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!
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.
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.
How To Make Brown Sugar Scottish Shortbread
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
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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Brown Sugar Scottish Shortbread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups butter unsalted, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
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
- 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.
- If using salted butter, there’s no need to add additional salt to your cookies.
- These cookies freeze incredibly well. To freeze, place shortbread cookies in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Why the big discrepancy in the amount of flour
I’m not sure what you mean, do you mean in comparison to the classic ones? It’s due to the different kind of sugar used and there’s more butter in this recipe as well.
What is the purpose of poking holes in shortbread cookies? Thanks.
It’s to allow the heat to penetrate the cookie and bake it evenly.
Can chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips be added to this recipe? If so, how much?
I think they would work, I would probably not add more than a cup of chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips.
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?
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.
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 😊
How fun!!! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
I have made this recipe 3 times now in a row because it is simple straightforward and EVERYONE asks for the Recipe
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!
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.
Thanks!
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!
My pleasure, so glad you liked them!
These are freaking amazing! I gave just thrown out all my other shortbread recipes.
So glad to hear it!!
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
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.
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
Have used this recipe several times with total success. Grandkids to grandma all love it. Even made bone shaped cookies for Halloween. Huge success
Is the brown sugar light or dark? The link refers to dark sugar on Amazon but just checking.
I use dark brown sugar, usually it’s my favorite, but either will work.