Scottish Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Making Scottish Shortbreads
Shortbread cookies are undoubtedly the most popular and easy to make cookies in the world. Truly, these buttery and soft delights are irresistible. Especially, how they melt in mouth and stimulate every taste buds of tongue with its signature taste. Personally, I quick-dip them in a cold glass of milk and love the combination of milky and buttery taste. Today, your small-town baker Nalaka Daundaratne is giving you the basic shortbread recipe. You can make these for evening tea times, parties, and for Christmas.
Originally, these Scottish shortbread cookies are made with only flour, butter and sugar and do not use added flavors or eggs in the recipe. So, if you are looking for the traditional version, omit the egg yolk and essences. However, most of the shortbread cookies found in stores are made with added egg yolks, and flavorings as per their kinds. Later, will talk about several variations of shortbread cookies (Lemon shortbread cookies, Almond Shortbread Cookies, Chocolate Shortbread cookies, and Vanilla Shortbread Cookies)
Baking Supplies You Need
Ingredient Amount
Pastry flour 600g
Castor or Icing sugar 300g
Butter 450g
Salt ½ tsp
Egg yolks 2(optional)
Vanilla or lemon or almond essence 2tsp(optional)
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Pre-Baking Special Tips
by Robin Nalaka Daundaratne
Before jumping to our method of baking these let’s talk about few important points on selections and combinations of ingredient.
Sugar
Original Scottish shortbreads are made with regular fine sugar or castor sugar. However, if you want your cookies to be softer, you can use icing sugar. In fact, most of the shortbread cookies that you find in stores are made with icing sugar. Remember, softness of the cookies is not only determined by the sugar. It is a combination of several things including mixing method and other ingredients. Refer to proper mixing methods section if you like to learn more about factor that determine each cookie-texture.
Egg yolks
Although egg yolks are commonly used in commercial baking of these cookies, using them are entirely optional. The main advantage of using eggs is that it will be easy to form cookies than making without. Especially, if to use the rolling method and cut into cookies of your choice. However, traditionally these cookies are either hand pressed or shaped with molds. So, remember not to roll if you are omitting yolks.
Flavorings
As mentioned earlier, traditionally these are made with only flour, sugar and butter and not added flavor. While this is not a rule, you can use number of essences of your choice to give them tasty touch. Hang on and we will discuss about specific amounts of flavoring later down on this page.
Shortbread Cookies Baking Directions
by Robin Nalaka Daundaratne
Step 1
Start combining the butter and sugar at low speed using the paddle hook attachment. Use an appropriate medium sized spatula if you are hand mixing. Work until both ingredients are well combined
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Step 2
Next, add the egg yolks and continue at lower speed. Once all three ingredients are well combined, start beating at a higher intensity to form a fluffier mixture. If you intend to add any liquid flavorings, this is the time to do it. Here, I am adding Vanilla
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Step 3
Combine flour and salt and continue to mix until you form a uniform dough. Remember, if you are hand mixing, this where you can shift to your hands from the spatula and start kneading the dough. You can either do it in the bowl or on your flours flat surface. Especially, if you omitted egg yolks making them less moist.
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How to form/shape shortbread cookies
Step 4
Transfer the dough on to a slightly floured working surface if you still haven’t done so. Divide the mixture into two portions and make rolls of 1inch in diameter. With a sharp knife or a dough separator cur the rolls into ¼ inch circles. Then, place them on your prepared baking tray around 1-1 ¼ inches apart.
Step 5
You can also skip the rolling method and simply press down the dough and use cookie cutters of any shape. This is ideal when making Christmas Shortbread Cookies. You can find they cutters at Walmart, any baking supplies store or in Dollar stores throughout North America. If you don’t have cutters, use a knife of a stiff spatula to cut the flattened dough into shapes that you prefer.
Baking your shortbreads
Step 6
Preheat your oven to 350o F and bake your cookies for 12-15minutes on the middle rack. Always make sure to know your oven and check for after the 10th minute to see if there is a risk of over baking. Finally, take the tray out and let it cool down before sharing and enjoying.
Storing Methods of Scottish Shortbread Cookies
by Robin Nalaka Daundaratne
These cookies love to absorb moisture fast. This changes the original texture as wells shorten the shelf-life. So, ideally, once cool-down, store them in a cookie jar or any sealed container/bad. Remember, these shortbread cookies are good for three days outside in room temperature and 5 days in your refrigerator.
Freezing of Basic Shortbread Cookie dough
Like most of the cookies you can freeze the dough to use in a future day. Once you form your cookies buy cutting the rolls or using cutting molds, first keep them in the fridge for 30 mins and then store in the freezer in sealed bags. These will be good for up to 10 months. Simply thaw them on baking tray and bake as instructed above.
Note: freezing is easier if you made using egg yolks as the formed cookie is much stable than without. However, if you made without eggs, keep then in the fridge for more 60mins instead of thirty and freeze accordingly
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Christmas Cookie Recipe
Now that we know the basic recipe and making slight changes in ingredients and/or quantities to make a variety of these delights. While only few kinds are presented here, allow your creativity to take charge in creating shaped, colors and flavors. All these party cookies are nothing but shortbreads. So, follow same ingredients list, pre-baking tips, cooking directions and storing instructions. Refer to several special information given below as well.
How to make Christmas and Party Cookies Tips
by Robin Nalaka Daundaratne
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We all love colorful foods. Especially, kids and anyone in a mood to party or in need of cheerful comfort food. So, let’s talk about few ways you can give shortbread cookies a vibrant touch.
Using colors
Simply add any coloring of your choice at step 2 of the Basic Shortbread Cookie Recipe. You can always adjust the amounts as needed until you get the color that you need. Just note that some colorings may lightened bit more than the other after baking. Also, if you want to make sets of few colors, you can simply make the dough take separate portions to color individually. However, this is much easier if you are using an electric mixer compared to hand mixing due to stiffer nature of the dough. Further, if you added eggs, it would be little easier too.
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Tools and cutters
You can buy a large variety of cutters in shapes appropriate for your party or occasion. Watch for rollbacks or on-sale baking tools at your preferred supplies store or supermarket. Most my stuff were bough at walmart and some from Dollarstore. So, don't plan to spend a lot when you have options to buy at a fraction of cost.
Sprinkles Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Adding sprinkles in a great option if you want crunchy and colorful cookies. For the above recipe, add 100g of sprinkles of your choice after you finish mixing the dough with flour (step 3). If you intend to use sprinkles, I highly recommend that you use egg yolks in your recipe as it will make the dough moister and prevent cracking easily. Also, you can bake the cookies apply a thin layer of butter or cream frosting on top of each and lay some sprinkles on top. You can commonly find these in some of the supermarkets in like IGA and Super C which I used to love as a child.