Classic Scottish Shortbread Cookies

Traditional Scottish shortbread consists of only three ingredients: butter, flour, and sugar. It is its simplicity but also the buttery flavor that makes it so popular all around the world, year-round, as an everyday treat or for holidays such as Christmas and Easter. 

This basic shortbread recipe is delicious as is, but you can add vanilla powder for extra flavor. Or, you can make the shortbread the favorite way Mary, Queen of Scots liked to eat it in the 16th century: with caraway seeds. The shortbread was baked as a thin circle and cut into triangular wedges, which gave it its name, Petticoat Tails. 

Traditionally Scottish shortbread is baked in the shape of a large rectangle or square, then cut into narrow bars, also referred to as “fingers,” and in the above-mentioned Petticoat Tails. You can also cut it out as round cookies, squares, or any other simple geometric shape. Because shortbread is so short, meaning crumbly, cutting it with cookie cutters in elaborate shapes is usually not successful. 

While Scottish shortbread is egg-free, you can add a simple egg wash and sugar topping before baking, which gives it a nice crisp topping. Gently brush the egg wash—1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water—onto the cookies and sprinkle it with plain granulated sugar or a colorful decorating sugar. 

Shortbread does not change its color dramatically during baking, in order words, it should not bake so long that it browns. Shortbread should be light golden brown at the maximum. In this recipe the shortbread is baked at a relatively low temperature for a longer time. Because every oven is different, make sure it does not overbake and check the color after 30 minutes, then again at 5-minutes intervals. 

Right after baking, the shortbread is soft and breaks easily, Leave it on the cookie sheets for a few minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let them fully cool before storing them in airtight containers. At room temperature, they keep for one week, or in the fridge for 10 days. You can also freeze the shortbread cookies in a sealed freezer bag for up to three months.