Before you start
Real shortbread is just butter, sugar and flour, so the quality of each really shows. The texture you want is short and sandy, not tough, which comes from working the dough as little as possible. A little cornflour keeps it extra tender.
Everything you need
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (100 g) caster sugar
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp extra caster sugar, to finish
Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.
Method
-
Beat the butter and sugar just until smooth and pale, about a minute. Don't whip in lots of air.
For this step
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (100 g) caster sugar
- 1 tbsp extra caster sugar
-
Add the flour, cornflour and salt. Mix on low until the dough just clumps together. Bring it together gently with your hands.
For this step
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp fine salt
-
Press evenly into a lined 20 cm square tin, smoothing the top. Prick all over with a fork and chill for 20 minutes.
-
Heat the oven to 150°C / 300°F. Bake for 33 to 38 minutes until pale gold, not browned.
-
While hot, sprinkle with the extra sugar and score into 16 fingers. Let it cool fully in the tin before lifting out and cutting through.
For this step
- ½ cup (100 g) caster sugar
- 1 tbsp extra caster sugar
Baker's tips
- Keep it pale. Shortbread is meant to be barely coloured, and browning makes it taste bitter.
- Score the fingers while warm but cut only once cool, so they don't crumble.
Make it your own
- Add the zest of a lemon, or 2 tbsp chopped rosemary, to the sugar.
- Dip cooled ends in melted chocolate for petticoat-tail style biscuits.
Storing & freezing
Airtight at room temperature for 1 week. It also freezes well, baked or as raw pressed dough.
Frequently asked
Why is my shortbread tough?
The dough was over-worked, which develops gluten. Mix only until it just comes together and press it into the tin rather than kneading.
How much is a cup of butter in grams?
One US cup of butter is 227 g (two sticks). Use the butter converter if you're scaling the batch up or down.
Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
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A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.