Shortbread fingers are butter cookies originally from Scotland, but they are also popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and other countries. Indeed, I brought them from Ireland as a souvenir a few summers ago, because after tasting them there, it was practically a must.
They are stick-shaped, very crumbly, and buttery cookies. In fact, they are made with one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour or a mix of flour and cornstarch. They have characteristic holes on the surface, which are decorative but also practical, as they allow steam to escape during baking, ensuring even cooking and making the cookies very crumbly.
In reality, just these three ingredients are enough to make shortbread fingers: sugar, butter, and flour. But another ingredient that absolutely cannot be missing is salt, as it provides that addictive savory note. I also replaced part of the powdered sugar with brown sugar to give the cookies a slightly caramelized taste.
Try them, you will fall in love!
If you like desserts from other countries around the world, also try these recipes of mine:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 32 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 7 oz butter (soft)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
Steps
To prepare shortbread fingers, beat the butter together with brown sugar and powdered sugar for 4-5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour with salt and cornstarch, and sift it over the butter and sugar mixture. Mix briefly with beaters until a crumbly dough is obtained without any visible traces of flour. Then transfer everything onto a work surface and compact to get a more or less homogeneous dough.
Form a rectangle with the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.
After the resting time, preheat the oven to 320°F (fan) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, forming a rectangle about 12.5 x 6.3 inches, about 0.6 inches thick.
Then divide the dough rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 16 sticks, 0.8 inches wide.
Transfer the dough sticks onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and prick the surface several times with a toothpick.
Bake the shortbread fingers at 340°F for 20-25 minutes, until they are slightly golden around the edges.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Shortbread fingers keep for at least a couple of weeks when stored in an airtight container.
