I know i’ve said this countless times but i doubt if i’d ever get tired of saying baking is one of my major hobbies. Apart from cakes, i love making biscuits too. One of my favorite biscuits is the scottish shortbread. It tastes so good yet so easy to make at home. The ingredients for this all butter biscuit is simply basic but the end result is one you wouldn’t forget in a hurry.
For most of my home baking, i use mostly butter which could be quite expensive although worth every penny but when butter is not available i end up using margarine which doesn’t give me the desired flavor and taste i need.
Today i’d be showing you how to make the ORIGINAL shortbread biscuit which would make you wonder why you’ve been spending lots of Naira on the store bought ones. Most times, i make shortbread for Christmas, birthdays or special occasions as gifts and the compliments seem to pour in endlessly. For the rice flour, i milled ordinary raw rice till smooth. Please do not use margarine for this as the results are totally different. Also, do not add anything extra such as flavorings if you want the real shortbread taste you’ve grown to love. if you don’t have an oven to bake this in, use this Method
Click to view other Homemade Biscuits
How to make Shortbread Biscuit
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Bake Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 30mins
• Makes : 18-21 shortbread biscuits
Kitchen Notes:
• While butter is made from real milk fat (Animal fat), margarine is made from Hydrogenated vegetable oil.
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| The product i used |
162 comments
I need a kitchen oh! I need to try this one. I LOVE shortbread but an addiction drills a whole in my pocket 🙁
I have tried it with margarine but it didn't come out like this. I would try it again with butter. Is it salted butter or unsalted butter that is used?
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THIS IS GOOD..PLS WHAT BUTTER EXACTLY DID YOU USE, I MEAN THE NAME?
Thanks dobby
To think that this snack does not contain milk. Dobby u've been a blessing to my kitchen
should i rub d surface of d baking pan with butter
How many hours shud it be left in the fridge.
Adaobi Hmmmmm. Flourish my dear girl. That's all I can say.
Lol! i know the feeling. The first time i tried it with margarine, it was used to decorate the kitchen cabinet for a month. No one could even touch it with a long pole before it was thrown away…lol!. The next time, i used butter, it finished within 20mins and i had to make three batches more that same day to satisfy everyone around.
i used elle & vire salted butter (Would put up the picture). There are other good types also such as kerrygold and president butter.
ahhh !!! Trust me when i say it'd be worth every penny tomi :)…you could quote me once you try it out 😉
It even tastes Better Anon. i used elle & vire salted butter. There are other good types also such as kerrygold and president.
15mins-20mins till it firms up
No you shouldn't. Shortbread doesn't stick to the pan.
awww!!! Thanks Afangod 😀
you are welcome Afam 🙂
Thanks Amaka 🙂
i enjoyed reading the post as always so i'll share:):)))))
I'll try this recipe when i have an oven
Love you s0 much dobby. do you have to use the same quantity of wheat flour and rice flour?
So I just spent 2€ on a pack of short bread!!!! Why I didn't see this before I dove into the afro shop is head banging! Lol. I'm shocked it doesn't contain milk. And wondering why I never thought to search for a recipe. Its great and I would try it one day. Will skip the rice flour tho.
Too bad I'm not too good in kitchen things like this. But I'll try things in my spare time. I love biscuits so much back then, but no now.
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Weldone dobby, will try this in my kitchen someday
Pls Dobby do I use blender to blend my normal home rice to get the rice flour?
Thanks Ugo 🙂
i guess it tastes milky because butter is made from Milk :). Yeah rice flour isn't compulsory but necessary for the texture shortbread is known for.
No you don't. The wheat flour should be more than the rice flour.
Thanks lara…Do keep me posted 🙂
i'm sure you'd love this…Do keep me posted k 🙂
Yes you can use the dry mill (Smaller part of the blender) if it's strong enough or a commercial mill. It has to be ground smooth like powder.
please should I use blue band butter. l mean d one we normally use to eat bread in naija?
