Orange Glazed Scottish Shortbread
Here is my popular Scottish shortbread recipe, this time with an orange flavoured icing/glaze. A super simple method of decorating & customizing for any season, this is still based on a truly traditional & Scottish shortbread recipe.
Orange Glazed Scottish Shortbread
Proper Scottish Shortbread With A Twist!
Common Questions About Scottish Shortbread
“What Is Scottish Shortbread?”
“What is Scottish shortbread made from?”
“What is the difference between a shortbread cookie and a Scottish shortbread cookie?“
“Is Scottish shortbread different?“
“Why is Scottish shortbread so good?“
The Answers
Scottish shortbread is ALWAYS made with 100% butter – no margarine, no baking spreads/blocks. An ‘all-butter’ kind of biscuit/cookie, with a ‘short’ texture, from the high butter to sugar ratio. Most identifiable to a truly Scottish homemade shortbread, is its melt-in-the-mouth texture. Scottish shortbread should be soft and delicate with the texture coming from the cornflour (corn starch).
Biscuit Means Cookie
For my Bakers/readers from America, biscuits are our British name for cookies. And not to be confused with American biscuits that look like British Scones!
Why Use My Recipe?
All of my Scottish Shortbread recipes are based on my traditional Scottish Shortbread recipe. They are how shortbread was originally made, no margarine or baking spread, just real butter. Trust me – I am a flame-haired Scots lassie 🙂 Scottish Shortbread melts in the mouth & is so easy to make.
Make Seasonal/Themed Shortbread
Use any shape of cookie cutter you like – make them seasonal or themed for a particular occasion. Here are some examples for Mother’s day, St Patrick’s day, Easter, Christmas & Valentine’s.
Use heart shaped cutters and cut out the centre, but to make it a bit different, use a slightly bigger cutter for the centre. Works great with star cutters too.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are the basic ingredients:
- Butter
- Sugar
- Flour
- Cornflour (Corn Starch)
- Icing (Powdered) Sugar
- Orange Extract
- Orange Zest
For the optional flavoured version:
- Dried Cranberries
- Pecans, Hazelnuts, etc
- Orange Extract
Caster Sugar
The nearest equivalent to our UK Caster Sugar, is extra/super fine sugar in the states.
Make Your Own Caster Sugar
You can make caster sugar by grinding granulated sugar or processing lightly.
Keep as small granules & not a powder. See my comparison photo of UK icing sugar (powdered sugar), caster sugar & granulated sugar granule sizes for reference. Note US granulated has a slightly finer granule size than UK granulated. Read more about Differences Between UK & US Baking Ingredients.
Cornflour (corn starch), gives the extra soft ‘melt in the mouth’ texture so should not be omitted.
Orange Extract & Nuts
I like to use a supermarket premium orange extract – usually Valencian Orange extract, from Asda, Morrisons or Sainsburys. This is used in the shortbread (which is optional), but also in the glaze too.
You can omit the nuts &/or dried sweetened cranberries but are a great addition. And if using the nuts and cranberries, your recipe yield will be greater too.
Alternatives
Pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, or a combination there of, all work well & even chocolate chips in place of cranberries. 61g of roughly chopped hazelnuts is about ½ cup and 50g of chocolate chips a ⅓ cup.
Equipment
Full list of equipment & ingredient amounts are listed in the Recipe Card at the bottom of the page.
Shortbread, like British scones, is easily make using a Pastry Cutter (AKA Pastry Blender). Great if your hands hurt easily & saves rubbing between your fingertips or using 2 butter knives.
Cookie Cutter – in these photos I used lots of different shapes and sizes of cookie cutters over 2 batches of shortbread.
The smallest heart shaped ones were 4cm (1¾”), longest carrot/bunny ones about 7.5cm (3″), and the heart shaped cutters varied from 3.75cm – 6.25cm (1.5-2.5″) at their widest points.
Recipe Yield
This obviously depends on if you also add nuts & cranberries, on the size of cutter you use and if you cut out the centre.
At minimum you will get 24 shortbread biscuits. But if you made all of them the 4cm (1¾”) heart shape with nuts & cranberries, the recipe yield is 41 pieces. (See photo).
Next is the step-by step instructions with process photos. For advanced bakers, skip to the Recipe Card:
Jump to RecipeStep-By-Step Instructions
Prepare The Dough
1. When measuring/weighing the butter, cube in small pieces about 1cm (⅓”) as smaller surface area, and the butter will soften faster. If you forget to soften the butter, or are in a hurry, try this hack I reviewed for softening butter in about 12 minutes.
