Classic shortbread is a three ingredient butter cookie baked as one slab and cut into bars, with cornstarch for the sandy snap. That makes it the simplest Christmas cookie for a gift tin or a cookie exchange. There is no egg, no rolling and no cutters, and the slab gives 36 bars.
Cut the bars twice, once before baking and once five minutes after the pan comes out. Shortbread shatters when it is cold, and lines scored only before the oven fuse shut again as the dough spreads.
The card says 15 minutes of cooking and the method says 60 to 70. The bake really does take over an hour at 325 degrees. The total of 1 hour 55 adds up, but the cooking figure does not.
Classic Shortbread
Course: DessertCuisine: Scottish, AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalButter whipped with sugar, then flour and cornstarch folded in and pressed flat in a jelly roll pan. Scored into bars, pricked with a fork and baked slowly until pale gold.
Ingredients
- For the Shortbread:
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Directions
- Prepare the pan: Set an oven rack in the center and heat to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 12 1/2 inch jelly roll pan, line it with parchment and butter the paper as well.
- Make the dough: Whisk the flour, cornstarch and salt together. Beat the butter and sugar on medium for 5 to 7 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture slowly and beat on low only until it just comes together, since overworking it makes the shortbread tough.
- Press and score: Spread the dough into the pan with a spatula, cover it with plastic wrap and press it flat and even with your hands. Peel the wrap off and cut the slab into 1 by 3 inch bars with a sharp knife, three across and twelve down. Prick a pattern into each bar with a fork, pressing right down to the pan.
- Bake slowly: Bake 60 to 70 minutes, turning the pan front to back halfway, until the shortbread is golden all over rather than browned at the edges. It will still feel soft in the pan, which is normal.
- Re-cut while warm: Let the pan stand 5 minutes, then run the knife back along every cut line. The bars fuse together as the dough spreads, and cold shortbread shatters instead of cutting. Lift the bars off the parchment and cool them on a rack.
Notes
- The original lists 15 minutes of cooking against a method that bakes for 60 to 70. The 127 calories a bar checks out, and a 9 by 12 1/2 inch pan does give exactly 36 bars at 1 by 3 inches.
FAQs
What is the cornstarch doing?
Six tablespoons replaces some of the flour and cuts the overall protein, so less gluten forms and the bite turns sandy instead of chewy. That short, crumbly snap is what makes shortbread shortbread. Leave it out and you have a plain butter cookie.
Can I use a 9 by 13 pan?
Yes, it is only four percent larger, so the slab bakes a touch thinner. Start checking at 55 minutes instead of 60. You will get the same 36 bars if you cut three across and twelve down.
Why prick the tops with a fork?
The holes let steam escape, which keeps the slab flat and dense rather than puffed in the middle. It is also the traditional look, going back to shortbread molds. Prick right through to the pan, not just the surface.
How do I know when it is done?
Golden all over, not browned at the edges, which usually lands between 60 and 70 minutes at 325 degrees. It firms as it cools, so soft in the pan is normal. The same slow bake works for these eggnog shortbread cookies.
How long does it keep?
Two weeks in an airtight tin and three months in the freezer, since there is no egg and almost no moisture. It is the best keeper on a Christmas cookie plate. Store it alongside these butter cookies, flat and away from anything soft.
