Highlander Scottish All Butter Shortbread Recipe

How to make it

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• Set oven at 150c/300f
• Place ingredients 1-3 in a mixing bowl, and for the best result, knead together by hand. Add additional flavourings at this stage if desired.
• Getting the right consistency is important – mixture needs to be rolled into long fat cigar shape. Add a small amount of water/milk to help work the mixture if it is too dry
• Flour a board/surface and gradually roll into a sausage shape about 2 inches dia/thick.
• Get a sheet of parchment or greaseproof paper and cover with the demorara sugar then roll onto pastry and pat the sugar onto the surface of the dough which has not been covered. Be careful at this stage not to allow the pastry to roll out and become thinner, as the demorara will sink into the pastry. The sugar should coat the entire surface of the roll at this point.
• Place into the fridge to chill for around 30mins - 1 hour and then remove from fridge and with a nice sharp knife, cut the roll into slices about 1/2inch thick (appx.)
• Place on baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes until golder brown.
• Remove to cool on wire tray.
• NOTE: leave shortbread in for extra 5 minutes to make it crispier if preferred
• ------------History--------------
• "Short" comes from the shortening used in the recipe, nowadays only butter is used in certain shortbread recipes, but other recipes use margarine for a different taste and texture.
• Contrary to many shortbread recipe pages on the internet, each shortbread name has its own recipe, for example Highlanders, Petticoat Tails, Fingers, Rounds, Royals (with chocolate) Portknockie shortbread and all the coastal towns in the North East of Scotland) and several others.
• Originally, the recipes used shortening and extremely fine oatmeal, which is now substituted for flour (wheat).
• Try this recipe with Self Raising flour and see the difference yourself in the end result!