It's taken me many years, but have at last produced some great shortbread. I've posted the recipe below as originally written. I beat the butter and sugar for 10mins. The mixture was a little sticky so I used some extra rice flour to shape into logs and chilled for 15 mins before slicing. My oven took 25mins.

Soften a pound of butter and beat with 1 cup caster sugar. Sift together 4 cups plain flour, 1/2 cup rice flour,1/2 tsp mixed spice. Mix altogether. I roll in to two logs and chill to firm then slice logs and place each biscuit on baking paper allowing room to spread. You can also roll mixture out between two sheets of grease proof and use cookie cutters. Bake 20 mins or so ( till slightly golden ) 150 degrees in oven.
FROM RAYOZ

rarogal - 2013-12-07 17:43:00

This message was deleted.

cookessentials - 2013-12-07 21:07:00

Can you tell me.....does shortbread freeze well?

rarogal - 2013-12-07 22:31:00

Yes, it freezes fine. Both the dough and cooked shortbread

nauru - 2013-12-07 23:03:00

cookessentials wrote:

I only ever use rice flour in shortbread, it is the more traditional version and makes lovely shortbread. Thanks for sharing.

more traditional where,

aktow - 2013-12-07 23:24:00

TY Nauru!

rarogal - 2013-12-08 01:21:00

Hmmm, my recipe is a James Martin one, it uses very little standard flour and cornflour not rice flour.

lythande1 - 2013-12-08 07:31:00

I love shortbread that melts in your mouth, what's the best recipe

julz29 - 2013-12-08 07:55:00

This message was deleted.

cookessentials - 2013-12-08 08:06:00

Julz, I was delighted with this recipe. My MIL made the best short bread, but I had no success with even her recipe. Ive given up making it over the years, but thought I'd give it another go this Xmas. This is definitely melt in the mouth stuff.

rarogal - 2013-12-08 08:10:00

cookessentials wrote:

trad Scottish recipe has rice flour. Those icing sugar/cornflour ones are just way too sweet.

When I learnt to make shortbread about 55 years ago we used ordinary flour and cornflour. And that was what was in my grandmother's recipe books that she had had for many years. But this was NZ.

Edited by olwen at 8:12 am, Sun 8 Dec

olwen - 2013-12-08 08:11:00

This is a great SAVOURY shortbread recipe ... I made them for staff where I worked last Christmas and they said it was the most memorably delicious shortbread they's ever tasted :)

Pesto | Walnuts, Orange Zest, Parmesan, and Fresh Basil | Yield about 2 dozen.
Inspired by pesto I see on pizzas, pastas, and sandwiches, this cookie offers a familiar, savory flavor as it celebrates the cookie. Walnuts, orange zest, and Parmesan cheese add an interesting bit of flavor, and fresh basil finishes the cookie with a delicious closing taste. Refrigerated for a couple of hours or frozen for 30 minutes, the dough slices nicely and you can use a slice of basil leaf for decoration. The texture is between cookie and shortbread, a little dense and a little crumbly.

Pesto Cookie-Walnut, Orange Zest, Parmesan Cheese, and Fresh Basil
Ingredients
Step 1:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
Step 2:
2 large egg yolks
1 Tablespoon orange juice
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped fine
1 Tablespoons orange zest
Step 3:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup walnuts, chopped fine
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Step 4:
If desired, basil leaves for cookie decoration as shown in photo above
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar.
Step 2:
Mix into above.
Step 3:
Stir together and mix into above.
Step 4:
Form dough into a 2″ log wrapped in parchment paper or waxed paper. Press log on counter so that it forms a rectangular shape rather than a round shape.
Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 2 hours.
Slice dough ¼” thin.
Arrange slices on a parchment lined or nonstick baking sheet.
Use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut small decorative basil leaf, press onto cookie.
Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms are a light golden brown.
Let sit for a couple of minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

bluetigerrr - 2013-12-08 08:57:00

Bump :)

unknowndisorder - 2014-12-02 22:32:00

I like James Martins shortbread, little flour, lots of cornflour and icing sugar.
Easy to make...

lythande1 - 2014-12-03 07:06:00

The "beautiful biscuits" AWW cookbook has a whole section on shortbreads. It's a really good cookbook all round actually, highly recommend.

twelve12 - 2014-12-03 09:16:00

I always use the following recipe from my Bero book (UK)
250 g (9 oz) plain Flour
75 g (3 oz) caster sugar
175 g (6 oz) butter
I put all the ingrdeients into my food processor and process until a dough forms. Roll out and cut into either fingers or rounds. Bake @ 160C for 15 minutes until golden. Cool on wire cake rack.

