The easy shortcrust pastry is a classic butter shortcrust, which can be used for tarts and cookies. It is very simple to prepare, has few ingredients and you don’t need to follow any particular procedure to make it.
It’s a yeast-free recipe, because it’s not needed: the flakiness is given by the butter, which also makes it very fragrant. Precisely because it doesn’t have yeast, this shortcrust is perfect for preparing cookies that have particular shapes and are prepared with cutters or pastry cutters. This shortcrust, in fact, doesn’t lose its shape during baking. However, you must observe a fundamental rule when it comes to shortcrust pastry for cookies or tarts: once kneaded, it must be placed in the fridge for a few hours, worked when cold, and before being put in the oven, it must make another trip to the fridge. This is the secret for having perfectly shaped and crumbly cookies.
Returning to our recipe, you won’t need any special tools. I prepared it with the Thermomix for convenience and speed, but it can be made by hand in a simple bowl or with any other mixer.
These quantities are sufficient for a tart (including strips) of 9-10 inches in diameter or for a batch of cookies sufficient for 6-8 people (obviously depending on the size of the cutters you use). As for cooking times, if you roll out the pastry to about 1/8 inch thickness, the cookies will need 10-12 minutes at 340°F fan, while a tart will take about 30 minutes at 355°F fan. In this regard, I recommend using a rolling pin with spacers or thickness spacers to use with a classic rolling pin.
However, if you prefer a lighter shortcrust, which doesn’t include butter and requires no resting, you can use my oil shortcrust pastry or whole wheat shortcrust pastry.
Well, now let’s move on to the recipe and see together how to prepare this easy shortcrust pastry, but first, I’ll leave you some ideas to make with the shortcrust.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economic
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 6People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 430.16 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 54.01 (g) of which sugars 18.93 (g)
- Proteins 6.69 (g)
- Fat 21.78 (g) of which saturated 13.79 (g)of which unsaturated 7.70 (g)
- Fibers 1.09 (g)
- Sodium 14.93 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 101 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup vanilla powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup butter
- as needed vanilla flavor (or other flavors of your choice)
- 1 egg
Tools
- Bowl
- Mixer
Steps to prepare the easy shortcrust pastry
Let’s see together how to prepare this shortcrust that, as I already mentioned, can be used for both tarts and cookies.
You can follow the same steps you see in the photos even if you prepare the shortcrust by hand.
I recommend taking the butter out of the fridge at least half an hour before preparing the shortcrust.
Put the flour and powdered sugar in the bowl (or in a bowl).
Add the vanilla (or orange or lemon zest or vanilla extract).
Cut the butter into pieces and add it to the other ingredients.
Turn on the Thermomix (or mixer) for a minute, until you get a floury, lumpy mixture.
Add the egg and work just enough to mix the ingredients. If you are using the mixer or Thermomix, 30-40 seconds will be enough.
You will get a lumpy mixture.
Take the shortcrust and place it on a work surface.
Work it quickly, avoiding overheating it, and compact it until you get a smooth dough ball.
Flatten it with your hands or with a rolling pin to a thickness of 1/2-5/8 inch, wrap it in some plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
To prepare the shortcrust pastry by hand, use a large bowl. Put the flour, powdered sugar, and the flavor you have chosen (vanilla or vanilla flavor, lemon or orange zest). Mix quickly with your hands.
Add the butter cut into cubes. With your hands, work it quickly with the flour.
Also add the egg and mix the ingredients. Once done, transfer the dough to a work surface and compact it with your hands until you get a smooth ball.
Flatten it with the rolling pin or with your hands to a thickness of about 1/2-5/8 inch and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let it rest in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours before using it.
Tips on how to use shortcrust pastry
– Shortcrust pastry, to maintain its characteristics and crumbly texture, should always be worked cold. Therefore, if you use it for cookies, I recommend dividing the dough in half. Put the first half back in the fridge, roll out the other and create the cookies. Do not reuse the scraps immediately, but put them back in the fridge and work with the other fridge-cold dough. In this way, you will always use well-chilled shortcrust pastry, and it will be easier to use the cutters, as the cold pastry will detach more easily and maintain its shape better.
– If you use pastry cutters or cutters, flour them before use: it will be easier to detach the cookies.
– Once the cookies are made, put the tray in the fridge for at least half an hour before baking them: the colder the shortcrust is when it is baked, the better the cookies will maintain their shape and crunch.
Shortcrust pastry should always be worked little to avoid overheating it. Working it more than necessary would activate the gluten and make the shortcrust harder and more rubbery.
FAQ
Can granulated sugar be used instead of powdered sugar?
Yes, but with powdered sugar, the shortcrust pastry becomes smoother.
Can I make cocoa shortcrust pastry using this recipe?
Yes, replace 2-3 tablespoons of flour with 2-3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.