2. Once softened, mix the butter & sugar together, briefly by hand. Then move on to using a hand/stand-mixer to ‘cream’ the mixture until smooth, spreadable & paler in colour. (See Photo 1).
3. Prepare 2 or 3 baking trays/baking sheets with some baking/parchment paper, and grease them in place if your trays/sheets do not have a lip.
4. Sieve the flour, cornflour (corn starch) & salt into the butter/sugar mixture and begin to mix through by hand.
5. Now use a pastry cutter (pastry blender) to work the flour into the butter by pushing down on the bottom of the bowl & rotating left & right. Repeat this rotating motion across the bowl until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs. Alternatively use 2 butter knives or rub the mixture between your fingertips. (See video).
6. The mixture will be crumbly at this stage, so in the bowl or on some floured paper or worktop/counter, use your hands to squeeze the mixture and bring it together into a smooth dough. (See Photo 2). Shape into a rectangular or square shape about 10cm/4″ wide.
Cut Out The Shortbread
7. Now add orange extract and cranberries and nuts if using, by adding in 3 increments & folding the dough over itself. Then form into a rectangular/square shape & chill for 10 minutes. (see my Cranberry Orange Pecan Scottish Shortbread video for the process.)
*Tip – chill the shortbread dough, wrapped in cling film/plastic wrap, in the fridge overnight if needed.
8. Lightly flour some baking/parchment paper or a worktop/counter & roll out the shortbread dough to 1-1½ cm ( ⅓– ⅔“) thickness. *Tip – use 2 sheets of paper to keep the rolling pin clean.
9. Dip your choice of cookie cutter in flour before cutting out your shortbread shapes. If the shortbread does not lift up, just leave to the end. For the heart & star shapes with centre cut-outs, just use a smaller cutter – don’t be afraid to use a 2nd cutter only a little smaller, as the shortbread will expand a little on baking. (see the heart cookies & cutter in Photo 3.
Chill The Shortbread
10. Pull away the excess dough & carefully transfer the shortbread cut-outs to the prepared baking trays/sheets using a palette knife. *No need to leave gaps in-between them at this stage, see Photo 4. Cut out more with the excess dough until all used up.
11. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes & then carefully ‘dock’ the shortbread with a cocktail stick, over the surface of the shortbread. (See Photo 4). Place in the freezer for 30 minutes (stacking if you don’t have much room in the freezer).
12. Alternatively you can cover with cling film/plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for up to 2 days & bake directly from the fridge. Before the freezing time is up, set the oven to: 180°c/160°c Fan/350°f/Gas Mark 4.
13. Transfer the cold shortbread shapes to the paper-lined baking trays/baking sheets, and this time leave gaps in-between of at least 2.5cm/1″. (See Photo 5).
Bake The Shortbread
14. Bake 2 baking trays/baking sheets of the shortbread, in the centre of the oven for 14-18 minutes. Bake times will vary according to the size, shape and if you have cut-out centres. Try to keep similar sizes together on the same tray. Make sure only the edges of the shortbread are just starting to turn a very pale golden colour and the rest pale like sugar cookies. You can turn the trays if needed, but after 8 minutes. Test the shortbread by gently pushing – should move but still be soft.
15. Leave the shortbread on the tray, on top of a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then transfer off the tray to just the cooling rack, by pulling one end of the paper & sliding the paper & biscuits onto the cooling rack. Meanwhile bake the rest of the shortbread.
16. Leave to cool before decorating, or store in a tin and decorate a day or two later.
Decorate The Shortbread
17. Sieve icing/powdered sugar into a bowl & very very gradually add 2 tsp orange extract. Mix by hand with a metal spoon until a thick paste is formed.
18. Gradually add in enough of the orange juice to produce a thick but pourable glaze/icing. Test the thickness by using a small spoon and watching how it falls off the spoon – it should drip but not too quickly. It should also leave a trail on the surface of the glaze that does not fade immediately. (See photo 8).
19. You can also add some of the orange zest to the icing/glaze at this point, to form a pale orange coloured icing, or just keep all of the zest for finishing touches of decoration.
20. To ice/glaze the shortbread, simply hold the biscuit & dip the top of the biscuit in the prepared orange glaze. Lift up, and let excess glaze drip off, before swiftly turning up the right way. At the same time use a small spoon to scrape off the excess glaze from the edge of the shortbread. You can also give the biscuit a little shake to let the icing settle in place.
21. For the cut-out centre shortbread, be more careful when dipping & use a small spoon to guide the icing down the centre of the biscuit. See Photo 9.
