It took Jeanelle a while to find a Scottish Shortbread recipe she wanted to try. She eventually ended up on a thread from Reddit where user u/Tarag88 posted their Grandma’s recipe.

There are tons of shortbread recipes out there and Jeanelle wanted to find one similar to Ben Nevis bakery in Fort William, Scotland. I would consider theirs dense and creamy to a point where it almost tastes milky.

Texture

Scottish shortbreads vary in texture. From sandy to dense, it seems everyone has their own preference. I’ve seen recipes that use rice flour to get a sandy texture. This recipe uses a bit of corn starch to make the dough more delicate.

Using caster sugar vs granulated sugar and whether you cream your butter will change the texture of your Scottish shortbread. Read on to find out how.

Caster sugar vs Granulated Sugar

Caster sugar, also called baker’s sugar, has finer crystals than granulated sugar. Because caster sugar is finer, you do not have to beat it as much to evenly combine with butter. Less beating means less air which means a denser product.

If you use granulated sugar, you will have to beat it longer with butter to achieve the smooth, creamy texture. This will naturally incorporate more air into the buttercream and will produce a fluffier product with more air pockets.

If a recipe calls for caster sugar, I highly recommend finding some. Jeanelle was able to find some at the local supermarket.

For the butter, Jeanelle used European-Style Butter for higher butterfat percentage and creates a creamier Scottish Shortbread.

Should I Cream The Butter and Sugar?

This recipe does not cream the butter but it is totally up to you! Some Scottish shortbread recipes say to cream the butter and sugar and some do not. Creaming the two will produce a lighter and fluffier shortbread. If you simply combine, your Scottish shortbread will come out denser.

How to Cream Butter and Sugar?

To cream butter and sugar, you simply beat the two ingredients together until it is light, fluffy and pale in color.

How Do You Make Scottish Shortbread?

Once again, the process is very easy! You combine the butter and sugar then add dry ingredients. Pour in a baking pan and bake! Here is an affiliate link to the 8×8 baking pan Jeanelle used.

Full list of ingredients and detailed steps are below

Mix together butter and caster sugar. Be sure not to mix too long. You do not want to cream the butter.

Sift flour. Remove some and replace with cornstarch

Mix everything together

Transfer to a baking pan. Smooth out the dough, cut, and prick holes to allow steam to escape.

Chill overnight so the flavors can develop. Bake and enjoy!

VIDEO: I found this recipe online and it came out so tasty!

Recipe