Scottish Shortbread (Aran Milis)

The classic Scottish recipe for buttery shortbread - need I say more?

Scottish shortbread is a coveted treat for any visitor to Scotland. Proper shortbread is a very simple recipe with no bells and whistles. The butter does most of the heavy lifting, and there’s no vanilla to hide behind either. I use cornflour in this recipe, though some Scots will insist on rice flour. This recipe also picks up some historic details from the last century, particularly in sort of sugar used. Sugar in the last few centuries wasn’t as refined as the white sort we get now, and it would often have traces of flavourful molasses that made the sugar taste…like sugar! In this recipe I capture that essence with a small addition of brown sugar. Feel encouraged to explore other regional varieties of shortbread too, such as Ayrshire-style shortbread [GET THE RECIPE] which adds eggs and cream, and the Highland-style shortbread which adds milled, toasted oats. Wonderful with a hot cup of tea. Let’s go!