A recipe for Scottish Shortbread! This classic, buttery cookie comes together with simply 4 ingredients for a wonderful accompaniment to tea.
This Scottish Shortbread is a perfect addition to the holidays (or any time of year) with the use of only flour, sugar, salt, and butter in the dough and minimal prep work required.
Simply mix together butter and sugar just until evenly blended, then add in the flour and salt to form a buttery dough.
Press the dough into a greased baking dish, pierce across the top with a fork, then cut into individual rectangles and bake just until set and lightly golden around the edges.
The result is a rich, melt in your mouth texture fantastic for pairing alongside a cup of tea. Other delicious pairings include coffee or whisky.
A Few Scottish Shortbread Tips
Use a good-quality butter, particularly European-style, for best results. I made this recipe with unsalted butter, then added 1/2 teaspoon salt with the flour. If using salted butter, omit the salt.
To easily blend with the butter without overworking the ingredients, use a superfine caster sugar. If you do not have caster sugar available, pulse 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar in a food processor a few times until fine.
Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.
The butter should be softened, but not completely melted or falling apart. Set out on the counter at room temperature about 1-2 hours before using.
Take care not to overwork the ingredients. Combine just until a dough comes together to keep the light and crumbly texture.
Press the dough gently into a greased 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 centimeter) square baking dish until even. Another option is to roll the dough on a work surface into a square the same size as the pan, then transfer.
The shortbread should be about 3/4-1 inch (2-2.5 centimeters) thick.
Before baking, prick the dough all over across the top halfway through with a fork. This will help release steam as the shortbread cooks, retaining its shape and making sure the thick cookies bake all the way through.
If your kitchen is very warm, you may want to chill the dough for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking.
Immediately after removing the pan from the oven, sprinkle a little more sugar over the top of the shortbread.
Allow the shortbread to cool for about 5 minutes, then cut across the original lines to divide the dough into individual rectangles. The dough should still be warm so it cuts more cleanly.
Once completely cooled, store the Scottish Shortbread at room temperature in an airtight container for up to about a week.
They can also be frozen in a freezer-safe, airtight bag for up to a couple of months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Looking for more Scottish recipes?
Try:
This recipe was originally posted in December 2013 and updated in November 2025.
Scottish Shortbread Recipe
Adapted from The Daring Gourmet
Scottish Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter lightly softened at room temperature (about 1 hour), plus more for greasing the pan
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) caster (superfine) sugar plus more for topping
- 2 1/4 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325˚F (160˚C). Grease an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 centimeter) square baking dish with butter.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a wooden spoon, mix together the butter and sugar until evenly combined, but do not cream completely together.
- Mix in the flour and sugar just until the dough comes together and is no longer crumbly.
- Gently press the dough into the greased pan in an even layer.
- Cut the dough into individual rectangles about 2 1/2 x 1 inches (6 x 2.5 centimeters). Pierce the tops all over with a fork at least halfway through the dough.
- Bake in the preheated oven until edges are lightly golden and the center is set, about 30-40 minutes.
- Immediately after removing from the oven, sprinkle sugar lightly across the top of the shortbread.
- Allow to cool briefly in the pan for about 5 minutes, then cut across the lines again to separate the shortbread into individual pieces while still warm.
- Once cooled, store at room temperature in airtight container for up to a week.
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