Edited by nauru at 8:23 pm, Wed 3 Dec

nauru - 2014-12-03 20:12:00

Rice flour in biscuits is fantastic!
Discovered this in making a recipe for Passionfruit Butter Biscuits.
IMO Just makes a superior biscuit.

wheelz - 2014-12-04 11:57:00

I used some rice flour in my Christmas mince pie pastry today, results are good.

nauru - 2014-12-04 19:57:00

Thanks for the savory shortbread recipe, I made it yesterday.

jhan - 2014-12-05 07:42:00

Saturday Herald has some shortbread recipes. I have never made any, but always thought I'd add orange zest. Lo and behold, the Herald recipe today uses lemon zest or orange zest.

socram - 2014-12-06 15:45:00

bump for shortbread season

uli - 2015-12-05 15:59:00

I have a bag of coconut flour, wondering if I could use it in shortbread.
goodness knows why I have it.....

korbo - 2015-12-06 07:52:00

you need a specific recipe - coconut flour is notoriously difficult to bake with without a recipe made for it.
It absorbs a lot of liquid, so you need to know exactly how much you need of what. google "baking with coconut flour", maybe you find something that suits.

uli - 2015-12-06 10:30:00

cookessentials wrote:

trad Scottish recipe has rice flour. Those icing sugar/cornflour ones are just way too sweet.

no it does not, if you are going to use the word traditional then look it up,, every recipe i have for Scottish shortbread has normal flour , not rice flour.. i know some people are using it now but it was not used in the past.

Edited by aktow at 3:39 am, Mon 7 Dec

aktow - 2015-12-07 03:37:00

aktow wrote:

no it does not, if you are going to use the word traditional then look it up,, every recipe i have for Scottish shortbread has normal flour , not rice flour.. i know some people are using it now but it was not used in the past.

You will note that if you bing or google, a number of Scottish Shortbreads do use Rice Flour instead of Cornflour but still use normal flour.

valentino - 2015-12-07 08:57:00

valentino wrote:

You will note that if you bing or google, a number of Scottish Shortbreads do use Rice Flour instead of Cornflour but still use normal flour.

They do now but the traditional ones did not. Rice flour is a new adaption.

kay141 - 2015-12-07 09:04:00

kay141 wrote:

They do now but the traditional ones did not. Rice flour is a new adaption.

http://www.scottish-at-heart.com/scottish-shortbread-recipe.
html

Pam initially noted Rice flour against Cornflour re sweetness....

valentino - 2015-12-07 09:15:00

valentino wrote:

http://www.scottish-at-heart.com/scottish-shortbread-recipe.
html

Pam initially noted Rice flour against Cornflour re sweetness....

That does not make it traditional. 50 years ago, there was no such product as rice flour.

The recipe for shortbread, like most has changed over the years to suit tastes. Like a lot of things it is now sweeter than it used to be, and is no longer just the butter, sugar and flour mix of the old recipe.

kay141 - 2015-12-07 09:23:00

Note the inclusion of rice flour in this recipe.

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Scott
ish-Shortbread/

davidt4 - 2015-12-07 09:37:00

kay141 wrote:

That does not make it traditional. 50 years ago, there was no such product as rice flour.

The recipe for shortbread, like most has changed over the years to suit tastes. Like a lot of things it is now sweeter than it used to be, and is no longer just the butter, sugar and flour mix of the old recipe.

To me when someone noted as such then it is as one sees it.

Sure, many years ago it may be different to today, actually about 99% of recipes today never existed a very long time ago but when various Scottish sites note their traditional shortbread containing certain ingredients then normally one goes along with it and continue as such.

Sure, there is always the odd one who will buck this trend, so be it but I see things along with many other whom sees it the same.

Personally I do not use Rice Flour in my shortbreads but that is not the thing..... It was how one noted the sweetness but end up being questioned re use of "Rice Flour" in the Traditional sense.

Davidt4 added another website backing the use of Rice Flour....

Cheers

Edited by valentino at 10:18 am, Mon 7 Dec

valentino - 2015-12-07 10:16:00

There's one of those womans weekly cookbooks called "Beautiful Biscuits". It has a whole section on shortbread... and some of them are very good.

twelve12 - 2015-12-07 12:07:00

actually rice flour was available 50+ years ago as my mother has a couple of recipes that use it BUT it was very expensive so not often used and substituted with either cornflour or plain flour. Eg belgium biscuit recipe circa 1960 used half rice flour half plain flour (Edmonds cookbook).

cgvl - 2015-12-07 12:11:00

and again

bev00 - 2016-12-06 22:49:00

rub the butter into combined flour and sugar. This is the recipe I have used for many years from my UK Be-ro flour cookbook.
250 g (9 oz) plain Flour
75 g (3 oz) caster sugar
175 g (6 oz) butter
I put all the ingrdeients into my food processor and process until a dough forms. Roll out and cut into either fingers or rounds. Bake @ 160C for 15 minutes until golden. Cool on wire cake rack.

Edited by nauru at 7:45 pm, Sat 5 Dec

Quote
nauru (132 132 positive feedback) 7:35 pm, Sat 5 Dec #6
I'm a reasonable cook, but have never been able to make a successful shortbread in 40 something years....I know it's just me. However, I tried this one 3 years ago and it's just great. Makes a big batch too.

