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Home / Recipes
50 minutes
4.46 from 61 votes
20 Comments

Brown Sugar Scottish Shortbread

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  • 813
by: Joanna Cismaru
11.18.20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

These Brown Sugar Scottish Shortbread are buttery, deliciously chewy, sweet and incredibly easy to make! These cookies are so delicious, they’re begging to become a new holiday tradition!

a bunch of scottish shortbread on a cooling rack next to a cup of coffee

We’re all the familiar with the sweet, buttery, velvety morsel that is short bread. Some of my favorite holiday memories growing up always seemed to accompany a big old plate of the stuff.

We’re talking butter, sugar, flour, and salt – and that’s it! We’ve got that perfect balance of simple ingredients that we know and love in shortbread. Anyone else drooling yet?

What Is Brown Sugar Scottish Shortbread?

In the time that this delicacy was invented, shortbread was considered a special, luxurious treat usually only served for weddings or important birthdays. We’re fortunate enough to live in a time where this delicious biscuit is more readily available! As are the simple ingredients require to make it.

Scottish shortbread is just a super simplified shortbread recipe, one that is made to be nice and crisp. So good luck eating just one.

overhead shot of ingredients needed to make scottish cookies

Ingredients in Scottish shortbread

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

  • Butter – Unsalted as we are adding the salt ourselves into this recipe. If using salted butter, you can omit adding any additional salt to the recipe.
  • Flour – Just all purpose flour is all we need, nothing fancy required here!
  • Sugar – I used packed brown sugar to create depth of sweetness, rounded out some notes of molasses.
  • Salt – Every baked good needs a bit of seasoning to balance out all that sugar, it’s a science in baking so be sure to be precise.

No Unsalted Butter?

Because I’m using unsalted butter I’ve added some salt to the recipe to help season our cookies, it’s essential in baking and cooking. If you only have salted butter then omit the additional salt entirely.

process shots showing how to make Brown Sugar Scottish Shortbread

How To Make Brown Sugar Scottish Shortbread

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  2. Create the batter:Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl with a mixer. Add 3 to 3 3/4 cups flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each cup. Sprinkle your work surface with the remaining flour. Knead the dough a few times until it comes together, then roll it out with a rolling pin so that it’s about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch in thickness.
  3. Assemble:Use either a 2-inch cookie cutter or a shortbread cooking cutter to cut your cookies into desired shape. Prick with fork or a toothpick so make little holes in the cookies and place on ungreased baking sheets.
  4. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not let them get brown. Remove from the oven. Do not let them get brown. Remove from the oven. Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to finish cooling.
overhead shot of a bunch of Brown Sugar Scottish Shortbread on a cooling rack with a cup of coffee

Some Tips

  • Handle your dough carefully! Don’t beat it too much or handle it too roughly.
  • Make sure the dishes you use and your hands are cold when handling your dough, this will ensure your butter doesn’t melt before you pop it in the oven.
  • Pick up a shortbread mold to make the cutest shaped shortbread cookies! Especially festive around the holiday season regardless of the holiday!

Freezing

These cookies freeze incredibly well. To freeze, place shortbread cookies in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

a cup of coffee with a couple scottish shortbread next to it

Craving More Delicious Cookies?

  • Classic Shortbread Cookies
  • Lemon Shortbread Cookies
  • Chocolate Sugar Cookies
  • Thumbprint Cookies
  • Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
  • Chocolate Pecan Pie Cookies
  • Soft Oatmeal Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies

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a stack of shortbread on a cooling rack

Brown Sugar Scottish Shortbread

4.46 from 61 votes
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 50 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 48
Print Pin Rate
These Brown Sugar Scottish Shortbread are buttery, deliciously chewy, sweet and incredibly easy to make! These cookies are so delicious, they're begging to become a new holiday tradition!

Equipment

  • KitchenAid Hand Mixer
  • Keep Calm And Bake On Spatula
  • Classic Wooden Rolling Pin
  • Aluminum Baking Sheet (2 pack)
  • 2-inch Cookie Cutter
  • 3-inch Shortbread Cookie Cutter
  • Black Cooling Rack

Ingredients

  • 2 cups butter unsalted, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  • Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl with a mixer. Add 3 to 3 3/4 cups flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each cup. Sprinkle your work surface with the remaining flour. Knead the dough a few times until it comes together, then roll it out with a rolling pin so that it's about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch in thickness.
  • Use either a 2-inch cookie cutter or a shortbread cooking cutter to cut your cookies into desired shape. Prick with fork or a toothpick so make little holes in the cookies and place on ungreased baking sheets.
  • Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not let them get brown. Remove from the oven. Do not let them get brown. Remove from the oven. Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to finish cooling.

