Recipe: Appetizing Scottish Shortbread

Scottish Shortbread. Finest Quality Variety of Certified Organic Black, Green & Herbal Teas. While both have a higher proportion of butter in their recipes, butter cookies contain more sugar and flour, are baked at a higher temperature and tend to hold their shape when baked. Shortbread typically has a higher ratio of butter to flour, is baked at a lower temperature and has a dry, crumbly melt-in-your-mouth quality. Last week we featured " Melting Moments ", the lightest shortbread that I had ever sampled. Today we have my personal favourite, Scottish shortbread.

Even the way Scottish shortbread is decorated is symbolic and traditional. In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Gradually add flour and mix well. (Dough will be crumbly). You can have Scottish Shortbread using 4 ingredients and 9 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Scottish Shortbread

1. It's 1 lb of butter softened.
2. It's 1 cup of sugar.
3. It's 4-4 1/2 cups of flour (approximately).
4. Prepare Pinch of salt.

Shortbread is one of the most famous Scottish cookies. It is eaten around Christmas and is also an essential part of a traditional Scottish New Year ( called Hogmanay). The success of a "shortie"—the Scottish nickname for shortbread—is to handle the dough with care and work it as little as possible. This Scottish Shortbread Recipe is very easy to follow and so delicious - follow my tips for making the perfect buttery, crumbly Shortbread.

Scottish Shortbread step by step

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Sift flour and salt.
3. Add about 4 cups of flour to butter mixture a 1/2 cup or so at a time mixing thoroughly between additions until dough forms a ball adding more flour as needed.
4. Roll out into a rectangle or press evenly into a 9 by 12 baking pan (I use a glass baking pan).
5. About 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, score with a knife into approximate 1 1/2 x 3 inch pieces and dock with a fork.
6. Bake in a 325 Degree oven for 60 to 75 minutes until lightly browned.
7. .
8. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and cut along score marks while still warm, remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
9. Yield 24 biscuits.

This is old fashioned home baking that will never go out of style. I have always loved Shortbread but I didn't attempt to make it myself until my late twenties. Authentic Scottish Shortbread has nothing in it but flour, butter, and sugar. No flavourings of any kind, other than a pinch of salt. No vanilla, no chocolate chips, etc.