Shortbread is one of my favourite biscuit treats.
It’s super easy to make, has a short cooking time and it tastes great! What’s not to love?
How To Make Shortbread
The key to making easy shortbread also taste like the best shortbread is to use real butter.
Some recipes do suggest that you can use margarine in place of butter but personally for me, the rich buttery taste of the real thing is what gives this shortbread a more traditional and AMAZING taste.
What makes this an easy shortbread recipe is that the only ingredients are; flour, butter and caster sugar.
Yes, that’s right, only 3 ingredients are needed to turn this into probably the best shortbread you’ve ever made!
Oh, and it only takes 10 minutes in the oven to cook! Yep, 10 short minutes.
It’s important to make sure that the shortbread doesn’t cook for too long and turn brown. If it does, it’s cooked for too long, and will be a little hard to munch on; rather than soft and melt in your mouth loveliness.
Side note: If you take the shortbread out and really is too soft, pop it back in for a further 2 minutes – but don’t let it go hard.
The Quick Guide To Making Easy Shortbread
1. Make sure the butter is at room temperature and soft to touch. If it is too hard it will too hard to cream in with the sugar. You can use an electric mixer if you want to, but if the butter is soft enough you’ll have no problem creaming it up with a wooden spoon.
2. Sift the flour into the creamed butter and sugar. Gently mix it all together with your hands.
3. A soft dough should form. If it is too crumbly add a little more butter, conversely, if it is too sticky, add a little flour.
4. Press the dough into a greased baking tin and press it down with your hands. I like to gently score the slices of the shortbread, as well as use a fork to make some decorative holes on the surface before putting it in the oven.
Side Note: I got a bit carried away with my fork stabbing – you don’t need to add that many holes (unless you want to!)
5. Once the shortbread has been in for about 10 minutes, take it out – make sure it doesn’t go brown or it will be too hard. I usually slice up the shortbread while it is still warm and soft, leaving it in the baking tin until it is completely cool. I also sprinkle a little extra caster sugar over the top.
Storing Shortbread – How Long Will It Last?
I’ve never had the option of putting this to the test as it rarely lasts longer than a day or 2. However, should you find you have uneaten shortbread, it will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Mmmm, shortbread! It tastes like an indulgent treat yet it is so quick and easy to make - it only needs 3 ingredients! Go on, go make it now... The biscuits will last for up to 5 days in an airtight container, should they last that long 😉
The Best Shortbread Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 86Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g
Fantastic recipe! Made these with my 3 year old using cookie cutter Christmas shapes – for family Christmas presents. Just did a taste test and they are DELICIOUS!
I’m so happy to hear you and your 3 year old enjoyed making these! It’s one of our favourites 🙂
Just made these. Added a bit of ‘Sticky toffee pudding’ hot choc powder to make it a tad different. Easy and quick and the kids love it.
Hi Sarah – thanks for your comment – and what a great idea to add hot chocolate powder in too, I’ll have to give that a try soon!
Hi Liana- what size tin did you use? Mine seem to be underbaked in an 8 inch round tin.
Hi Ade – I’m pretty sure it was an 8 inch yes – I seem to have mislaid that tin so I can’t measure it (actually my son left it at school after a cooking lesson!) I’ll make it again in the 8 inch tin I have here to double check (any excuse!) The shortbread will seem underbaked when it comes out and should harden up some more after you’ve left it to stand. Alternatively you can just pop it back in for another few minutes – all ovens will cook slightly differently. Hope that helps!
I don’t have any parchment paper can I grease the tin with something else or nothing at all? Thanks
Hi Chelsea – yes you can just grease the tin, it’s not a problem.
Or u can use children’s/ artist tracing paper works wonders for parchment
Great idea Rudi! Thanks for the tip 🙂
hi liana ! would much prefer the ingriediants to be listed in grammes or ounces please
Hi Lorraine – thanks for your comment – the ingredients are already in grams but I can add in ounces if that helps?
These are delicious!!! Is it possible to make these gluten free by just changing the flour to a gluten free brand??
Hi Joanne – I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them! I’ve not tried making them with gluten free flour before, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work – let me know if you end up trying it!
Used this recipe to make seperate cookies rather then a traybake!
Great recipe but needed to add more liquid as it was too crumbly. So added a bit of milk to bind it all together – turned out great!
Also added chocolate chips – dark chocolate goes amazingly!
Hi Kirsty – sounds delicious!
This recipe sounds great .. before I try it can anyone tell me if it’s a suitable dough to use with patterned cookie cutters and cookie stamps? I’ve had a few disasters where the biscuits tasted great but the dough spread and so spoiled the stamped or cut designs. Thanks
Hi is that 180 fan oven? Or would it be 160? Want to make this for my mum with rasins in. Thanks 😊
Hi Trudie! In a fan oven it would be 160. Raisins sound like a delicious addition – I hope your mum enjoys them!