Shortbreads are typical Scottish cookies made with sugar, butter and flour, to which other ingredients can also be added. The name Shortbread refers to the particular crispness of this type of cookie (“short” is an archaic term for “crumbly”).
You can find Shortbreads mainly in three formats: the Shortbread Fingers, like these made by me, are the most typical, elongated rectangular in shape and very thick, then there are the Shortbread Rounds, round in shape similar to the other types of cookies, and finally the Petticoat Tails, a large single circular cookie that is divided into wedges.
Although originating in and usually associated with Scotland, these cookies are nevertheless very popular throughout the United Kingdom.
On Europe Day in 2006 they were even chosen to represent the United Kingdom in the Sweet Europe initiative.
They are also popular in other countries such as Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and the U.S. (the Swedish variant is called Drömmar), but the Scottish version is still the best known.
Ingredients – servings 20-24
- 125 g soft butter
- 55 g Sugar plus enough for sprinkling
- 180 g Flour
- 15 g Almond flour (optional)
- Grated peel of half a lemon (optional)
Procedure
Preheat oven to 190º.
Butter and sugar should be fluffy when combined with lemon peel, if using. Add the flour (sifted together with the almond flour, if you are using it) and mix, first with a wooden spoon and then kneading with your hands until the dough is soft and smooth.
Roll out the dough in a rectangular baking pan lined with baking paper, trying to give it as precise a rectangular shape as possible, including in thickness, which should be 1 1/2 cm. The dough can be rolled out and cut using a circular cookie cutter, if preferred.
For about 20 minutes, put the pan in the fridge. After the resting time has elapsed, with a sharp knife draw only on the surface the cut that you will then give the cookies once they are baked. To recreate the typical Fingers Shortbread design, use a fork and prick the cookies as in the photo.
Sprinkle with a little sugar and bake, on the second level (from the bottom) of the oven, for 20 minutes.
Once baked, take back the cuts, made on the surface before baking, and cut out the cookies, which should be placed on a wire rack to cool completely.
Stored in airtight containers they will keep for up to two weeks.