Scottish Shortbread

NY Times recipe by Melissa Clark who states, “Shortbread is not only one of the easiest desserts you can possibly make, it’s also one of the most adaptable. As long as you keep the butter to flour ratio constant (1 stick butter to 1 cup flour), everything else is negotiable. You can reduce or increase the sugar and salt, or mix in any type of flavoring from citrus zest to vanilla to herbs and spices. You can even alter the type of flour, swapping in some rice flour for all purpose flour for increased crunch, or cornmeal for a nubby texture. Just be cautious about adding liquid to the dough; any more than one tablespoon could interfere with the texture. Here we give a master recipe and nine variations to play around with.”

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Scottish Shortbread

  • Total time: 1 Hour
  • Servings: 6-8 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Cups (187.5g) All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Cup (62.5g) White Rice Flour
  • 2/3 Cup (150g) Granulated Sugar
  • 3/4 tsp Fine Salt
  • 2 Sticks (1 cup or 226g) Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into 1-inch chunks

Directions

  • 1)

    Heat oven to 325°F. Pulse together flours, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some of the crumbs start to come together, but don’t overprocess; the dough should be somewhat crumbly. (You can also mix the dough in a bowl using two knives or a pastry cutter.)

  • 2)

    Press dough into an even layer in a parchment paper-lined 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan, or a 9-inch pie pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes for the 9-inch square or pie pan, 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares, bars or wedges while still warm.

Notes

Variations:

  1. The Master Recipe: Use 2 cups all-purpose flour instead of the mix of all-purpose and rice flours. All the variations below assume starting with 2 cups all-purpose flour.
  2. Tender Shortbread: Substitute confectioners’ sugar for the granulated sugar, and 1/3 cup cornstarch for 1/3 cup of flour.
  3. Vanilla Bean Shortbread: Split a vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the back of a knife to scrape out the pulp. Pulse the pulp into the flour-sugar mixture before adding butter. Or add up to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract with the butter.
  4. Citrus Shortbread: Add 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon, lime or orange zest with the flour. Add up to 1 teaspoon orange blossom water with the butter if desired. These are classic with poppy seeds.
  5. Nut Shortbread: Grind 1/2 cup toasted nuts in the food processor with the flour before combining with remaining ingredients.
  6. Spice or Seed Shortbread: Add up to 1 teaspoon spices, like ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or cardamom, or seeds like caraway or anise. Or add up to 3 tablespoons poppy or sesame seeds.
  7. Brown or Maple Sugar Shortbread: Substitute 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar or maple sugar for the granulated. This yields a slightly softer shortbread.
  8. Cornmeal or Whole Wheat Shortbread: Substitute up to 1/2 cup cornmeal or whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. Season with spices, seeds, citrus or rosemary if desired.
  9. Buckwheat Shortbread: Substitute up to 1/3 cup buckwheat flour for 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour.

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018784-shortbread-10-ways