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Shortbread · Classic Pan Wedges

Classic Butter Shortbread Wedges

Five pantry ingredients pressed into a round pan, scored and baked low until crisp and sandy. No rolling, no shaping and no mixer required, so it makes a perfect first bake.

New, no ratings yet0 reviewsby Simmerbee Kitchen

Prep
15 min
Cook
40 min
Total
1 hr 45 min
Serves
12 wedges
Level
Easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (227 g)
    Swaps for unsalted butter

    Instead of butter

    • Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
    • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
    • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.

    All 4 swaps for butter

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • ½ cup granulated sugar, 100 g, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling
    Swaps for granulated sugar

    Instead of sugar

    • Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
    • Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
    • Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.

    All 4 swaps for sugar

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    Swaps for vanilla extract

    Instead of vanilla extract

    • Vanilla bean paste: The same amount. Stronger, with visible vanilla seeds.
    • Vanilla bean: The seeds of 1 bean for each 1 tbsp extract. A deeper, floral flavor and visible seeds.
    • Alcohol-free vanilla: The same amount. Made with glycerin; a slightly milder taste.

    All 5 swaps for vanilla extract

  • ½ tsp kosher salt
    Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (250 g)
    Swaps for all-purpose flour

    Instead of all-purpose flour

    • Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: The same amount, a blend that includes xanthan gum. A little grittier and more crumbly, browns faster and dries out sooner.
    • Bread flour: The same amount. More gluten: chewier cookies and bread, tougher cakes.
    • Whole wheat flour: Up to half of the flour. Nuttier, darker and denser.

    All 4 swaps for all-purpose flour

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

  • ¼ cup cornstarch, 30 g
    Swaps for cornstarch

    Instead of cornstarch

    • All-purpose flour: 2 tbsp flour for each 1 tbsp cornstarch. Sauces turn cloudy instead of glossy and a bit heavier.
    • Arrowroot: The same amount. Very clear and glossy; can turn slimy in dairy sauces.
    • Potato starch: The same amount. Thickens fast with a clear gloss; don't boil it long.

    All 4 swaps for cornstarch

    Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

Different pan? Written for 9-inch round; rescale the amounts for an 8x8, 9x13, round, loaf or sheet pan.

Cooking for a crowd? Pans, timing and salt for 12 to 50.

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with a circle of parchment.
    325°F
  2. In a large bowl,
    beat (how to beat) Beat Mix hard and fast, by hand or with a mixer, to blend ingredients fully and add air. 1. Use a mixer on the speed the recipe gives, or a fork or whisk for a few eggs.2. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each disappears before the next.3. Stop and scrape the bowl and beaters now and then.4. Mix on low once flour goes in, just until combined. Done when: The mixture is smooth and even, with no streaks of yolk or white. Safety: Turn the mixer off before you scrape the bowl or reach in.How to beat eggs and batters: mistakes to avoid
    the butter, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla and salt with a mixer or a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy.
  3. Add the flour and cornstarch and mix on low (or stir) until the dough clumps together. It will look crumbly at first.
  4. Tip the dough into the pan and press it into an even layer with your fingers, then smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
  5. Prick the dough all over with a fork, about every inch, so it bakes flat.
  6. Score (how to score) Score Make shallow cuts in the surface of food so it cooks evenly, opens neatly or takes in flavor. 1. Use a very sharp knife or a razor blade.2. Hold the blade at a low angle for bread, straight down for meat or fish.3. Cut about ¼ inch deep in one quick, confident stroke; don't saw.4. Space the cuts evenly, like a crosshatch on a ham or a few slashes across a loaf. Done when: The cuts are shallow and clean. On a loaf they open into an "ear" in the oven; on meat the fat renders and the glaze sinks in. Safety: Keep the fingertips of your guiding hand curled under, knuckles toward the blade, and set the board on a damp towel so it can't slide.How to score dough, meat and fish: mistakes to avoid
    the dough into 12 wedges with a knife, cutting about halfway down.
  7. Refrigerate the pan so the butter firms up and the edges stay sharp.
    ⏱ Chill: 20 min
  8. Bake until the shortbread is pale golden all over and golden at the edges.
    325°F⏱ Bake: 40 min
  9. Right away, sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and cut along the score lines all the way through while it is still warm.
  10. Let it cool completely in the pan before lifting out the wedges. It crisps as it cools.
    ⏱ Cool in pan: 30 min

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

  • Bake until truly golden, not pale. Underbaked shortbread tastes floury and stays soft.
  • Cut while warm. Once cool, it shatters instead of slicing.
  • Salted butter works too; skip the added salt.

Storage

Airtight at room temperature up to 2 weeks. It keeps beautifully, which makes it a good gift.

Make ahead

Press the dough into the pan, wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze up to 2 months. Bake straight from cold, adding 5 minutes.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage.

Quick answers

Can I freeze it?

Press the dough into the pan, wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze up to 2 months.

What can I swap?
  • Instead of butter: Salted butter.
  • Instead of sugar: Brown sugar, the same amount, packed.

Salted butter works too.

Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories
250
Protein
2 g
Carbohydrates
27 g
Fiber
<1 g
Sugars
8 g
Fat
16 g
Saturated fat
10 g
Sodium
75 mg

Whole recipe, 12 servings: about 3,050 calories.

Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 6 of 6 ingredients.

How we estimate

We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 12 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.

Estimated cost

About $0.20 a serving

About $2.50 for the recipe as written (12 servings).

Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from BLS Average Price Data. Priced: 3 of 6 ingredients, 94% by weight.

How we estimate

Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.

  • unsalted butter $2.00 BLS
  • all-purpose flour $0.30 BLS
  • granulated sugar $0.20 BLS

Not priced (no official average price we can match, so not in the total): vanilla extract, kosher salt, cornstarch.

More dishes for less: cheap eats.

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Cleanup score 4/5 (easy cleanup): 2 things to wash, cake pans, mixing bowl.

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simmerbee.com/r/shortbread-classic-butterSimmerbee