National Shortbread Day may have passed, but good shortbread doesn’t need a calendar. Earlier this week, we celebrated by baking a few of our favorite shortbread recipes; they disappeared almost as quickly as they came out of the oven.
Every January 6th, dessert lovers around the world celebrate International Shortbread Day, a tribute to one of Scotland’s most cherished culinary contributions. This buttery, crumbly treat has a rich history that spans centuries, beginning as a simple medieval biscuit and evolving into the melt-in-your-mouth delight we enjoy today.
Shortbread’s story stretches back to 12th-century Scotland, where it grew out of twice-baked breads. Its modern form owes much to refinements made in the 16th century, when bakers in the court of Mary, Queen of Scots perfected the recipe, adding sugar and shaping the dough into traditional forms like rounds and triangles known as petticoat tails. Traditionally, shortbread was an indulgence reserved for special occasions such as weddings, Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve), and festive celebrations because of its rich ingredients—flour, butter, and sugar.
In the modern era, Scottish baker Joseph Walker opened his first bakery in 1898 in Aberlour, Scotland, helping to popularize shortbread internationally with Walkers Shortbread, now a global favorite. Today, International Shortbread Day is celebrated across the UK, the United States, and beyond, encouraging people to enjoy both classic and creative shortbread recipes.
Without further ado please enjoy some of our favorite shortbread recipes we have tried throughout the years.
Classic Scottish Shortbread
True shortbread is defined by simplicity. It is only considered shortbread when made with flour, sugar, salt, and butter. Nothing more, nothing less. This minimal recipe is what creates shortbread's classic crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
This can be eaten in pure form or used as a base to create other shortbread variations.
Yield ~1-2 Dozen
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 oz. unsalted butter
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325° F and place rack in the middle of the oven.
Sift the flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor. Chop the butter into small cubes and add to the mixture. Pulse 20 times until it forms breadcrumbs. Whizz on high for about 15 seconds until it forms a dough.
Turn out onto work surface and mold into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, minimum. Try to handle the dough as little as possible.
Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper. Allow an overhang of paper to aid removing the shortbread when it is cooked. Press the dough into the prepared pan. Crimp the edges by pinching up edges with a finger and thumb. Par-bake for about 30 minutes or until the shortbread is a very pale golden color.
Remove from oven then, working quickly, cut (do not use a serrated knife) into rectangular bars and prick all over with a fork. Return to oven and cook for approximately 10 more minutes. Keep an eye on it as it can brown very quickly.
Remove from oven and let sit in the pan for about ten minutes on a wire cooling rack. Then recut the rectangles. Dredge with fine sugar.; When COLD remove from the pan. Store in an air-tight container.
Tarragon and Apricot Shortbread
Tarragon and apricot shortbread balances buttery richness with herbal notes and gentle sweetness, offering a refined savory twist on the classic base.
Yield ~3 dozen
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup superfine sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 8 oz. unsalted butter
- 1 heaped tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, minced
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, finely diced (1.5oz)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven.
Sift the flour, sugar, salt, and white pepper into a food processor. Chop the butter into small cubes and add to the mixture. Pulse 20 times until it forms breadcrumbs. Add chopped tarragon and dried apricots then whizz on high for about 15 seconds until it forms a dough.
Turn out onto work surface and mold into a ball. Try to handle the dough as little as possible. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a rough log, about 1 1/2" thick. Place one log on a sheet of plastic wrap; wrap and roll back and forth on the counter to shape into a smooth log. Repeat with the second log. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until very firm.
Remove one dough log from the fridge, remove the plastic wrap, and cut ¼” thick slices rotating the log to prevent any flat sides. Transfer shapes to a parchment lined sheet pan, about 3/4" apart. After the first dough log is finished remove the other log from the fridge and repeat.
Bake for ~25 minutes until golden brown and firm, rotating the pans front-to-back and top-to-bottom halfway through baking. Keep an eye on them – they can go from perfect to over-browned in seconds.
Slide the parchment from the sheet pan and let the crackers cool on a wire rack. Once completely chill store in an air-tight container.
Notes:
- Cooked Shortbread will keep air tight, for 5 days.
- Base dough or Flavored logs: refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
