Shortbread Fingers, for us, are the perfect Shortbread shape. It’s as thick as a slice of Petticoat tails but smaller. Shortbread Fingers are great with a cup of coffee or tea. They are like a round but are a thicker Shortbread, giving you more biscuit for your buck!
They’re also straightforward to make and shape, needing just as simple a fork to give them their traditional markings. If you’re new to making Shortbread, this is the ideal recipe to get you started.
What are Shortbread Fingers?
One of the three classic shapes for Shortbread, if you don’t count recipes like Spiced Christmas Shortbread or even Mincemeat Shortbread, is Shortbread Fingers, which are also probably the most famous.
They are exactly the ones you see on Christmas tins and are great because they always feel a little chunkier and a little more than just a round. Crucially, they are an excellent dipping biscuit that showcases the delicious buttery taste of Shortbread.
Why are they called Shortbread Fingers?
The finger part of this is obvious: once in the pan, the Shortbread is cut into rectangles, looking like no fingers we’ve ever seen, but that did not stop them from getting that title. Shortbread chunky rectangles doesn’t sound as tasty, does it?
Though called Biscuit Bread when it began life, Shortbread gained its current name when more butter was added to the old leftover dough it was once made with.
This additional butter led people to replace the ‘biscuit’ element of the old name with the word “Short” – a name for a butter, crumbly texture, like shortcrust pastry. Thus creating what we now know as Shortbread, which we then cut into chunky rectangles!
Where do Shortbread Fingers come from?
Shortbread was made popular in Scotland, supposedly by Mary Queen of Scots. She is said to have been very fond of it, though her preference was Petticoat Shortbread rather than the fingers we’re making today.
Why make your own Shortbread Fingers?
We know you can buy these delicious digits in almost any shop, especially here in Scotland. But buying it doesn’t give you that homemade taste or satisfaction of creating something with your hands. Something that has been in Scotland’s kitchens since the 16th century should be made by hand, at least now and then.
Things you’ll need to make Shortbread Fingers
- 8inch or 9inch square baking tray (bigger means thinner fingers)
- Baking paper
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden mixing spoon
Ingredients for Shortbread Fingers
- 12oz plain flour (340g)
- 8oz butter (225g)
- 4oz caster sugar (113g)
We use the classic 3:2:1 ratio for these Shortbread Fingers!
How to make Shortbread Fingers – Step-by-step Method
Lightly grease an 8inch or 9inch square tin
Preheat the oven to 160C/325F
Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and use a hand mixer until just mixed but not creamed/fluffy
Add the flour and use a wooden spoon to bring it together before using your hands to gently fold the mixture. You want to handle it as little as possible.
Tip into the greased tin and press down and flatten the top with the back of a metal spoon.
Cut into two rows of 6 or 7 pieces, depending on the size of the tin. Prick with a fork.
Bake for around 35-40 minutes until just turning golden on top. It may take longer in an 8-inch tin as the shortbread is thicker. Place tin foil loosely over the top of the tin if it’s turning too brown through the cooking time.
Remove from the oven and cut along the lines again while it’s still soft. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, then allow it to cool in the tin before removing.
Enjoy!
Classic Shortbread Fingers Recipe
These chunky Shortbread Fingers are super simple to make and use a traditional 3:2:1 ratio recipe of flour to butter to sugar. They're perfect for dunking!
Ingredients
- 12oz plain flour (340g)
- 8oz butter (225g)
- 4oz caster sugar (113g)
Instructions
- Lightly grease an 8inch or 9inch square tin
- Preheat the oven to 160C/325F
- Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and use a hand mixer until just mixed but not creamed/fluffy
- Add the flour and use a wooden spoon to bring it together before using your hands to gently fold the mixture. You want to handle it as little as possible.
- Tip into the greased tin and press down and flatten the top with the back of a metal spoon.
- Cut into two rows of 6 or 7 pieces, depending on the size of the tin. Prick with a fork.
- Bake for around 35-40 minutes until just turning golden on top. It may take longer in an 8-inch tin as the shortbread is thicker. Place tin foil loosely over the top of the tin if it's turning too brown through the cooking time.
- Remove from the oven and cut along the lines again while it's still soft, sprinkle with granulated sugar, then allow to cool in the tin before removing the shortbread.