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.”
Ingredients
1 pound butter – softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
- 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 (see note* regarding photo), 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.
Notes
- * Note: the photo shows a 9×9″ pan, which yielded a thicker shortbread of 16 servings and required longer baking time. The recipe as provided is for a 9×13″ pan and makes 24 servings.