Hi anon, 'Blue band' used to eat bread in naija is 'Margarine' and not butter.
Butter is usually sold in supermarkets refrigerated and a 200g stick/pack as shown in the picture above sells for about 450-500naira or more depending on the brand. Please don't use margarine for this.
Can u put sugar, salt , flavours?
Hi deborah, for the normal shortbread you cannot add flavours. you could use granulated sugar if you don't have icing sugar but you have to cream well till it dissolves. if you are not using salted butter, it's advisable to use a little bit of salt.
Been followin ds blog 4m kemi filani's blog…I'm so grateful 4 ds,God bless u…u'r so detailed wt it and dts y I love it d more…u also respond 2 questions…wot more can any1 ask for?chai!my husband go hiaram…I LOVE GOOD FOOD
kept looking at your baked results, wish i could grab some… just finished a pack and i need more…. awell, im motivated to try baking. baking spirit get into me now!!!!!
Hello dobby…pls I would like to know if d dough was still in d nylon bag while rolling it with d pin….in between dis is my first time commenting, keep it up
Take am easy on your husband o!…lol! Thanks for the compliments Anon 🙂
Do keep us posted k 🙂
Thanks Anon. Yes it was still in the nylon while flattening with the rolling pin. The nylon was only removed and discarded when it was about to be cut.
So glad I stumbled into this blog,Ada nwanyi oma! Am so grateful!
please dobby where can I get wheat all purpose flour in festac
Please Ada can you covert. The 150g to our everyday cup measurement that we use for(measuring like garri or rice).
Wheat flour also known as plain flour and also all purpose flour is the most common flour sold everywhere. you can get it in the local markets or supermarkets.
Thanks Sharon 🙂
Using a saturated liquid milk cup, 1 cup flour = 85g and 1 cup sugar = 120g
Thanks a milion
you are welcome sharon 🙂
dobby, can i still work my way to a good finish without the use of the plastic bag? wanna try am morrow
Sure you can do this without a plastic bag. Do let us know how it goes k.
Am so glad someone sent me this link,I have tried shortbread twice and failed woefully,once with margarine,the other with unsalted butter ended up throwing it away. Tanx so much for d step-by-step details,kip up d good work. Will try this and let you have the verdict.
Hi Dobby good evening…. Pls I want to know if I can use pot and stove as my oven n how many minutes will I leave it to bake tanks for a good work
Dobby!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!! dis is sooooooooo nice. just saw this and screamed wen I discovered that there is no milk in short bread!!. Please I want to try it this weekend since the ingredients are available alomost everywhere. I have a question though…. can I use the normal baking butter(TOPPER) that bakers use for this recipe too?
Thanks dearie. e-hugs
Do keep us posted mary 🙂
If you use a pot and stove, you could leave it for about 45mins-1hr as long as the stove burner is on blue flame (medium heat) all through.
Hi kemmy,
yeah i know it's surprising right :). It tastes just like it's got milk in it because of the butter (it's made from milk). No you can't use TOPPER for shortbread because Topper is infact Margarine and not Butter.
This my first time of commenting on this blog and I just wanna say I luv the dynamics in it,i luv your blog and you ll be seeing my comments often. God bless yah……….pretty T
So which butter r we to use for d shortbread?
Would be expecting more of your comments pretty T :), God bless you too!
any butter available would do just fine.
Oh my God I just made this and I love it!….Thanks for the tips, I wouldn't have know how to bake this if not for you. I wish I can send you the photo.Hahaha. Keep it up
Hi Dobby,
Nice delicious blog you have.
if i want to skip the rice flour will it come out well, do i need to increase the wheat flour measurement ?
Dear Dobby,just to say thank you for this steps and recipes,I had tried to make shortbread twice but failed,just tried your recipe and 'twas perfect. Tanx so much Dobby,u are a blessing.
