How to make shortbread
Buttery, melt‑in‑the‑mouth shortbread cookies made with just a few simple ingredients. This classic Scottish shortbread is an easy, foolproof bake. Perfect for gifting and ideal when you want a quick, delicious butter shortbread. This is a recipe I used when I was a chef and has been used in many independent restaurants.
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Servings: 32
Equipment
Ingredients
- 375 Grams Plain/All purpose flour
- 200 Grams Caster sugar
- 100 Grams Cornflour/Cornstarch
- 300 Grams Butter
- 1 Vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon Vanilla paste/extract
Instructions
- Blitz the dough: Add the butter, sugar, flour, cornflour and vanilla to a food processor and blitz until the mixture looks dry and sandy, almost like breadcrumbs.If you’ve got little helpers, this is the moment they’ll ask to press the buttons! supervised button‑pressing makes making this shortbread so fun for the little ones.
- Mix by hand: Tip everything into a large mixing bowl and use your hand to give it a quick mix. This helps catch any sneaky bits that like to cling to the sides of the processor.Kids love this part, it’s messy, sensory and feels like “real baking”.
- Prepare the tins: Lightly oil and flour two fluted tart tins (any shape works). This stops the shortbread sticking and gives you that lovely defined edge
- Press into the tins: Divide the mixture between the tins and press it down firmly with your fingers and palms. Make sure to push it right into the corners. It should be about 1 Lego brick thickSmall fingers are surprisingly good at getting into those awkward edges, a perfect job for your mini sous‑chef.
- Bake: Bake at 160°C for 30 minutes, until pale golden and set. Sprinkle with caster sugar as soon as it comes out of the oven, then cut into wedges or fingers while still warm
- Cool: Leave the shortbread to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes so it firms up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
If you don't have a food processor you can mix the ingredients in a large mixing bowl with your hands by rubbing everything in, the results will be the same but will take a little longer
Notes
• This dough looks dry and crumbly at first, that’s exactly what you want for classic crumbly shortbread.
• Pressing the mixture into the tin is easier with slightly damp hands, and kids are brilliant at getting it into the corners.
• Cutting the shortbread while warm gives you clean edges; letting it cool fully gives you that perfect buttery snap.
• These make lovely edible gifts, wrap in parchment and string once fully cooled.