Teatime Shortbread

Four ingredients. That’s all it takes for proper shortbread. Butter, sugar, flour, and a pinch of salt. There’s nothing to hide behind here, which means quality butter is everything. Use the best unsalted butter you can get your hands on because you will taste it in every crumbly bite.

The method uses a combination of creaming and rubbing in. First the butter and sugar get beaten together, then the sifted flour gets worked in with your fingertips until you have moist clumps. Gentle kneading brings it into a soft dough. The key word is gentle. Overwork it and the cookies turn tough instead of sandy and short.

Piercing each cookie with a fork before baking isn’t just decorative. Those holes let steam escape so the shortbread stays flat and even. You’re looking for pale golden, not brown. Shortbread that’s baked too dark loses its delicate, buttery character and starts tasting toasted.

Kitchen Tips

• Room temperature butter is a must; cold butter won’t cream properly and melted butter makes greasy shortbread
• Don’t skip sifting the flour; it prevents lumps and gives a finer, more tender crumb
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring since they’re fragile when hot
• These keep well in an airtight tin for up to a week

Variations

• Press a sprinkle of coarse sugar on top before baking for sparkle and crunch
• Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or the zest of one lemon to the butter mixture
• Dip cooled shortbread halfway into melted chocolate for an afternoon tea indulgence