Shortbread is a holiday dessert that’s been around since the 12th century, and it’s no wonder we still love it so much today. With its rich, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth flavour, it’s impossible to resist.
Fun Baker’s Note: Originating in Scotland, shortbread was a luxury saved for holidays such as Christmas, Hogmanay (Scottish New Year’s Eve), and weddings. In the Shetland Islands, it’s a tradition to break a decorated shortbread cake over the bride’s head when she enters her new house – talk about breaking things in.
Classic Shortbread
What you need:
1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter
3/4 cup Redpath Instant Dissolving Sugar*
1/2 tsp (2 g) salt
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp (55 g) white rice flour
2 cups (280 g) pastry flour
*Redpath Instant Dissolving Sugar is our finest sugar, which makes it ideal for shortbread as it dissolves so quickly in the butter.
Variations:
Lemon Shortbread: Add in the zest of 1 lemon to the sugar mixture.
Orange Chocolate Shortbread: Add the zest of 1 orange to the sugar mixture, then stir 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips into the dough before refrigerating.
Chocolate Hazelnut: Stir in 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips & 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts into the dough before refrigerating.
Anise Almond: Mix 1/4 tsp ground anise with the dry ingredients, and 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted almonds into the dough before refrigerating.
What’s your favourite shortbread flavour? Share your flavour combinations with us in the comments below.
How to prepare:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8 or 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper. Optional: Toast the rice flour in the heated oven for about 12 minutes to release some of the aromas and deepen the flavour. Once toasted, set aside.
2. Cream together the butter, sugar, and salt.
3. Sift the pastry flour and rice flour into the butter mixture.
4. Add all of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until just combined. The dough will be crumbly, but don’t worry. Use your hands to bring it together into a disk.
5. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.
6.Once chilled, roll out the shortbread to fit into the prepared pan, then transfer to the pan and press into the corners.
7. Score the dough with a knife in your desired shapes, such as squares or diamonds. Prick the dough with a fork. Sprinkle with Redpath Granulated Sugar if you so desire. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 25 minutes, or until golden.
8. Once baked, let the shortbread cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before cutting, following the scoring lines as you do so. Set shortbread aside. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the freezer for up to two months.