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Three fingers of scottish shortbread in a pile showing the soft and crumbly texture.
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Scottish Shortbread

The most crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth traditional Scottish shortbread recipe - brought to you by a real Scot!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings: 15 shortbreads

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks Salted Butter 227g
  • ½ cup Sugar 100g
  • 2 cups All-purpose Flour 250g

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 320°F / 160°C and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
  • Make sure the butter is completely at room temperature, then put it in a bowl and use a wooden spoon or spatula to soften it a little. Don't try to cream it, it's just to make it more pliable. You can use a stand mixer if you prefer but be careful not to overmix.
  • Add the sugar and mix it into the butter, just until well combined.
  • Sift in the flour and mix it together until the mixture starts to look crumbly. Then ditch the spoon and use your hands to squeeze it together into a smooth dough with no lumps of butter. Again, be careful not to overwork it, just go until it is incorporated.
  • Put the dough into the prepared cake pan and use your hands to smoosh it into all the corners and make it as flat and level as possible.
  • Use a fork to prick holes all over the dough in straight lines. Don't push the fork all the way through the dough, you just want to go about half way.
  • Bake for 25-35 minutes until the shortbread is just starting to turn golden brown at the edges, it will still be very pale on top. Baking time will vary depending a multitude of factors, so it's best to keep an eye out for the golden brown edges rather than relying on a set bake time. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about an hour before removing.
  • For clean slices, try to cut your shortbread while it is still slightly warm. Remove from the pan and use a long, sharp knife to cut straight down into the shortbread - make the pieces as big or small as you like!
  • Important step: Enjoy with a cup of tea. Any Scot will tell you you can't have shortbread without tea!

Notes

Docking the shortbread:  Pricking the shortbread with a fork is an important step to help release steam and prevent the shortbread from being stodgy.  This recipe has a high amount of butter in it so the holes may disappear in the oven depending on the temperature of the dough going into the oven.  The holes will still do their job, but if you want them to stay for aesthetic reasons, chill your shortbread dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking (after docking). 
I always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients as measuring with cups is incredibly inaccurate and can cause your bakes to fail.