This three-ingredient traditional Scottish shortbread recipe makes beautifully buttery, crumbly biscuits to elevate tea time.
Ingredients
2 cups butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
1Cream the butter and sugar
2Preheat the oven to 325°F. Cream the butter and sugar well until the texture becomes light and fluffy, five to seven minutes.
3Add the flour
4Add 3-3/4 cups flour to the butter mixture. Mix well to form a dough. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for five minutes. Add the remaining flour as needed to form a soft dough. Editor's Tip: Don't add too much extra flour to the dough. This is one of the most common shortbread mistakes.
5Cut the dough
6Place the dough on a sheet of baking parchment, then roll it out to a 16x9-inch rectangle. Transfer the slab of dough to a baking sheet and cut it into 3x1-inch strips. Prick each cookie several times with a fork. Place the tray in the fridge for 30 minutes or overnight.
7Bake the shortbread
8Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool.
