Scottish Shortbread

Submitted by Betsy Pitney of Cape Coral, FL, who says: "This is a truly 'traditional' Scottish Shortbread, passed down to me by my grandmother, Janet McKechnie from Edinburgh. It is so simple, yet so tasty. This recipe is generations old and still a family favorite for each Christmas."

1 pound butter – softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar until well blended. Add flour, one cup at a time. A wooden spoon works best but the final (4th) cup you may need to incorporate by hand mixing. Dough will be very stiff. Spread batter into a 9 x 13" baking pan, pressing down evenly to all edges. Using the tines of a fork, go around the edges pressing tines against the edge, then with tines, prick multiple scattered vent holes throughout dough.

Bake at for 45 to 60 minutes until golden brown. Upon removal from oven, immediately cut into small 2" pieces but leave in pan to continue to cool. Store in cookie tin.

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Reviews of Scottish Shortbread:

6-15 of 20 reviews   << Previous - Next >>

  Thordis in NC  Dec 21, 2008
Would make this again.
My family loved these cookies! My mother's family is from Scotland and she thought the cookies were so good she went off of her cardiac diet to enjoy a few of these! five stars

  Lisa in Schenectady, NY  Dec 18, 2008
Would make this again.
My husband is part Scottish and had homemade shortbread every year at Christmas time. I've tried many recipes but this is, by far, the best. I've made it for the last three Christmases as it had become a family tradition! Thanks so much for the recipe. five stars

  A cookie baker in Mobile, AL  Dec 16, 2008
Would make this again.
Was in Scotland last summer and had tea from Midlothian to the Kingdom of Fife to the Highlands. Shortbread, scones, pancakes (not the kind you think of), etc were a fixture. This recipe brings back memories from Kind Kittock's Kitchen (Award winning tea room in Falkland). We were there on a day that shortbread was available. Thank you so much for this recipe as it is the closest in taste that I have found and my husband just closed his eyes and smiled. Sending to my family at Christmas if I can hide enough from him! five stars

  wallace in USA in delaware  Jul 29, 2008
Would make this again.
My family recipe (a traditional Scottish recipe)passed down to me calls for granuated sugar.Not powdered sugar.Sadly I lost the recipe and could not remeber the measurements.This one is close to my aunt's recipe and made good shortbread. five stars

   Jul 10, 2008
Would not make this again.
Rather plain and not anyway near the best I ever had, too "dry" to start and then turns into something like hardtack, does not keep well even in a sealed tin.....and I tried it at both the 350 and 325 degrees - the latter was a little better but would never give this as a gift. one star

  McKechnie in Scotland  Feb 20, 2008
Would make this again.
Since this recipe came from a McKechnie which means they come from the Clan MacDonald- I can assure you, this recipe is correct..the only thing that our family(also McKechnie's) (also from the Clan MacDonald) is to bake it at a much lower temperature and bake it for 1 hour. Cheers five stars

  A cookie baker in UK  Feb 20, 2008
Would make this again.
This recipe is perfect. Scottish shortbread is NOT made with powdered sugar although I have definitely seen it made with granulated (extra finely granulated)and some powdered sugar - personal preference on the texture, that's all. five stars

  A cookie baker  Dec 31, 2007
Would make this again.
Amazing, so simple & scrumptious. I made 6 batches so far in a week for friends at Christmas time & have gotten rave reviews. Super recipe. Will become a tradtion every year. Thanks for sharing this special recipe! :) five stars

  M. Nicholson in Canada  Dec 18, 2007
Would not make this again.
althought this recipe makes passable shortbread cookies, it is not the traditional Scottish recipe. It should be made with powdered sugar not granulated sugar. Some bakers have substituted brown or golden sugar, however,using powdered sugar ( icing sugar) has been the recipe from the Scottish highlands passed down in my family for over 10 generations. Try it, you will be in for a truly scottish shortbread biscuit. two stars

  Monica in Albuquerque  Nov 29, 2007
Would make this again.
This is a fabulous recipe! I made a batch for a charity event and then made one for home - I halved the flour with whole wheat for home so they could "officially" be eaten for breakfast. Both batches were superb! five stars

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