SHORT BREAD
Soften a pound of butter and beat 10 mins with 1 cup caster sugar. Sift together 4 cups plain flour, 1/2 cup rice flour,1/2 tsp mixed spice. Mix altogether. Form into two logs and chill to firm then slice logs and place each biscuit on baking paper allowing room to spread. Prick twice with a fork. You can also roll mixture out between two sheets of grease proof and use cookie cutters. Bake 20 mins or so 150 degrees in oven. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

PS..mixture seemed a bit tacky for rolling, I just sliced it. Makes quite a few.

Quote
rarogal (165 165 positive feedback) 9:36 pm, Mon 7 Dec #7
This is the (updated) recipe I've used for years, never fails, lovely and crisp.
Was told (elderly CWI member) it's the use of cornflour and icing sugar, and creaming the icing sugar and butter, that makes them light AND crisp.

bev00 - 2016-12-06 22:53:00

This is the (updated) recipe I've used for years, never fails, lovely and crisp.
Was told (elderly CWI member) it's the use of cornflour and icing sugar, and creaming the icing sugar and butter, that makes them light AND crisp.

Shortbread:
250 g butter (soft but not melted)
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup Edmonds Fielder's cornflour
2 cups Edmonds plain baking flour (ordinary flour, not "strong" or "bread" flour)

Method
Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Sift cornflour and flour together. Mix sifted ingredients into creamed mixture. Knead well. On a lightly floured board roll out to 1.5 cm thickness. Shape as desired, and place on a greased or baking paper lined oven tray. Prick with a fork a couple of times. Bake at 150°C for 30 minutes or until pale golden.

Quote
autumnwinds (1721 1721 positive feedback) 11:26 pm, Mon 7 Dec #8

Edited by bev00 at 10:58 pm, Tue 6 Dec

bev00 - 2016-12-06 22:55:00

kay141 wrote:

They do now but the traditional ones did not. Rice flour is a new adaption.

I don't like rice flour - tastes like chalk dust to me - I'm sure I've used cornflour mixed with plain flour though and for very crisp/crunchy shortbread have used semolina

sarahb5 - 2017-08-13 17:06:00

cgvl wrote:

actually rice flour was available 50+ years ago as my mother has a couple of recipes that use it BUT it was very expensive so not often used and substituted with either cornflour or plain flour. Eg belgium biscuit recipe circa 1960 used half rice flour half plain flour (Edmonds cookbook).

In the UK we had ground rice not rice flour - coarser texture, like semolina

sarahb5 - 2017-08-13 17:13:00

My mother in law was the worst cook out but man could she make amazing shortbread. Unfortunately I don't have her recipe. I do know that when she had a morning baking shortbread was the last thing she made and it was put in the hot oven and the oven was immediately turned off, she left it in there till oven was cold. I tried it once and it was an abject failure, lol.

jia5 - 2017-08-13 18:42:00

bump

bev00 - 2018-08-12 08:16:00

I have never had complaints about my shortbread being too sweet, it is a simple recipe that has never failed yet. 4oz icing sugar beaten with 8oz butter until creamy, add 4oz cornflour and 8oz plain flour and mix until combined. Divide in two, roll each piece into sausage shape and cut into slices. Place on baking paper on baking tray. Press down with wet fork. Bake 5 minutes at 180C and then reduce heat to 150C and bake for another 10 minutes.

mcdaff - 2018-08-12 09:11:00

That is how Mum made it and it was delicious.

malcovy - 2018-08-12 16:44:00

korbo wrote:

I have a bag of coconut flour, wondering if I could use it in shortbread.
goodness knows why I have it.....

Yes you can
2 cups of almond flour/meal
1/3 cup of sweetener [not liquid]
1 teaspoon of vanilla
100 grams of soft butter
pinch of salt
mix it together then add
1 egg and mix it in , it will get firm.
I rolled small balls and pressed them out with my fingers
Put the all on one tray as they don't spread out much at all
Bake at 180 deg C until they have a tinge of brown on the edges.
Probably for 8 to 10 minutes.

pickles7 - 2019-06-17 17:04:00

My Canadian aunt from Nova Scotia and of Scottish descent always made her delightful shortbread using a little custard powder in with the flour. I have no idea of the proportion and cannot find out as she has passed on but I would guess at a couple of tablespoons. It made shortbread that was to die for. I recall her saying it was traditional Scottish shortbread

kiwigoose1 - 2019-06-17 23:52:00

Well I'm going to give all you bakers a fit lol......my aunty who was a beautiful baker told me to use ordinary (table) sugar in my shortbread. Always have and it comes out beautifully. Have had heaps of compliments, and I'm no Allison Holst believe me! Everyone has a different method though and that's what makes things interesting.

hound31 - 2019-06-18 21:13:00