Classic Butter Shortbread Recipe

20120410-195206-shortbread-610x458-11.jpg
Lauren Weisenthal

This shortbread has a tender crumb complimented by a polished, wedge presentation. Feel free to adjust the levels of sugar and salt to your personal taste, and don't be afraid to add fresh herbs to the dough, such as chopped rosemary or thyme.

Recipe Details

Classic Butter Shortbread Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 4 hrs
Serves 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 9 ounces (about 1 3/4 cup) all-purpose flour

  • 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus a little more for greasing the pan

  • 3 1/2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) confectioners' sugar

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions

  1. Sift flour through a fine sieve and set aside. Grease sides and bottom of the tart pan with butter and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and confectioners' sugar together on high speed until smooth and pale, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides and of the bowl and paddle, and beat for an additional 30 seconds. Turn off mixer and add flour all at once. Mix on lowest speed until almost combined, with a few dry spots, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl and paddle, mix on low for a few additional seconds, and remove bowl from the mixer. If dry spots remain, use a spatula to incorporate them by hand.

  2. Press dough into prepared tart pan. Cover dough with plastic wrap and use your fingers or a small rolling pin to flatten the surface evenly. Chill in fridge with plastic wrap pressed over the surface for at least one hour or up to two days.

  3. Preheat oven to 300°F with the rack in the center position. Using a knife, lightly draw the lines you'll use to cut the shortbread into eight wedges. Press a round cutter in the center, remove circle of dough, and replace cutter in the center of the pan. Use a skewer to score surface with holes 1/4-inch apart, poking all the way through the dough. Bake until dough feels firm in the center and is your desired shade of golden brown, 50-60 minutes. Remove from oven and allow shortbread to cool for 10 minutes, then push up on the bottom of the pan and allow outer ring to fall away. Remove round cutter. Slice shortbread into wedges on the lines you've drawn, and use an offset spatula to transfer slices to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before storing in a sealed container.

Special equipment

9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, 2-inch round, metal cutter

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
245 Calories
16g Fat
24g Carbs
2g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 245
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 10g 48%
Cholesterol 41mg 14%
Sodium 267mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 8mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 28mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)