22. Place on the cooling rack over baking/parchment paper, or just on the paper. Sprinkle on the orange zest & leave for the icing/glace to set up. See Photo 9 & 10 below.
Serving & Storing
23. Enjoy a orange glazed version of Scottish shortbread with your favourite cup of tea or coffee.
24. Gift shortbread on a cookie plate at Christmas, add to a pretty cookie tin or be part of a homemade food gift basket.
25. Store Scottish shortbread in an airtight container & they will last at least 7 days. Cookie or cake tins are my preference and I have had shortbread still taste great after travelling for 14 days to America!
Other Shortbread Recipes
Take a look at the other Scottish shortbread recipes, or my Anise, Chocolate & Coconut Scottish Shortbread recipe.
Recipe Card
Orange Glazed Scottish Shortbread
Equipment
- Scales or measuring cups
- Large spoon
- Stand or Hand Mixer, (or Medium-Large Mixing bowl & spoon)
- Pastry Cutter/pastry blender (optional)
- Baking/parchment paper
- Baking Sheet/Tray x 2
- Cookie Cutters (Various shapes & sizes, see notes*)
- Palette knife or sharp kitchen spatula
- Cooling rack
- Fruit zester
- Small Bowl (for making glaze & dipping)
- * See Notes after Recipe Card
Ingredients
Basic Shortbread Dough
- 225 grams Butter, unsalted, cubed & softened (1 cup/2 sticks or 8 oz)
- 110 grams Caster Sugar (3¾ oz), ½ cup Extra/super fine sugar)*
- 225 grams Plain Flour (1 ¾ cups All Purpose or 8 oz)
- 110 grams Corn Flour (3¾ oz, 1 cup less 1 tbsp Corn Starch)
- Pinch of Salt
Orange Cranberry Nut Version
- 2 tsp Orange Extract (Or zest of 1 orange)
- 73 grams Dried Sweetened Cranberries (1¼ cup, 2½ oz)
- 52 grams Pecans, roughly chopped (¾ cup, 1¾ oz – Optional – hazelnuts, walnuts & even mixtures work well)
For The Glaze
- 250 grams Icing Sugar (8¾ oz, 2 cups, Powdered Sugar)
- 2 tsp Orange Extract (optional)
- 1 Orange (juice & zest)
* Denotes, see notes
Instructions
Prepare The Biscuit Dough
- Cube the butter to small pieces about 1cm (⅓”) size since smaller surface area will soften faster. In a hurry? Try this video hack for softening in about 12 minutes.
- Mix the softened butter & sugar briefly by hand, before using a hand-mixer or stand-mixer to ‘Cream’ the butter & sugar.
- Prepare 2 or 3 baking/cookie sheets/trays with baking/parchment paper & grease in place if they don't have any lip.
- Sieve the flour, cornflour (corn starch) & salt over the butter/sugar mixture & start to mix by hand. Use a pastry cutter (pastry blender), 2 butter knives, or your fingertips to work the flour into the butter. *(For more details see the step-by-step instructions before this Recipe Card.) **Please note the mixture will be crumbly & not coming together into a ball shape yet.
- In the mixing bowl or on floured paper, gently squeeze the dough with your hands till it comes together. Form into a rough rectangular or square shape about 4"/10cm wide.
Flavouring The Shortbread
- If you want to flavour and add nuts & cranberries, do so now, by adding in 3 increments and folding the dough over itself to work in the extra ingredients. (see my Cranberry Orange Pecan Scottish Shortbread video for the process.) Now form into a rectangular/square shape again & chill for 10 minutes to relax the dough. *Tip – chill the shortbread dough, wrapped well in cling film/plastic wrap, in the fridge overnight if needed.
Cutting Out The Shortbread
- Flour baking/parchment paper or a counter/worktop & roll out the shortbread dough to a thickness of about 1-1½ cm ( ⅓– ⅔“). *Tip – use 2 sheets of paper to keep the rolling pin clean. Cut out the shortbread shapes using a cookie cutter dipped in flour first. Use different sizes of the same shape cutter (such as hearts or stars), and cut out the centre. (See step-by-step photos for more details). Carefully transfer the shortbread shapes to the paper-lined baking trays/baking sheets (no need for gaps in-between just yet). Form the excess dough into a ball & roll out to make more shortbread shapes.
Chill The Shortbread Dough
- Chilling of the shortbread should not be omitted. For perfect shaping, first place the shortbread shapes in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then very gently remove from the fridge and use a wooden cocktail stick to ‘Dock’ the shortbread pieces. (Make plenty of holes being careful not to break the dough). Next place the shortbread shapes in the freezer for 30 minutes. **Tip – if short on space, stack the cold shortbread on top of each other, on a smaller tray or plate, just make sure it is flat & paper lined & able to fit in your freezer.
