Buttery, crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth — this 4-ingredient shortbread recipe proves that the best baking doesn’t need a long ingredient list. Just butter, icing sugar, flour and cornflour that come together in minutes for a classic shortbread that’s perfect with a cup of tea, wrapped up as a gift, or dunked straight from the tin. Watch the full video below, then scroll down for the printable recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Only 4 ingredients — all pantry staples
- No eggs, no fuss — ready to bake in one bowl
- Classic buttery, crumbly texture every time
- Freezer-friendly dough, so you can bake a fresh batch anytime
- Easy to scale up for gifting, school fetes, or the biscuit tin
Why This Recipe Works
Traditional shortbread relies on a simple ratio of butter, sugar and flour, and this version keeps that spirit while adding a small amount of cornflour (cornstarch) into the mix. That cornflour is the secret to the extra-tender, almost powdery crumb that sets great shortbread apart from an ordinary biscuit — it softens the gluten in the flour so the dough bakes up short and delicate rather than tough or chewy. Because there’s no egg or raising agent, what you get is a true, old-fashioned shortbread: rich, pale, and meant to showcase good butter.
If you enjoy simple, short-ingredient bakes like this one, you’ll probably also love this 2-ingredient scone recipe or this no-fuss banana bread with no added sugar — both prove that fewer ingredients often means better, more honest flavour.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Mixing bowl and electric hand mixer
- Baking tray lined with baking paper
- Sharp knife (if slicing into fingers) or a small tin (if pressing into a slab)
- Fork, for pricking the dough before baking
- Wire cooling rack
1. In a mixing bowl, cream the room-temperature butter using a hand mixer, and add icing sugar; mix until pale yellow and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula.
2. Sift in the plain flour (all-purpose flour) and cornflour, then mix with a hand beater until crumbly — be careful not to overmix. Use a spatula to combine the rest of the flour. Use your hand to bring the mixture together.
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the shortbread mixture on the lined tray and gently smooth with the palm of your hand. Using a pastry scraper, push the dough into a square shape around 5 mm thick.
4. 2 options:
Option1. Place shortbread in the freezer for 15 minutes, remove from the freezer and cook in a 180°C preheated oven for 8-9 minutes.
Option 2. Place shortbread into a 180°C preheated oven for 7-8 minutes without freezing, but the dough may spread while cooking.
5. Remove from the oven and cut into desired shapes. (rectangle, square) Sprinkle some sugar over the top of the shortbread (optional), then return it to the oven at 160° for 10 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the shortbread in the oven to cook all the way through. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as/if desired.
Ingredient Notes
Butter: Use good-quality, softened (not melted) unsalted butter. Since butter is the star ingredient in a 4-ingredient recipe like this, it’s worth using the best you can get.
Icing sugar: Also called powdered or confectioner’s sugar, it dissolves more smoothly than granulated sugar and gives shortbread its signature melt-in-the-mouth finish rather than a gritty texture.
Plain flour: Standard all-purpose flour is all you need — no need for a special baking flour.
Cornflour: This is cornstarch, not to be confused with cornmeal. It’s what gives shortbread its delicate, short texture.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Overmixing the dough: Once the flour goes in, mix only until it comes together. Overworking develops the gluten and makes the shortbread tough instead of short and crumbly.
Skipping the chill: Chilling firms up the butter so your shapes hold and don’t spread too much in the oven.
Baking too dark: Classic shortbread is pale gold, not deep brown. Pull it as soon as the edges just turn colour.
Slicing too thin: Thin pieces bake fast and can turn brittle rather than short and tender — aim for a good half-centimetre to a centimetre thick.
Variations to Try
Once you’ve mastered the base recipe, it’s easy to make it your own:
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or the zest of a lemon to the creamed butter and sugar.
- Dip half of each cooled piece in melted chocolate.
- Fold through a tablespoon of finely chopped nuts or dried fruit.
- Stamp the dough with a cookie cutter for gift-giving instead of slicing into fingers.
If you love easy slice-and-bake treats like this one, you might also want to try this 3-ingredient M&M slice, these classic Monte Carlo biscuits, or these coffee bean cookies — all just as simple, and just as moreish.
Storage
Store your shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. The unbaked dough log also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months — simply slice and bake straight from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the bake time.
Loved this recipe? Watch the full step-by-step video on YouTube and subscribe for more easy bakes — watch it here.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- 3-Ingredient M&M Slice
- Monte Carlo Biscuits
- Coffee Bean Cookies
- 2-Ingredient Scones
- Banana Bread (No Added Sugar)
Like this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a comment and tell your friends.
Enjoy!
4-Ingredient Shortbread
Description
Buttery, crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth — this 4 ingredient shortbread recipe proves that the best baking doesn't need a long ingredient list.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
- In a mixing bowl, cream the room-temperature butter using a hand mixer, and add icing sugar; mix until pale yellow and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula
-
2. Sift in the plain flour (all-purpose flour) and cornflour, then mix with a hand beater until crumbly — be careful not to overmix. Use a spatula to combine the rest of the flour. Use your hand to bring the mixture together.
-
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the shortbread mixture on the lined tray and gently smooth with the palm of your hand. Using a pastry scraper, push the dough into a square shape around 5 mm thick.
-
4. 2 options:
- Place shortbread in the freezer for 15 minutes, remove from the freezer and cook in a 180°C preheated oven for 8-9 minutes.
2. Place shortbread into a 180°C preheated oven for 7-8 minutes without freezing but the dough may spread while cooking.
-
5. Remove from the oven and cut into desired shapes. (rectangle, square) Sprinkle some sugar over the top of the shortbread (optional), then return it to the oven at 160° for 10 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the shortbread in the oven to cook all the way through. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as/if desired.
Note
Ingredient Notes
Butter: Use good-quality, softened (not melted) unsalted butter. Since butter is the star ingredient in a 4-ingredient recipe like this, it's worth using the best you can get.
Icing sugar: Also called powdered or confectioner's sugar, it dissolves more smoothly than granulated sugar and gives shortbread its signature melt-in-the-mouth finish rather than a gritty texture.
Plain flour: Standard all-purpose flour is all you need — no need for a special baking flour.
Cornflour: This is cornstarch, not to be confused with cornmeal. It's what gives shortbread its delicate, short texture.
Once you've mastered the base recipe, it's easy to make it your own:
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or the zest of a lemon to the creamed butter and sugar.
- Dip half of each cooled piece in melted chocolate.
- Fold through a tablespoon of finely chopped nuts or dried fruit.
- Stamp the dough with a cookie cutter for gift-giving instead of slicing into fingers.
If you love easy slice-and-bake treats like this one, you might also want to try this 3-ingredient M&M slice, these classic Monte Carlo biscuits, or these coffee bean cookies — all just as simple, and just as moreish.
