Scotch Shortbread
- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- Refrigeration time: 24 hours
- Baking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Ingredient to be Creamed:
- 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
- ½ cup sugar
Dry Ingredients:
- 2½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
- Flour for rolling
Instructions
-
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; approximately 2 to 5 minutes.
- Mix in flour and optional salt.
- For maximum flavor, cover and chill the dough for at least 24 hours; preferably 48 hours.
- If you are going to bake the cookies in a 13x9x2-inch oblong baking dish, press the dough into the baking dish; cover and chill as directed above.
- If you plan to roll the dough out and cut shapes; place the dough in a medium-sized bowl and cover and chill as directed above.
- Once the dough as been chilled for 24 to 48 hours you are ready to bake.
- Preheat oven:
Standard Oven: 300° | Convection Oven: 275°
- If you are baking the dough in a 13x9x2-inch oblong baking dish; randomly prick the dough with a fork.
- For baking cookies in oblong baking dish: Place the baking dish in the center of oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown.
- Cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour; cut the cookies into 1-inch squares.
- If you are rolling the dough out and cutting shapes; let the dough stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Lightly flour counter.
- Roll dough ¼ to ½-inch thick.
- Cut out small rounds or rectangles.
- Place rounds on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Prick rounds lightly with tines of a fork.
- For rolled cookies: Bake for 30 minutes or until cookies are a light golden color.
- Cool and serve.
Comments
If you bake in a pan you should end up with 3 to 4 dozen 1-inch square cookies.If you roll the dough into rounds you should end up with approximately 2 dozen small rounds.
For chocolate Scotch shortbread try my Chocolate Scotch Shortbread recipe.