Shortbread Biscuits – Three Ways

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Buttery, melt in the mouth, crunchy, sweet but with a very slight salty kick, these internationally renowned Scottish shortbread biscuits are made with just a few store cupboard ingredients. They are typically made from 3 parts flour, 2 parts sugar, 1 part butter and a touch of salt to enhance all the flavours. Delicious on their own, with a cup of tea or coffee or alongside a delicious creamy dessert such a chocolate mousse or lemon posset.

My husband (he who doesn’t like like sweet things!) absolutely cannot resist a shortbread biscuit. His favourite is the classic recipe but they can also be enhanced with additional flavours such as chocolate chunks, nuts, or lemon and orange zest.

Quick as a flash to make, either in the food processor, with an electric whisk or by hand, you can make these biscuits in under 10 minutes, 15 – 30 minutes in a medium oven, 10 -15 minutes cooling down and all done. I roll them out:

• quite thinly if I am serving with a dessert,
• thicker if I just want them with tea or coffee, OR
• an in-between thickness if I want them to eat both with a dessert and also, on a different occasion, with tea or coffee.

How you choose to roll them out is completely up to you. It will depend on how you want to serve them and how you best like to eat them.

Shortbreads are referenced as far back as the 12th century in Scotland. Traditionally served at feasts and celebrations, they are still strongly associated with Christmas and Hogmanay (New Year). However, I cannot think of any reason not to make them all year round or for any occasion from a party to quick cup of tea!

How to make Shortbread Biscuits

Collect all your ingredients together:

• flour
• semolina
• butter
• icing sugar
• salt

(I replace ⅓ of the flour with semolina, this helps improve the crunch whilst also enhancing the melt in the mouth quality of the biscuit. This is a common replacement, found in many recipes. Alternatively, some people prefer to use cornflour instead of semolina.

The 3:2:1 ratio of flour/semolina:butter:sugar means this dish is very easy to scale up and down depending on how many biscuits you chose to make. The method is easy:

• rub the butter into the flour, semolina and salt, either in a food processor or by hand
• add the sugar and mix
• bring together into a ball of biscuit dough by pulsing in the food processor or kneading lightly with your hands
• roll out as desired and cook on a baking tray – there is no need to grease the tray
• sprinkle with sugar, cool and serve

I always make my shortbread in a food processor. Traditionally it is made by hand, rubbing the butter into the flour as described above. However, it can be a bit tricky bringing it all together. In which case, another option would be to beat the butter, sugar and salt together with a whisk until fluffy and then stir in the flour and semolina. Use your hands to gently knead into a ball and carry on as shown below.

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Roll out thinly to accompany a creamy dessert.

• roll out to roughly 5mm thick
• cut out as many rounds as possible and place them on a baking tray leaving some space in between to allow for expansion when cooking
• re-roll left over dough until finished
• although the dough is very forgiving, it is always best to re-roll as little as possibly to ensure your biscuits are short, crunchy and melt in the mouth. Cut out the biscuits as close together as possible. For my last piece of leftover dough, I push it into the cookie mould to get an exact size
• prick each biscuit with a fork before baking.

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Cook in a preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes.

• they are cooked when very lightly browned
• take out of the oven and shake over some caster sugar
• after 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack. Serve as they are or with a creamy dessert. Shown below with chocolate mousse.

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Roll out a little thicker and eat either with dessert or with a cup of tea.

• roll into an oblong shape using a pallet knife to help keep straight sides
• roll the dough to 22cms long and 8cms wide
• cut out the biscuits 2cm wide. You will make 11 biscuits.
• lay on a baking tray (no need to grease), quite close together
• prick each biscuit with a fork before baking.

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Cook in a preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes.

• they are cooked when very lightly browned
• take out of the oven and immediately cut between the biscuits where they have merged using the lines as a guide
• shake over some caster sugar
• after 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack. Serve as they are or with a creamy dessert.

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Make a thicker, circular shortbread

• tip the dough into a 15cm/6 inch circular cake tin with a loose bottom
• press the dough evenly into the tin and level the surface. I use the base of a ¼ cup measuring cup
• lay a piece of greaseproof paper over the cake tin and then a flat surface such as a chopping board. Invert.
• remove the cake tin sides and bottom
• crimp the edge of the dough to make a pretty pattern and cut out 8 biscuits. Do not separate the biscuits – leave in the circle
• prick each biscuit with a fork before baking.
• leave the biscuits on the baking paper and slide them, with the paper, onto a baking tray

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Cook in a preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes.

• they are cooked when very lightly browned
• take out of the oven and immediately cut between the biscuits, where they have merged, using the lines as a guide
• shake over some caster sugar
• after 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack. Serve with a cup of tea or coffee

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Made this recipe?

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