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A Super Simple Shortbread Recipe

Shortbread is one of my favourite biscuit treats.

This shortbread recipe is super easy to make, has a short cooking time and tastes great! What’s not to love?

Shortbread cut up into slices

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.

butter on scales for shortbread recipe

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! 

Shortbread should take 15 to 20 minutes to cook in the oven, check on it at 15 minutes to see how it is cooking.

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.

shortbread when it has just been sliced from the oven

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.

butter and suagr in mixing bowl with wooden spoon

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2. Sift the flour into the creamed butter and sugar. Gently mix it all together with your hands.

sugar, butter and flour in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon

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.

dough for shortbread ready to be rolled

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!)

shortbread dough in baking tin ready to go in the oven

5. Once the shortbread has been in for about 15-20 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.

shortbread fresh from the oven, cut up and ready to eat

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.   

shortbread fresh from the oven, cut up and ready to eat

The Best Shortbread Recipe

Yield: 8 slices
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

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...

Ingredients

  • 250g (2 cups) plain flour
  • 150g (2/3 cup) butter, softened (room temperature)
  • 60g caster sugar (1/3 cup), plus extra for sprinkling

Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
    2. Grease the baking tin/line with parchment paper.
    3. Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl. Cream it together using an electric mixer, or if you don’t have one, a spoon.
    4. Sift the flour into the bowl and gently mix it until it is mixed in.
    5. Using your hands, mix together until a soft dough has formed.
    6. Press the dough into the baking tin, use your hands to ensure the dough is flat and reaches the edge of the tin.
    7. Using a knife, gently score the shortbread into biscuit size pieces.
    8. Optional: use a fork to decorate the shortbread biscuits.
    9. Bake in preheated oven for around 15-20 minutes, don’t let the biscuits brown.
    10. Take the shortbread biscuits out of the oven and gently score again.
    11. Leave the biscuits to cool before removing them from the tin.
    12. Sprinkle a little caster sugar over the surface.

Notes

The biscuits will last for up to 5 days in an airtight container, should they last that long 😉

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

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Colin Quinton

Friday 5th of April 2024

I love shortbread and I was wondering if this would be ok to cook in my air fryer?

Liana Green

Thursday 2nd of May 2024

Hi Colin - yes I have cooked shortbread in the air fryer, here are the details: https://lianaskitchen.co.uk/air-fryer-shortbread/

Danielle Vernon

Monday 24th of January 2022

I used an 8inch tin and it was not cooked inside :( what size tin did you use?

Alec

Friday 4th of March 2022

@Danielle Vernon, see earlier post it was an 8” tin and leave a bit longer in oven if under done. Great advice.

Mark Ellam

Saturday 27th of November 2021

I made these today but in biscuit form doing only one thing different which was to put the dough in the fridge for a while to firm it up before rolling. This is the best recipe I've found for shortbread and one I'm going to use now for all shortbread based recipes 👍

Gwen Pearson

Friday 10th of September 2021

Tryed it my husband loves it will make it again when my Granddaughter comes she is 6 she will love making it

Laurel

Saturday 17th of July 2021

160C = 320F

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