Scottish Shortbread Cookies are melt in your mouth good! Buttery and delicious, these simple cookies are the talk of my cookie plate!
When it comes to Christmas cookies, there is one cookie that has my heart above the rest. Shortbread Cookies. These buttery little bites of happiness have been a fixation for me for YEARS. I used to buy bags of Walker’s shortbread from the store all the time. But now that I know how easy shortbread cookies are to make at home, there’s no going back for me.
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I was lucky enough to have my friend Christine share her cookie recipe with me a couple years ago after Mike tried it at the annual Daughters of Scotia Burns Night Dinner. Mike’s been nagged me to make them ever since. Let me tell you guys, her shortbread cookies did not disappoint. It’s hands down the best shortbread cookie recipe I’ve ever had! I have been known to add some sprinkles on top around the holidays to make shortbread Christmas cookies, but you totally don’t need them. These shortbread cookies are perfect just the way they are.
Personal moment interjection! I don’t usually talk too much about behind the scenes around here, but Mike and I are both drummers in a Scottish bagpipe band – Phoenix Pipe Band. Mike’s been playing for, gosh, about 18 years in various bands, and I’ve been in this band with him for 4 years. It’s seriously the best time! Through the band, going to highland games, and learning about my family history thanks to my grandpa…I found out I’m part of Clan Macpherson. (Yes, I know I’m wearing a MacGregor tartan. It’s our band’s tartan.) And Christine who I mentioned above is part of Clan Campbell, so her recipe is legit Scottish shortbread. If you ever find yourself at highland games, visit the clan tents and say hi. It’s fairly common for them to have some homemade shortbread on hand.
So what’s the deal with shortbread cookies? They’re a 3-ingredient wonder made from flour, sugar, and salted butter. They have a soft, crumbly texture with a taste that’ll make you moan. Not even kidding. But the real trick to a beautiful shortbread cookie is getting it just the right thickness, scoring it to the right size (about two-bites), and adding those signature holes in the top. Don’t fly through this recipe. Do it right. It doesn’t take very much time to double check yourself and have perfect shortbread cookies.
How to Make Shortbread Cookies
- Beat together sugar and butter until fluffy and pale, about 2 minutes.
- Sift flour, and slowly add to butter mixture. Beat together until just combined before adding more flour.
- Transfer the dough to a baking sheet. Press the dough into the baking dish, score the dough to outline the cookies, and then prick the tops with a fork.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and score the cookies again. Let cool to room temperature.
This recipe makes a BUNCH of cookies! With one batch I made a 9-inch pie plate, a 9-inch x 9-inch pan, and a 9-inch x 13-inch pan of shortbread. I could have easily just made two 9 x 13 pans instead, but variety makes me happy. Next time. I usually cut my shortbread according to the pan it’s in. The square pan & rectangle pans get rectangle pieces and the pie plate gets wedges. If I only use 9 x 13 pans, I get about 72 cookies (6 dozen), but this all varies with how big you cut your cookies. This is a great recipe that’s meant to be shared!!
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Scottish Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 pound salted butter at room temperature (4 sticks)
- 1 cup sugar
- 4-5 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar for about 1 minute.
- Sift the flour. Then add 4 cups of flour to the butter mixture in 4 additions. Mix until the flour is just incorporated after each addition. Add more flour a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough comes together in big clumps and has a silky texture. (You can add up to 1 cup more flour. See note)
- Turn dough out onto a pastry mat and knead for a minute. Divide dough into 4 balls, and place 2 balls each into two 9-inch x 13-inch pans.
- Use hands to spread dough into an even layer. The dough should NOT be more than 1/2-inch thick. (Check this with a ruler, seriously!)
- Place a piece of waxed paper over the cookie dough. Use a rolling pin or the back of a measuring cup to smooth the handprints from the top of the cookies by pressing on the dough over the waxed paper. Repeat with the other pan.
- Use a sharp knife to score the dough into rectangles. (I get 36 cookies per pan = 6 rows and 6 columns.) Then use a fork to prick the top of the cookies 3 times each.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the cookies are set and the edges are just turning golden.
- Remove from the oven to a cooling rack. Use the same knife to score the cookies again following the same lines. Allow to cool in pan completely before serving.
