your butter and the amount of fat it contains can change the moisture content, so start with REAL butter. Meaning, it is rock-hard coming out of the fridge and bring to room temperature. I prefer using European butter (e.g. Kerrygold) as it’s higher in butterfat than American butters.
- How did you measure the flour? It might be too much flour. Use the spoon and level method, spooning your flour into the measuring cup, then using the straight edge of a knife to level.
- Did you use all-purpose flour? Perhaps you used a pastry, gluten-free or whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour absorbs more moisture which would lend to a dryer crumb.
- Be sure to cream your butter and sugar together at least 2-3 minutes on medium speed.
- Knead! The dough will be somewhat crumbly when you take it out from the mixer, get in there with your hands, and gently knead the dough until it begins to come together. It is called short “bread”
- To fix, try kneading by hand for several minutes until it comes together.
- If still too crumbly to hold its shape, add a few drops of water and knead in, or try a few teaspoons of butter.
CHOCOLATE DIPPED SHORTBREAD COOKIES
If you’d like to dip these shortbread cookies into a little dark, milk or white chocolate as shown in the pictures on the post.- 1 cup of your choice of chips (dark chocolate, semi-sweet, milk or white chocolate chips)
- 2 teaspoons butter
Nutrition
Rich
Delicious! I might try next time with a little less flour or add just a few drops of water.
Sounds like a good plan, Rich! So glad you liked them!
Imkhe
I did made the cookies, but it came out very hard and dry. It is nit that special texture of shortbread cookie. Don’t know if I did something wrong
Sorry to hear that! Sounds like you might have either mixed the batter too long, but more likely baked them too long. They should be firm, but buttery and crumbly. Let me know if I can help you troubleshoot anything else. Let me know what kind of butter and flour you used.
hopflower
People add them in America, but traditionally there are no flavourings at all in Scottish shortbread.
Thanks for your tip.
Sally
So very delicious and easy to make! Thanks for sharing recipe!
Thanks so much, Sally!
TAYLER ROSS
I made this shortbread yesterday and it was amazing! Perfectly buttery and delicious!
So glad you liked it.
Elizabeth
I LOVE this recipe. Shortbread is my absolute favorite. Thanks for all the amazing info you shared about the origin of this cookie.
Thanks so much Elizabeth!!
Ashley
I love Scottish shortbread–especially dipped in hot tea. Thanks for the great recipe!
Absolutely perfect dipped in hot tea!
Nathan
It’s been so long since I had a classic shortbread, and this recipe absolutely delivered! So nostalgic and delicious. Thanks so much for sharing!
You are most welcome!!
Paula
This shortbread recipe was so delicious! Just the right amount of sweetness and the texture was epic!
Yay! Glad you liked it, Paula!!
Donna
This really is my favorite shortbread recipe! I’ve tried a few other recipes, but I keep coming back to this one! The dough comes together well and is easy to work with. Simple ingredients make such a tasty cookie! I keep some in the freezer so I can thaw one or two at a time when I need a little yummy treat to go with a cuppa tea. They’re perfect!
Thank you so much Donna! We love this one too! So appreciate your sweet comment!
Laura Johnson
This shortbread was literally PERECT!! I put it on a board of favorites for dipping into chocolate fondue and they were gone so quickly!
YAY! Perfect with fondue!