Traditional Scottish Shortbread Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add 3-3/4 cups flour; mix well. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead for 5 minutes, adding enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Roll to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut into 3x1-in. strips. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick with fork. Bake until cookies are lightly browned, 20-25 minutes. Cool.

Steps:

• Combine flours, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
• Work in butter until dough has the consistency of pie crust.
• Sprinkle board with rice flour.
• Turn dough onto board and knead until smooth.
• Divide into four portions and shape into small rounds.
• Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet (or use a shortbread mold).
• Prick with a fork.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until cakes begin to brown slightly.
• Allow to cool in pan.

Steps:

• In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Gradually add flour and mix well. (Dough will be crumbly). Shape into a ball., On a lightly floured surface, press dough to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut out with a floured 1-in. diamond-shaped cookie cutter; place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick each cookie with a fork. Reroll scraps if desired. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until firm. Cool for 2 minutes before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely.,

Steps:

• Mix the flour and sugar together in a large bowl, and then rub in the butter - as if you were making shortcrust pastry. Use the tips of your fingers and ensure that all the butter has been rubbed in -- it should resemble sand!
• Then start to knead the paste, pushing it together to form a smooth dough - the heat of your hands whilst kneading helps it form.
• Petticoat Tails:.
• Divide the shorbread dough into two equal parts and shape them into balls, then flatten them out into two rounds - using the heel of your hand, to about 7" in diameter and 1/4" thick.
• Mark the top into equal portions - triangular in shape, and then prick the tops all over with a fork - making patterns if you wish! Crimp the edges as you would a pie crust to make a decorative edge and place them onto a well greased baking tray or cookie sheet.
• (You can also use a greased and lined 7" or 8" fluted edged round sandwich/cake tin - preferably with a loose bottom for ease of taking the shortbread out. Press the dough into the tin and mark out as above).
• Shortbread fingers:.
• Roll out the shortbread dough, and shape into a rectangle, about 1/2" to 3/4" thick. Place onto a well greased baking tray or cookie sheet as before, and mark into "fingers" -- prick over with a fork again. You can also press the dough into an 8" square baking/sandwich/brownie tin - and then mark out the fingers as above.
• (Please Note: The fingers are always thicker than the petticoat tails and shortbread rounds).
• Shortbread Rounds:.
• Roll out the shortbread dough and using a biscuit or cookie cutter, cut into rounds of about 2" to 3" in diameter, about 1/4" in thickness. Place them on a well greased baking tray or cookie sheet.
• Wooden Shortbread Mould:.
• You can also place the dough into a decorative wooden shortbread mould, before turning it out on to a greased baking tray. Traditional Scottish wooden moulds can be bought online and usually have a Thistle design with heavily fluted edges.
• Bake the any of the above shortbread biscuits in a pre-heated oven 160C/325F/Gas Mark 3 for between 20 to 30 minutes, or until they are pale and golden - but NOT brown!
• Sprinkle extra caster sugar over the top as soon as they come out of the oven if you wish.
• Allow the shorbread bicuits to cool slightly on a cooling rack, before cutting into fingers or "petticoat tails".
• Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight tin or container. NB: These will last for about 10 to 14 days in a cool, dry and dark pantry. They can also be frozen with great results!