- Alternatively, cover the shortbread with cling film/plastic wrap and leave in the fridge overnight or for up to 2 days maximum, and bake directly from the fridge. Before the time is up, set your oven to heat to 180°c/160°c Fan/350°f/Gas Mark 4.
Bake The Shortbread
- Bake 2 baking trays/baking sheets of the shortbread, in the centre of the oven for 14-18 minutes. Timing will vary depending on size and if your shortbread has cut-out centres, but make sure the edges are only just starting to turn a very pale golden colour (similar to sugar cookies). Rotate & turn the trays/sheets if needed, but after 8 minutes. Test by gently pushing the biscuit, which should move but still be soft.
- Leave the baking tray/sheet to cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, before transferring to the cooling rack using the paper (be very careful not to break the shortbread. Easiest way is to pull one end of the paper and slide the shortbread (and paper), onto the cooling rack ). Meanwhile bake the rest of the shortbread. Leave to cool down completely before decorating. **You can place in a tin once cool and decorate the next day.
Glazing The Shortbread
- Sieve the icing/powdered sugar into a bowl and very very gradually add in 2 tsp orange extract. The mixture will change from powder into a thick paste. Now gradually, add enough orange juice until you have a thick but pourable glaze. Test by lifting with a small spoon and watching how it falls off the spoon. If it leaves a trail on the surface of the glaze, it is thick enough.
- **You can add a little of the orange zest to the glaze to help colour it a pale orange colour, or only add the zest as a final touch.
- Carefully dip the top of one of the cooled shortbread biscuits in the bowl of orange glaze. Lift and let some of the glaze drip back into the bowl, before swiftly turning the right way up, at the same time as using a small spoon to scrape off the excess glaze from the edge of the biscuit. If dipping shortbread with a cut-out centre, use the spoon to guide the glaze down the centre edges.
- Place on the cooling rack, placed on top of some baking/parchment paper to catch any drips. Sprinkle on some orange zest and leave for the glaze to set.
Serving & Storing
- Enjoy the glazed Scottish shortbread with tea or coffee or add to a gift basket for a beautiful & thoughtful food hamper.
- Store cooled Scottish shortbread in an airtight tin or container for at least 7 days. Metal cake or cookie tins are highly recommended. I have had Scottish shortbread still taste great after 14 days.
Video
Notes
Caster Sugar – US equivalent Extra/Super Fine Sugar. Process your own from Granulated sugar – see my sugar comparison photos before this Recipe Card.
Alternative Ingredients – hazelnuts and walnuts work well, as do chocolate chips.
Recipe Yield/Servings – quantity made will vary according to the size & shape of your cutters, as well as if you make centre cut-outs. Provided your cutters are not extra large, it will make a minimum 24 biscuits or as many as 41 if using the smallest heart cookie cutter.
Scottish Shortbread Tips
*Don’t omit the Cornflour (Corn Starch), as it gives the melt-in-the-mouth texture. As well as proper butter, this makes a traditional Scottish recipe we are used to here in Scotland.
*Only very light, minimal kneading to bring dough & inclusions together.
*Do not skip the chilling stage – very important for most biscuit/cookies.
*Don’t over-bake – should be pale like sugar cookies, firm up on cooling & be a very soft delicate texture.
Please see the detailed recipe process photos & further information, before this Recipe Card. Where readers’ pics and feedback page can also be found.
See my original Scottish Shortbread recipe, or Chocolate & Coconut Scottish Shortbread (shown above).
Please take a few seconds to rate this post & recipe – thanks, Caro xx
NUTRITIONAL VALUES – I am not a qualified nutritionist, and all nutritional values approximate & based on a serving of 1 rectangular/finger biscuit (similar in size to the bunny/carrot cookie cutter), with the added cranberries & nuts & where recipe yield is about 32 rectangular biscuits/cookies. Make more or less cookies & the nutritional values will change. Values calculated from website My Fitness Pal.com.
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Caro x
Orange Glazed Scottish Shortbread
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Caroline’s Easy Baking Lessons
Yet another amazing classic!!!!
Thanks Sally! I love orange zest in a glaze, so nice.
Another great recipe. Love the orange flavour with the flavoured icing makes a nice change. Excellent instructions too. Thank you.
Thanks so much for your kind feedback Diana, much appreciated.
Love all of your shortbread recipes so knew this would not fail. Can’t wait to make some for gifting instea dof eating them all myself!