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Scottish shortbread
Petticoat tails: butter, sugar and flour baked pale and crumbly
BritishShortbread is Scotland's most famous bake, handed round at Hogmanay with a dram and packed in tins as a gift all year. The classic recipe is one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts flour, with a little rice flour for the sandy snap; it is shaped into a round and cut into petticoat tails, a shape linked with Mary, Queen of Scots. Chef's tip: bake low and slow so it stays pale gold; brown shortbread tastes bitter rather than buttery.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted buttersoft
- 3 ⅞ oz caster sugarplus extra for sprinkling
- 10 oz plain flour
- 1 ¾ oz rice flour or cornflour
- 1 pinch salt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 300°F (275°F fan) and line a 20 cm round tin with baking paper.
3 minStep 2: Beat the 8 oz unsalted butter and 3 ⅞ oz caster sugar with a wooden spoon just until smooth and creamy, not fluffy.
3 minStep 3: Sift in the 10 oz plain flour, 1 ¾ oz rice flour or cornflour and 1 pinch salt and work together with your hand until it forms a smooth dough. A common mistake is kneading it hard, which develops the gluten and makes it tough.
3 minStep 4: Press evenly into the tin, smooth the top, crimp the edge with your thumb and prick all over with a fork. Mark into 12 wedges with a knife.
5 minStep 5: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until firm at the edges and very pale golden all over.
38 minStep 6: Sprinkle with a little extra sugar, cut along the marks while warm, then leave in the tin until completely cold before lifting out.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does scottish shortbread take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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