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Butter Shortbread

Name: Butter Shortbread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 16 wedges or bars
Cuisine: Scottish
Ingredients: 226 g / 1 cup unsalted butter, softened; 99 g / 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling; 4.7 g / 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional; 240 g / 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1.5 g / 1/4 tsp table salt

Crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth butter shortbread baked in a pan.

Makes: 16 wedges or bars · Pan: 9-inch round or 8 × 8-inch square pan · Oven: 325 °F (165 °C)

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Ingredients

Volume	Grams
1 cup unsalted butter, softened	226 g
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling	99 g
1 tsp vanilla extract, optional	4.7 g
2 cups all-purpose flour	240 g
1/4 tsp table salt	1.5 g

Gram weights use the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart. Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling, or better, weigh it.

Method

Heat the oven to 325 °F.
Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
Mix in the flour and salt on low until a crumbly dough just comes together.
Press evenly into the pan, prick all over with a fork, and score into 16 pieces.
Bake 25–30 minutes, until pale golden at the edges. Sprinkle with sugar and recut along the scores while warm.
Cool completely in the pan before removing.

Tips

Shortbread should stay pale; dark edges mean it's overbaked.
Salted butter works: just leave out the added salt.

Baking at elevation? See high-altitude adjustments. Different pan? Try the pan size converter.

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