Traditional Spelt Shortbread (just 4 ingredients)

This spelt shortbread is so easy to make, uses only 4 simple ingredients, and tastes amazing. Crumbly, buttery, thick cookies perfect for dunking in your tea and ready to eat in less than an hour. The recipe can be adapted to use all-purpose (plain) flour as a substitute for spelt flour.

This recipe for traditional spelt shortbread is buttery, chunky and melt in your mouth.

One thing I miss about not living in the UK is the biscuits. Like shortbread. Buttery, chunky shortbread. So much so, that I decided to make my own traditional spelt shortbread.

What are the origins of shortbread?

Shortbread has been circulating the UK for a long time. Often associated with Scotland in particular, there is evidence to suggest that shortbread was being eaten as early as the 12th century. However, it was Mary, Queen of Scots who royally put shortbread on the map in the 16th century.

In the early days shortbread was, somewhat surprisingly, made with yeast. It was double baked to produce a rusk, which is a crispy biscuit (cookie). The yeast was removed and butter added, and the rest is history.

Shortbread invariably comes in three shapes. The petticoat tail is a round shortbread cut into slices (often crimped at the edges), small round cookies, or chunky oblong shapes. The latter is the most common in the UK. 

Shortbread is made from cupboard staples, and unlike most cookies, has no leavening agents whatsoever (baking powder or baking soda).

Although an absolute powerhouse in its own right, shortbread can also be added to other desserts. It makes an amazing crust for cheesecakes, can be added to trifles, and it was the star of the show in my caramel shortbread chocolate bark. 

Does using spelt flour in shortbread make a difference?

The simple answer is: no. If you put two slices of shortbread in front of someone, one made with spelt, the other with regular flour, they would not be able to notice any difference. 

As I’ve mentioned many times before, where recipes have regular flour, you can often simply do a straight swap for spelt flour. For me, that is the most wonderful thing about using spelt flour. All that you would expect from regular flour baked goods but without wheat (and the uncomfortable side effects it can bring with it). 

Other spelt cookie recipes

Spelt is amazing in cookies. If you tasted two cookies, one made with spelt flour and the other with regular flour, I doubt whether you would be able to tell them apart. I’ve made many other simple spelt flour cookie recipes that you might also enjoy:

• Spelt chocolate chip cookies
• Spelt butter cookies with white chocolate
• Spelt Swedish vanilla snittar cookies with blueberry jam
• Swedish Märta klurna chocolate cookies
• Homemade chocolate Hobnobs
• Spelt Swedish toffee cookies

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Traditional Spelt Shortbread (just 4 ingredients)

This easy and quick traditional spelt shortbread recipe is made using only 4 ingredients.

Course Cookie

Cuisine British

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8 cookies

Ingredients

• 150g (⅔ cup) butter (softened)
• 50g (4 tbsp) sugar (extra for sprinkling)
• 175g (1½ cups) spelt flour (see note 1)
• 25g (⅕ cup) rice flour

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 150ºC (302℉).
• Grease a small, round pan. I used an 18cm (7") spring-form, but you could pretty much use any size (and then adjust the baking time accordingly).
• Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. 
• Combine the flours and stir into the butter/sugar, mixing until a dough pulls together. Scrape the last bits together with your hands.
• Press the dough into the prepared pan and push it outwards with your fingers until it covers the whole pan (just the bottom, it doesn't go up the sides).
• Take the back of a spoon and smooth the top until it is even.
• Decorate by pricking the dough all over with a fork.
• Score lines into the dough (almost all the way through), as this will help cut the shortbread later.
• Sprinkle a little sugar over the top.
• Bake for around 30-35 minutes, just until the edges are browning but the rest still looks pale.
• Cool for ten minutes or so. If using a springform pan, remove the edges.
• Cut through the scores you made before baking to give you wedges, but leave the shortbread where it is and don't move it until it is completely cooled. Enjoy!

Notes

 

I have converted grams to cups/ounces/tablespoons using online converters. Although I have no reason to believe they are inaccurate, please be aware that I have not made this recipe with imperial measurements.

1. You can use spelt or regular flour for this recipe (just use the same amount).

Related posts:

Vanilla Spelt Shortbread Cookie Sandwiches Simple Blueberry Spelt Butter Cookies (from scratch) Raspberry Spelt Thumbprint Cookies Swedish Spelt Pepparkakor (Gingerbread Cookies) Jam Love Heart Butter Cookies (for your Valentine)