Thanks for the feedback mary 🙂
Yes Anon, if you skip rice flour you'd need to make up the measurement meant for rice flour with wheat flour
you are welcome kam. Would be really nice to see a photo of how it turned out 😉
hi dobs, finally made me sum shortbread last nyt. was so pissed wen i tried gettn sum yestee morn for breakfast and the price had increased to almost 500 naira (cedi to naira conversion)– u shd hv seen my contorted face. i just decided to do it, or forever hold my peace. im glad i did……… had sum wif tea this morn. though the sugar was just a lil too much and it browned up too. im sure my next set would be perfecto!!!!!!!. medeaase paa….
Wow, I just made mine aswell. I got president butter and it taste very nice too. Wish I could send the picture. Thanks for the recipe
Glad it turned out great silent reader. you're welcome 🙂
WOW!, Dobby this is kul am goona try it for my husband cos he loves shortbread biscuits a lot.Can u enlighten me on what u meant by "score" in the methods of preparation.
Thanks Anon. Scoring is making patterns to influence the shape of the cut you intend making. In pastries it is also used to describe the cuts made in before baking to allow air escape from the pastry.
hey dobs, i learnt something new… when you cream the butter and sugar before adding the flour… biscuits just melt in your mouth… cant keep my hands off them once they are ready…
that's a nice observation. Thanks for the update Aivie 🙂
Thanks for the feedback aivie. i'm sure it'd turn out perfect next time 🙂
Hi Dobby, thanks for this recipe. I plan trying it by weekend but I have a few question. Can I substitute rice flour with cornflour and secondly putting it inside plastic bag and rolling it out inside does d plastic bag mean d normal waterproof {nylon} .thank you.
Yes you can substitute with cornflour or even make this without it. The reason rice flour is used is to give it the crunchy grainy feel shortbread usually has. Yes plastic bag is the normal waterproof transparent nylon (esp. the type used in wrapping swallow). you're welcome.
Hi Dobby,I have tried this recipe twice but when I try to roll out my dough it falls apart I add more flower and it's not better,what could the problem be? Happy Independence to you. CHEERS!!!
Using the exact measurements would give you the right result. if it still falls apart, just add more butter. Happy Independence to you too mary 🙂
Help!!! Its simas I can get in my area. Can I use it?
No you can't. Simas is margarine.
hellooo..please what temperature is best used for the baking process
190 degree Centigrade /375 Fahrenheit
hello…please if i don't have salted butter, can i just add salt to the ordinary butter?
Yes you can add just a little salt to ordinary butter for this recipe.
Hello Dobby,
I am glad i found your website.Between, of all the nigerian blogs that have put out the pictures of their final shortbread, it is yours that has the best taste appeal and even looks better that the original shortbread we know. Now, i have a get together and plan on making up to 90 pieces of biscuits. Would you suggest that i multiply the ingredients you have used by 5 since yours make up to 18. My next question is, what outcome will i get should i reduce the wheat flour to 125g instead of 150. Also can i use ground rice?. I assume you grind your rice with the nut grinder attached to a blender which we normally use to blend egusi orogbono?. Do you have a brand of icing sugar you use?. Thank you
Thanks for the compliments Anon :).
– Yes i'd suggest you multiply the ingredients by 5 to make 90 biscuits or More to have extra.
– if you reduce the quantity of wheat flour, you might end up with a softer dough which could be difficult to mold. Also, the final quantity of biscuits would be reduced.
– Yes you can use ground rice. i use the small mill that comes with the normal blender to grind raw rice.
– i use millers icing sugar.
Hope this Helps.
Hi dobby, I just tried your step by step tips on how to roll eba, its was so perfect my hubby self praised me, lol. I will tag you when I upload on instagram. Thank you. For the biscuit can I use white flour instead of wheat
Hi idunnu, Glad it turned out great :). White flour is wheat flour also called "All purpose flour".
u mean even if ah wasn't using an oven i wouldn't need to cream the pan surface with butter?
