Shortbread
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses UK words and measures (hob, grams, gas marks); the US version uses stove, cups and °F. · US version of this page
Scottish shortbread from the easy 1-2-3 ratio: one part sugar, two parts butter, three parts flour.
- Makes 12
- About 45 min
- Oven
- Best for: KS2 (ages 7–11)
- Vegetarian (vegan with a swap)
Ingredients
- 50 g caster sugar
- 100 g butter, soft – contains milk
- 150 g plain flour – contains gluten
Need a different amount? Use the recipe finder to change the servings.
Equipment
- digital scales
- mixing bowl
- wooden spoon
- rolling pin
- cutter (6 cm) or table knife
- baking tray
- baking parchment
- fork
- oven gloves
- cooling rack
Safety first
- Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, tie back long hair and put on a clean apron.
- Ask about allergies before anyone cooks or tastes. This recipe contains: gluten, milk.
- Do not eat raw dough or cake mixture – raw flour and raw egg can carry harmful bacteria.
- Use dry oven gloves for anything that has been in the oven or under the grill.
Allergens: Cereals containing gluten, Milk. Always read every label and ask about allergies before anyone cooks or tastes.
Method
- An adult turns the oven on to 170 °C (150 °C fan, gas 3). Line the tray.
- Weigh the sugar, butter and flour. Check the 1-2-3 ratio: the butter weighs twice the sugar, the flour three times.
- Beat the butter and sugar until soft, then work in the flour with the spoon and then your hands to make a smooth dough.
- Roll out on a lightly floured surface until about 1 cm thick. Cut out shapes and prick each with a fork.
- An adult puts the tray in the oven. Bake until pale golden. (18 min)
- Adult: Leave on the tray for 5 minutes (they are soft when hot), then an adult moves them to the rack. Sprinkle with a little sugar. (5 min)
What this recipe teaches
Using an oven safely, Weighing and measuring, Creaming (beating butter and sugar), Shaping and cutting out. Steps marked “Adult” are always done by an adult; steps marked “Teacher-led” are done by an adult for primary-age children.
Nutrition per serving
| Energy | 512 kJ / 122 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 7 g |
| of which saturates | 4.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 14.5 g |
| of which sugars | 4.5 g |
| Fibre | 0.5 g |
| Protein | 1.2 g |
| Salt | 0.15 g |
Worked out from the raw ingredients (optional ones and pinches not counted) using CoFID 2021 (McCance and Widdowson’s Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset, Public Health England). Brands vary – check labels.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0: McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset 2021, Public Health England.
Eatwell Guide groups in this recipe: Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates. Learn about the Eatwell Guide.
Foods high in fat, salt or sugar sit outside the Eatwell Guide – enjoy them less often and in small amounts.
Curriculum links
- KS2 D&T – Cooking and nutrition: “understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet”
- KS2 D&T – Cooking and nutrition: “prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques”
Try the interactive lesson
Step by step: a quick safety check, questions marked by Classfern, timers for each cooking step, then an honest look at how it went – a teacher or parent judges the cooking, and learners rate their own work. Photos of the finished dish stay at home.
Use the code your teacher gave you – never your name. Progress is kept on this device.