Video

Recipe Notes

  1. Instead of cutting the cookies into desired shapes you can pat the dough into an ungreased 17.88 x 12.88 x 1.06 inches baking sheet lined with parchment paper hanging off the sides to make it easy to lift out the cookies. After you bake them, remove them from the oven and lift out the cookies from the sheet using the parchment paper, then cut into desired shapes.
  2. If using salted butter, there’s no need to add additional salt to your cookies.
  3. These cookies freeze incredibly well. To freeze, place shortbread cookies in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 127.89kcal (6%)Carbohydrates: 13.44g (4%)Protein: 1.3g (3%)Fat: 7.79g (12%)Saturated Fat: 4.88g (31%)Cholesterol: 20.34mg (7%)Sodium: 26.78mg (1%)Potassium: 20.91mg (1%)Fiber: 0.32g (1%)Sugar: 4.48g (5%)Vitamin A: 236.36IU (5%)Calcium: 7.83mg (1%)Iron: 0.58mg (3%)
Course:Cookies
Cuisine:European, Scottish
Keyword:brown sugar shortbread, scottish shortbread, shortbread, shortbread cookies
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
  • 813

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Jill says

    March 1, 2022 at 3:43 pm

    Can chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips be added to this recipe? If so, how much?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      March 2, 2022 at 2:46 pm

      I think they would work, I would probably not add more than a cup of chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips.

      Reply
  2. Scott says

    January 29, 2022 at 9:42 am

    Most shortbread cookies call for refrigerating the dough an hour to a day? Is that recommended here? What positive or negative impact might refrigerating the dough have?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      January 29, 2022 at 10:05 am

      I haven’t found it necessary. Usually you refrigerate the cookie dough so the cookies hold their shape more when baking, no need here though.

      Reply
  3. Bev says

    January 20, 2021 at 2:27 pm

    I was looking for a recipe to add finishing touches to an outdoor Robbie Burns Day celebration. This was it….so good, now a favorite in my recipe box!!!
    Thank you 😊

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      January 20, 2021 at 2:28 pm

      How fun!!! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂

      Reply
  4. Nicola says

    January 1, 2021 at 1:29 am

    I have made this recipe 3 times now in a row because it is simple straightforward and EVERYONE asks for the Recipe

    Reply
  5. Kristine J says

    September 1, 2020 at 6:56 am

    This is sooo good!!! If I want to add lemon, how much should I add? And also, if I want to add Cocoa, how much Cocoa should I add? Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • jo says

      September 1, 2020 at 11:51 am

      For a lemon version I would probably add about 1 tbsp of lemon juice and lemon zest from a lemon. For a chocolate version I’d replace maybe a cup of the flour with cocoa. I’ve never tried this but if you do, please let me know how they turn out.

      Reply
      • Kristine J says

        September 2, 2020 at 5:43 am

        5 stars
        Thanks!

  6. Susan Swearengin says

    December 23, 2019 at 10:19 am

    5 stars
    This is the second time I have made these cookies. The first time was last year and the memory came across my Facebook page and reminded me of it. I remembered I loved them. This time I added toasted and chopped pistachios. I can’t stop eating them! Buttery. Sandy. Melt-in-your mouth deliciousness. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • jo says

      December 23, 2019 at 5:15 pm

      My pleasure, so glad you liked them!

      Reply
  7. Jacqueline Peppler says

    December 19, 2019 at 10:58 am

    These are freaking amazing! I gave just thrown out all my other shortbread recipes.

    Reply
    • jo says

      December 19, 2019 at 12:38 pm

      So glad to hear it!!

      Reply
  8. Ashley says

    November 23, 2019 at 7:41 am

    Hello Jo,
    2 questions to make them the way note 1 says, to pat the dough into a pan:
    What size pan?
    How long do you suggest baking time?

    Thanks tons

    Reply
    • jo says

      November 23, 2019 at 11:24 am

      Oh it’s a 17.88 x 12.88 x 1.06 inches baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Baking time should be the same.

      Reply
  9. Jennifer says

    November 3, 2019 at 5:45 pm

    5 stars
    Yummy Jo! I made these twice today… hahahaha – 1st time, they all flattened out, so the second time I made sure to chill them before baking (I 1/4ed the recipe each time). Second time was a charm! They looked just like yours, but the first were thin and crispy, and just as delicious! Yay for brown sugar shortbread! 🙂 <3

    Reply
  10. Bob Burgess says

    November 1, 2019 at 11:23 am

    5 stars
    Have used this recipe several times with total success. Grandkids to grandma all love it. Even made bone shaped cookies for Halloween. Huge success

    Reply
  11. Karen Howell says

    November 1, 2019 at 7:30 am

    Is the brown sugar light or dark? The link refers to dark sugar on Amazon but just checking.

    Reply
    • jo says

      November 1, 2019 at 10:15 am

      I use dark brown sugar, usually it’s my favorite, but either will work.

      Reply

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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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