This shortbread recipe is about as simple as baking gets. Butter, icing sugar, flour and a bit of rice flour. That’s it. What you get is a pale, buttery biscuit that kind of melts the second it hits your tongue.
It makes about 24 biscuits, or one big round you cut into wedges. Pop a few in a tin with a ribbon and you’ve got an easy Christmas present sorted.
Table of Contents
Four ingredients, one rule
Shortbread started in Scotland and it’s always been about the butter. With so few ingredients, there’s nowhere for a cheap butter to hide.
- Butter: salted or unsalted, but use real butter. Never margarine or spread.
- Icing sugar: it dissolves into the butter and gives a smoother, more tender biscuit than caster sugar.
- Plain flour: the base.
- Rice flour: this is the trick for that sandy, melt-away texture. Cornflour works too.
And the one rule? Don’t overwork the dough. Mix just until it comes together, or the biscuits go tough.
Getting the butter right
| Butter is | What happens |
|---|---|
| Straight from the fridge | Won’t cream properly. Lumpy dough, dense biscuits |
| Soft, holds a fingerprint | Perfect. Creams up pale and fluffy |
| Greasy or half melted | Biscuits spread and lose their shape |
Leave it on the bench for about an hour before you start. On a hot day, less.
Pale, not golden
Shortbread bakes low and slow, and it should come out pale with just a hint of colour around the edges. If it’s golden all over, it’s overdone and will taste a bit toasty instead of buttery.
It’ll feel soft when it comes out of the oven. That’s normal. It firms up as it cools, so leave it on the tray for 10 minutes before moving it.
Buttery Shortbread
Course: Biscuits, ChristmasCuisine: ScottishDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcal1
hour10
minutesClassic shortbread made with butter, icing sugar, plain flour and rice flour, baked low until pale and tender. Makes about 24 biscuits.
Ingredients
250 g butter, softened
1/2 cup (80 g) icing sugar, sifted, plus extra caster sugar for sprinkling
2 cups (300 g) plain flour
1/3 cup (55 g) rice flour or cornflour
Pinch of salt (skip if using salted butter)
Directions
- Beat the butter and icing sugar with electric beaters for 3 to 4 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Sift in the plain flour, rice flour and salt. Mix on low or with a wooden spoon until it just comes together into a soft dough.
- Tip onto a lightly floured bench and bring it together gently with your hands. Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Roll the dough out to about 1 cm thick. Cut into fingers, rounds or shapes and place on the trays. Prick each one a few times with a fork.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm and pale with just a hint of colour at the edges.
- Sprinkle with caster sugar while still warm. Cool on the trays for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Soft butter: it should hold a fingerprint but not look greasy.
- Don’t overmix: stop as soon as the dough comes together.
- Chill before cutting: 30 minutes in the fridge helps the shapes hold in the oven.
- One big round: press the dough into a 22 cm tin, mark 12 wedges and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Shortbread recipe troubleshooting
Tough or hard.
The dough was overworked. Mix only until it holds together, and handle it as little as you can.
Spread in the oven.
The butter was too warm or the dough wasn’t chilled. Pop the cut shapes in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking.
Too crumbly to roll.
It’s a bit dry. Press it together with your hands, or add a teaspoon of milk.
Brown and toasty.
The oven ran hot. Bake at 150°C fan and check from 18 minutes.
Shapes and flavours
- Christmas shapes: stars and trees look great in a gift tin.
- Chocolate dipped: dip one end of each finger in melted dark chocolate.
- Lemon: add the zest of 1 lemon with the butter.
- Macadamia: fold in 1/2 cup chopped roasted macadamias.
Storing and gifting
Shortbread keeps for up to 2 weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature. It freezes well too, baked or as raw dough, for up to 3 months.
For gifts, layer the biscuits between baking paper in a tin or a clear bag tied with ribbon. They’re sturdy enough to post, too.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does this shortbread recipe use rice flour?
Rice flour gives shortbread its sandy, melt-in-the-mouth texture. Cornflour works the same way if you don’t have it.
Can I use caster sugar instead of icing sugar?
Yes, but the biscuits will be a little crunchier and less tender. Icing sugar gives the smoothest result.
Why is my shortbread tough?
The dough was mixed too much. Stop as soon as it comes together and handle it gently.
How long does shortbread last?
Up to 2 weeks in an airtight tin, or 3 months in the freezer.
Can I freeze shortbread dough?
Yes. Wrap the disc or log of dough well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before rolling and cutting.
Soft butter, a light hand and a low oven. Get those three right and this shortbread recipe will be your new favourite Christmas bake.
Happy baking,
Ella x