Notes
- If you don't have salted butter on hand, you can substitute unsalted butter + 1 teaspoon salt. (1/4 teaspoon salt per 1/2 cup butter = 1 stick)
- The first time I made this recipe the dough had a sandy texture and was super crumbly. The second time I made it (the exact same way) it was spot on. I recommend starting with less flour and adding more until the dough has the right consistency. The weather, heat of your kitchen, altitude, and other variables can affect the cookie dough. While it's a simple recipe it can be finicky.
Patti H. says
Your Shortbread cookies are divine. Thank you for the recipe. I would like to try make them as cutout cookies…… some fun shapes for Easter. Have you ever done them this way? Any suggestions on how thick to roll out the dough?
Julie Espy says
Hi Patti! I would say the best way to do shaped cookies is to place your cookie cutter on a prepared baking sheet. Then, grab some of the cookie dough and press it into the mold until it’s about 1/2-inch thick. Remove the mold and repeat. The dough, like the cookies, is a bit crumbly and you may run into some snags if you try to do cutouts are remove the excess dough like a standard sugar cookie. It’s a little more time consuming, but you’ll get a good shape. Hope this helps!!
Amy says
Hello, I’ve made this recipe several times. I was thinking of using it in a tart pan and use it for a crust. If I roll it out to the standard 1/2 inch do you think it would work? Thanks so much and the recipe is absolutely wonderful
Julie Espy says
Absolutely. I’ve used pie plates and square/rectangular baking dishes for these cookies numerous times. As long as the dough isn’t too thick they’ll cook just right. 🙂
Linda Zakrocki says
How deep do you score them and when do you actually cut them? A certain knife so they don’t crumble?
Julie Espy says
I score them about halfway down through the dough. You don’t want a full cut. I cut them after the cookies are cooled, usually with a 6-inch knife (not a full chef’s knife).
Linda Zakrocki says
My dough is dry and crumbly not smooth and silky after beating in sifted flour. :(. What is wrong?
Kathy Biederbeck says
Mine too! Disaster. I followed the directions to a T.
Michelle says
Do you use regular sugar, or confectioners sugar? Can’t wait to try these!
Julie Espy says
Hi Michelle. I used regular, granulated sugar. 🙂 Happy baking!
Caitlin says
Can I cut this recipe in half?
Julie Espy says
You can. 🙂
char says
These were amazing. I hadn’t made shortbread Ina while and was searching for a simple delicious recipe and this fit the bill nicely. My ovens been finicky lately so I had to bake it at a reduced temp to keep the bottom from browning too much. One pan was a little brown so I adjusted temp for the second pan. Oh and I like to sprinkle my shortbread with some sugar before baking. It makes them look pretty and gives it that added sweet crunch. Thanks for a great recipe. I’m making them for the second time in 5 days!
Terri L Neice says
I just made the Scottish shortbread it turned out perfect and so so delicious, thank you for sharing your recipe…Terri N
Tracy says
These sounded so much easier than my family recipe. Don’t know what I did wrong…but these turned out awful for me. I followed the recipe to the letter.. but the cookies were terrible. They didn’t get done through, they stuck in the pan, they crumbled. They smell good, and the parts that did get done through, are tasty (or so my husband says). I plan on crushing the cookies and making shortbread pie crust with them.
Wish me luck.
In the mean time I’ll go back to my labor intensive mid-1700s family recipe from the Campbells. 🙂
Kate says
My Mom was a Scottish Immigrant and this was her recipe except hers used 4 cups flour. I remember as a little girl I got to poke the holes in the dough. My Moms shortbread is a requested cookie every year.
Martha mcdown says
My dough was quite dry. I added some water but it kept falling apart. What am I doing wrong?
Julie Kotzbach says
Hi Martha. My dough came out a bit dry the first time I made this recipe. The second time I made it (the exact same way) it was spot on. Go figure. In any case, I would recommend starting with 4 cups of flour and then adding a few tablespoons at a time (up to 1 cup more) until a cohesive dough forms that isn’t wet and doesn’t have a sand-like texture… like the picture. Please let me know if this helps.
Josee Gagnon says
I haven’t done your recipe yet, but I find that 4-5 cups is a lot of flour!! Should I go for it or use less flour? Thanks Josee