Scottish Shortbread (Buttery Shortbread Fingers)
In short: Buttery, crumbly Scottish shortbread made with just butter, sugar and flour, baked slowly until pale gold and cut into fingers. It takes about 1 h in total and makes 8 servings.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Resting
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 395 kcal
Shortbread is one of Scotland's best-known biscuits, built on roughly one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts flour. There is no egg, so the texture is crumbly and sandy rather than crisp. What matters is good butter, a light hand with the dough and a long, gentle bake that leaves the top pale. Rice flour makes it even more tender. Cut it into fingers while it is hot and let it cool in the tin.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Line a 20 cm (8 inch) square baking tin with baking paper.
- Beat the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes until just combined and creamy. It should not turn fluffy and white.
- Mix the flour, rice flour and salt, add them to the butter and stir with a spatula, then your hands, until the mixture comes together into a soft dough. Do not knead.
- Press the dough evenly into the tin and smooth the top. Prick it all over with a fork and chill for 30 minutes.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pale golden at the edges. The top should stay pale.
- While the shortbread is still hot, sprinkle it with the extra sugar and cut it into 16 fingers with a sharp knife. Leave it in the tin until completely cool, then lift out.
Tips
- Do not overwork the dough, because kneading toughens it and gives hard shortbread instead of a crumbly one. Chilling before baking helps keep the shape.
- Good butter is the main flavor, so use the best you can. For petticoat tails, press the dough into a 23 cm (9 inch) round tin, score it into 8 wedges and bake the same way.
Questions and answers
Why is shortbread so crumbly?
It has a high ratio of butter to flour and no egg or liquid, so there is little gluten to hold it together. Rice flour adds extra crumbliness.
How long does shortbread keep?
In an airtight tin it keeps for up to 2 weeks, and the flavor improves after a day or two.
Can I use salted butter for shortbread?
Yes. If you use salted butter, leave out the 1/4 teaspoon of salt in the recipe.
How long does it take to make Scottish Shortbread (Buttery Shortbread Fingers)?
About 1 h in total: 15 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Scottish Shortbread (Buttery Shortbread Fingers)?
About 395 kcal per serving, with 4 g of protein, 43 g of carbohydrates and 23 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 395 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 43 g |
| Fat | 23 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 14 g |
| Sodium | 90 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