Usually, Shortbread doesn't stick to the pan. But if your pan sticks, its best to use parchment paper to line the pan before baking. If you don't have parchment paper, use very little butter to rub the surface.
Happy new year Dobby. I made shortbread using your recipe and my family just couldn't get enough of it. It tasted great. Only thing was,it turned browned cos i let it bake for almost one hour. Also, i baked it on bare tray without lining it. Despite these, it was great. Thank you so much.
Thanks for the feedback Teekay, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Is it possible to use an improvised oven like sand in a pot for this. I don't have an oven but can't wait to try this out. I love Shortbread biscuits a lot.
I just saw a recipe that used cornflour, what do U think, can it replace rice flour?
Hi Dobby, pls in the absence of rice flour, how much flour does one use? 230gm?
Of course you can. Click here to Learn how to use the Pot baking method
Yes you can substitute the rice flour for 80g of flour making it 230g
yes you can. The purpose of rice flour is to give it that slight crunch shortbread has
Thank you Dobby!!!
what temp should the oven be set to?
Can you please convert the measurement to cups because I tried it but I am not sure I got the measurement right. Thanks
190°c /375 °F
CLICK HERE for Cup to gram measurements
I tried this. It was SUPERB. Thank you very much.
I tried this and it was SUPERB. Thank you.
you're welcome ifai
you're welcome gatsycakes.
This is fantastic! Made it for my baby's daily school snack, and the class wants a supply!
Wow! That's a good one. Glad it turned out fine. Thanks for the feedback Chinelo 🙂
I just stumbled on your blog today and I am totally hooked already, Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes..
you're welcome P. Jennicious
Hi Dobby, I have been on your blog all week and i am blown away, i had to send the site link to my sister.
I tried your baking without an oven method over the weekend to bake a cake and it came out perfect and i cant wait to try this next. So I'm an aspiring chef and i plan to learn all i can here without going to any school.:D
I just have a few questions on the shortbread and measurements
1. Concerning the rice,do i wash and dry before I blend it? (the rice might have and in it… not sure)
2. For the gram and cup measurements,i'm still confused when you say milk cup,do you mean the regular liquid milk container?
i don't have measuring spoons or cups, is there anyway i can measure it using the the regular tin tomato containers,i.e the small N30-N40, Medium N100-130, Big N200?
Please reply soon,
1) To be pre-cautious, yes you can.
2) Yes the milk cup i'm referring to is the regular milk saturated milk container. You could just buy the 160g saturated milk since that's what is mostly used in measuring. They sell it presently for about 100-160 depending on the type.
Thank you,
Please i want to use the pot method for this(my oven is out of service thanks to rats) would it work?
plus i dont have baking trays the size of the pot for buscuits can i use a wider baking pan for cakes?
if so and how would i arrange it? do i still use the aluminum plate because i am using the baking pan?
Sorry for the questions but i want to be really sure
Waiting for your reply.
Thanks.
Yes you can use the pot method for this. You can also use a round baking pan to place the biscuits to be baked. Also you can either use an aluminum plate as a stand or small gravel stones to place the baking pan. Hope this helps.
Sure about salted butter?
How do I. Get rice flour. Is it sold like that or its grinded rice
How do I get rice flour. Is it sold like that?
How do I get rice flour. Is it sold like that?
you could get it in any large store or you could make it yourself.
you could get it in any large store or you could make it yourself.
Yes it's ground rice
Its my first tym commenting,i just tried out dis recipe and its da bomb, i made double of d recipe and i hv jst five left on my tray, God bless u dobby for this….lots of love
You're welcome ramat. Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Hello Dobby,pls where can I buy this Elle & vire butter or the other ones u mentioned? I v checked a number of places in Umuahia Abia State but didn't find them.
Hello Dobby,
A huge kudos to you.
I love reading your blog, and as a wife to be soon, your blog will definitely be my go to always
Real butter is mostly sold in large stores or supermarkets and can be found in the fridge section alongside ice cream, yogurt and real milk.
