All Butter Shortbread (with Passionfruit Icing)

What is shortbread?

Originating in Scotland, shortbread is a crumbly cookie traditionally made with just butter, sugar and flour. There is no leavening (or raising agent) in shortbread cookies. While it was made for centuries before, the recipe we now know as shortbread and it’s classic shape called petticoat tails has been largely attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century.

There are 3 main shapes for shortbread; regular round cut cookies, fingers and petticoat tails. The latter is the name given to shortbread in a wedge shape with a scalloped edge – that scalloped edge resembling the lace on petticoats. This really simple method of shaping is not just pretty, it’s very simple and results in no wastage.

Sometimes, other types of flour are added to shortbread to adjust the texture slightly. Rice flour is very common and gives a bit of a crunch. Cornflour (also know as cornstarch) is another option, and my favourite, resulting in a really tender cookie.

Where does the name shortbread come from?

The “short” in shortbread, refers to it’s crumbly texture, caused by the high ratio of fat. In turn, the word “shortening” is a name for types of fat. Classic shortbread is made with all butter.

Ingredients you’ll need

With just 5 ingredients in the main shortbread recipe, and only a further two if you add the passionfruit icing, these truly are so quick and easy to make.

Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.

• Butter: Unsalted butter is best for shortbread since they aren’t a super sweet cookie to begin with. Salted butter is likely to give too much of a salty flavour.
• Caster sugar: Also known as superfine sugar, this is beaten together with the butter until nice and creamy.
• Flour: The first of the two flours you’ll need is plain flour (all purpose flour).
• Cornflour: Known in many places as cornstarch, cornflour is a very fine, soft flour, often used for thickening things or for adding softness in baking. Here, it gives a gorgeous melty texture.
• Vanilla extract: Make sure to use extract and not essence, the latter being a synthetic flavouring.
• The icing: If you want to add the gorgeous, tropical icing, you’ll also need some icing sugar (aka powdered sugar or confectioners sugar) and some passionfruit puree.

How to make shortbread

This is quite an intriguing cookie dough because when you mix it all up together, it’s quite a sticky dough. Not the sort of dough you could use to roll and cut out shapes, depending on your patience level. I have none though, so I’ll suggest you don’t try that. That aside, it holds it’s shape beautifully in the oven. On the off chance you’ve let your butter get too soft prior to making the dough, just chill the dough for 10 minutes before baking.

Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.

1. Start by creaming together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Make sure your butter is softened to begin with but not so soft that it looks greasy. I use a stand mixer but you can do this with a hand mixer too.
2. Now sift in the flour and cornflour and gently beat until just combined.
3. Finally add the vanilla and beat until just combined again. Now you have a sticky and soft, yet malleable shortbread dough.

Roll the dough

4. Divide the dough into 2 portions and for each one roll it out between two sheets of baking paper to an 8 inch circle.

Shape the petticoat tails

5. Use your fingers to crimp the edge all the way around then cut the circle into 8 wedges.
6. Use a fork to make a couple of pricks into each wedge, then transfer your shortbread dough to a baking sheet.
7. Now bake!

The non-traditional icing

The icing is sweet and full of that lovely passionfruit flavour. It’s not a traditional topping in a Scottish shortbread recipe. In fact, traditional shortbread just has a sprinkling of sugar before baking and that’s it but oh my, this passionfruit icing is amazing and truly the icing on the cookie.

8. Simply mix together icing sugar, passionfruit pulp and melted butter in a bowl.
9. Then drizzle it over the top of your shortbread.

The consistency of the icing should be so that it pours off the spoon very slowly. It will settle into a smooth icing after 10-12 seconds. Too runny and it will just run straight off your cookies. That’s not a huge problem. You can just re-coat them a few extra times or add a little more icing sugar to thicken consistency slightly.

Storage

Now that you have a batch of melt in the mouth shortbread, what to do with it all? These buttery shortbread cookies make for wonderful food gifts and they keep really well too.

• You can make the dough ahead, up to one week. Keep it stored in the refrigerator wrapped well in plastic wrap.
• Baked shortbread cookies will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 7-10 days.
• Both the dough and the baked cookies can be frozen. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container, then freeze for up to 3 months.

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