Scottish Shortbread for Christmas
15
- Prep Time10 mins
- Total Time55 mins
- Makes16
Produced by Chantal Braganza and Sun Ngo, Photography by Christie Vuong, Food Styling by Eshun Mott, Prop Styling by Nicole Billark.
This classic buttery cookie recipe was published in the magazine’s first-ever Christmas issue in 1928. We’ve dialled down the flour and added more citrus peel for a lightly sweet and crisp treat. Butter and candied orange are the two key flavours in this recipe; try to find the best quality of both.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
1/2 cup (105 g) superfine sugar
2 1⁄2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup diced candied orange or mixed peel
Instructions
Position rack in centre of oven, then preheat to 325F. Place a fluted 9-in. tart pan, with a removable bottom, on a baking sheet.
Beat butter with sugar in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, until just combined. Beat in flour and salt just until flour has been absorbed. Beat in orange peel until just combined and dough remains in clumps.
Transfer dough to tart pan. Use fingers to pat dough into an even layer, taking special care to press dough into fluted edges.
Use a knife to score the outline of 16 wedges into surface of dough, then prick dough all over with a fork.
Bake until lightly golden, 40 to 45 min. Transfer to a rack to cool for 10 min.
Carefully remove outside ring of tart pan. Use a large offset spatula to loosen shortbread from the base, then carefully slide onto a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut shortbread along the scored lines into wedges while it’s still warm. Carefully transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.
Kitchen tip
You can also bake in a ceramic shortbread mould (as we did) but you will need to increase bake time to 55 min to 1 hr. You will also have dough left over; bake the extra in mini tartlet pans.