Glad to have you here Unknown 🙂
Dear Dobby,May God bless you for me. You have brought more joy in my family.Please I would like to bake this and supply to supermarkets,is there anything I can add to make it last atleast for two or three weeks without putting it in the fridge just as alcohol is added to cakes.
Hi Anon, for now there's none. All you need to do is put it in an airtight container so it doesn't get soft.
Never thought shortbread is something a woman could just make in her kitchen…. God bless you real big for transfering such a wonderful knowlege to the public, my hubby will be wowed when I make it, cus he's a lover of shortbread.thank you
You're welcome Anon 🙂
Finally I got 2 try this out!!! My siblings can't get over how much it tasted like the original Shortbread biscuits… Thanks Dobby ☺😘😙
Thanks for the feedback mary 🙂
Tnx for this, pls can one use Topper butter for it
No you can't use Topper as Dobby had already said Topper is actually margarine and not butter…which I never knew. ..lol
I tried this but it didn't work out. There was something wrong which I can't place what it was. It turned out not to be thick and still sticky so I kept adding flour and I had to use up the whole butter. 😟😟😟😳
Hi idong, did you refrigerate after adding more flour and butter before cutting or did you bake it just like that?
God bless you adaoma.
Thank you Anon 🙂
Hi Dobby, thanks for this recipe…. can i use Nigeria blue band butter?
Hi lois. For this, you're only allowed to use butter and not margarine.
Thanks a lot,may God continue to bless and strengthen you. Pls can one pack d biscuits for sale
Hi Olayinka, sure you can package the biscuits for sale. Just make sure you use an airtight container so it doesn't get soft.
hii Dobby, how do i know the temperature of my oven to be exactly 375*F as my oven is gas and doesnt have a temperature knob just low, medium , high knob marking? is their another way to get the right temperature here?
Hi Bethel, you might need to get a thermometer or simply wait for the oven to get hot before popping the tray in the oven.
I love the outcome of your shortbread. Well done. Pls can you do a video demonstrating the method. Especially the part where you rolled tje dough in a plastic bag. Ive tried severally to do that without success. The dough just falls apart at d outer edges… a video demonstration will really be nice. God bless.
God bless u ma. I tried the shortbread Recipe and my hubby was full of praise, said he made the right choice marrying me. Even my kids are delighted. This with the rice milk is the newest snack for my boys
Working on in currently Olayemi. Would be up soon 🙂
Thanks for the feedback. Glad it turned out great 🙂
For how long can the short bread biscuits stayed from the day of production. I mean the life span expiration. Thanks
My shortbread is breaking when I am using rolling pin on it. What do I do?
Please while I was using rolling pin on my shortbread, it was breaking. It wasn't perfect smoothness. What's wrong, what do I do.
It could stay for over a week without preservatives as long as it remains in an air tight container.
You didn't use a plastic bag as stated Treasure. It's very necessary.
Use a plastic nylon to roll it. It won't break.
Please how do u roll the dough with the nylon, won't it get torn in the process? Or do u place the nylon on the dough and roll?
Also do u wash the rice and allow to dry before milling, will it affect the taste.
Thanks
Please, how do roll the dough with the nylon? Won't the nylon get torn? Or u just place the nylon on top of the moulded dough and roll. Thanks
No milk? How come it has that distinctive milky taste? Na wa o, I'm learning everyday.thanks for the exposure
So dere s no liquid addition of any kin then?
Oh really look nice , thanks for the recipe. I will safe money for butter. Thanks
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None.
I have just used TOPPER and it was unbelievably fantastic. Everyone in my house is drooling over it. No more buying expensive shortbread biscuits.
Btw, Topper is margarine but it is the closest to real butter than other margarines out there…. Reason why bakers use it.
Another thing is i didnt have buy icing sugar, i just milled my granulated sugar.
Thanks Dobby
I’m most def trying this today