Scottish Shortbread Cookies: Simple Ingredients, Easy To Make

Try our Vanilla-Scented Scottish Shortbread Cookie recipe, perfect for any occasion. With a sprinkle of sanding sugar and a hint of vanilla, these cookies are simple, delicious, and easy to make!

I have such cherished memories from my childhood in Scotland and England. Living near Edinburgh and in the English countryside was a wonderful time in my life. One of my fondest memories is from when our American school on the Air Force base organized a visit to an English school. That day, we made shortbread cookies, which were unlike any I had ever tasted. They were buttery, sweet, and melted delightfully in my mouth. Perhaps they tasted so extraordinary because I had a hand in making them, or maybe they genuinely were that delicious—a bit of both, I suspect.

I still recall the simplicity of the ingredients we used—flour, sugar, and butter. We mixed everything by hand, shaped the dough into a disc, scored it, and then watched it bake into golden perfection.

Today, my shortbread cookie recipe remains largely the same, with just a few tweaks here and there. These cookies are still my favorite, evoking those wonderful memories of my time in Scotland and England every time I bake a batch.

This easy shortbread cookie recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and comes together quickly. You can also choose how you want to shape the cookies! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Ingredients Notes

Using the best ingredients is the key to delicious shortbread cookies. Here’s the pantry ingredients you will need…

Flour

Provides the structure for the cookies. It absorbs moisture from the butter and sugar to form a dough that holds its shape during baking.

Salt

Brings out the flavors of the other ingredients and balances the sweetness of the sugar. A little bit of salt does wonders for these cookies!

Unsalted Butter

It adds richness and a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It also gives the cookies a creamy flavor quintessential to shortbread.

Pure Vanilla Extract

Gives the cookies a warm, complex aroma and flavor that deepens the simple taste profile of the shortbread.

Confectioners’ Sugar

Dissolves more easily than granulated sugar, which helps to create a smooth and tender texture in the cookies.

Sanding Sugar

This is optional. However, sanding sugar provides a sweet crunch on top of the cookies, adding a pleasant texture that contrasts with the tender shortbread.

How To Make Shortbread Cookies

Here are step-by-step directions for making shortbread cookies. You can also see them with the ingredients in the recipe below.

• Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.
• Prepare a round cake pan or a 10-inch tart pan by liberally buttering it. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the pure vanilla extract and mix until combined.
• Gradually sift in the confectioners’ sugar into the butter mixture and continue beating until the mixture is creamy.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
• Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamy butter mixture. Mix until just combined to form a soft dough.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and use it to press the dough evenly into the pan, smoothing out the surface.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Remove the plastic wrap. Using a knife, score the dough into 8 wedges. Prick each wedge with a skewer.
• Sprinkle sanding sugar generously over the dough.
• Bake the dough in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until the edges are just turning golden.
• Let the cookies cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once cool, carefully recut along the previously scored lines.

Tips For Success

Here are tips for a more successful and delicious shortbread making experience.

• Use a 10-inch Removable Bottom Pan: This type of pan makes it easier to remove the cookies after they have cooled without breaking them. Simply push up from the bottom to lift out the entire cookie disc, then slice and serve.
• Use a Pastry Brush for Greasing: Use a pastry brush to grease the sides of the fluted pan. This helps evenly distribute the butter, preventing the cookie disc from sticking.
• Room Temperature Butter: Use butter at room temperature for better creaming with the sugar, which aids in achieving a light and fluffy texture.
• Do Not Overmix the Dough: Mix just until combined to avoid tough cookie dough.
• Chill the Dough: Chilling makes the dough easier to handle and helps maintain the shape of the cookies during baking.
• Use a Metal Measuring Cup for Smoothing: The back of a metal measuring cup can be used to press down and smooth out the dough evenly in the pan. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the dough first.
• Use a Chopstick for Perfect Holes: I like to use the end of a chopstick to make the holes in the cookies. The holes are big enough to let the steam out, so the cookies don’t puff up unevenly.
• Watch the Baking Time Closely: As oven temperatures can vary, make sure to check the cookies a few times. The cookie disc should be golden around the edges and only slightly golden on top.
• Let The Cookies Cool in the Pan. Cooling in the pan helps the cookies set properly and makes them easy to remove without breaking.
• Remove from Pan and Cut Along Scores: Once the cookies have completely cooled, carefully remove them from the pan and recut along the previously scored lines for clean, perfect slices.

Choose How To Shape The Shortbread Cookies

There are several ways you can shape these cookies. If you like the traditional look or a pie shaped cookies and don’t have a tart pan, no problem. Turn the dough out on a worksurface or on a piece of parchment paper and form into a 10 inch disc.

Roll out the cookie dough about 1/2 inch thick and cut out the dough into shapes. Or roll the cookie dough into a log and cut them. Bake them at 350° for 14-16 minutes.

If you like rectangle shortbreads, roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick and cut the dough into rectangles with a sharp knife. Bake 14-16 minutes.

Shop + Sources

Check out the 5-quart Kitchen Aid mixer, which is almost $100.00 off, plus some extra paddles.

I hope you will try these old-fashioned cookies. I think you will love them.

Happy baking, friends…