Question 1

What is it?

Accepted Answer

Shortbread is a traditional biscuit recipe originating in Scotland. It's traditionally made around Christmas and New Year (called Hogmanay in Scotland), but it really is great to enjoy year-round. It's a very crumbly biscuit owing to its high-fat content from the butter used. If you're wondering if shortbread is related to shortcake, well it's not. Shortcake is a US dessert that is a lot softer in texture.

The basic authentic shortbread recipe is very simple and pretty easy to memorise. You just need one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour. When we say parts we are talking by weight not measurement (sorry to anyone who prefers to bake using cups). You don't need any kind of raising agent like baking powder.

Traditionally the recipe is made using granulated white sugar, although many modern recipes (including this one) use icing/confectioners sugar. This is a great substitution as icing sugar contains a little cornflour/cornstarch, which makes the texture a little softer.

Question 2

Do I need to chill the shortbread dough?

Accepted Answer

Chilling the shortbread mixture helps with the baking process by solidifying the butter before baking, which prevents it from spreading on the tray and make sure that the biscuits keep their shape. The butter in the dough needs to slowly melt in the oven to give a crumbly but tender result, so you don't want to start with melted butter before you get to the baking stage. 

Ideally, plan ahead when making shortbread and allow for a minimum of 2 hours of chill time before baking. You can also leave them overnight in the fridge so they are great to prepare in advance. However, I have had success in the past with dough that has only had a 30-minute stint in the fridge, providing that the butter was still cold when the mixture was made.

Question 3

How long do they keep?

Accepted Answer

Cooked chocolate shortbread can be kept for up to 5 days at room temperature in an air-tight jar or tin. You can also freeze the baked biscuits for up to 3 months. As they are so crumbly it is a good idea to place a small piece of baking paper between pieces before stacking them for freezing so they don't fall apart when separating. 

You can also freeze unbaked shortbread dough for up to 3 months. Defrost before cutting into shapes and make sure the biscuits are fully chilled before baking.

Question 4

How do I know when they are done?

Accepted Answer

It can be a little tricky to know when shortbread is done via visual or tactile cues. Baked biscuits are fairly similar in colour to the raw dough, and they will be soft when you remove them from the oven and harden as they cool. They will be a little firmer to the touch than raw dough and not sticky. To ensure success make sure you don't roll the dough too thickly and make sure that the oven has reached the correct temperature before baking by using an oven thermometer. Don't be tempted to leave them in the oven for longer than the recipe time. 

If the worst comes to the worst and they are underdone after they have fully cooled then you can return them to the oven for a few minutes.

Chocolate Shortbread

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition