Shortbread or shortie is a traditional Scottish biscuit usually made from one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three to four parts plain wheat flour. Unlike many other biscuits and baked goods, shortbread does not contain any leavening, such as baking powder or baking soda.

Why is it called shortbread?

The origins of shortbread can be traced back to about the 12th Century when butter or lard was added to bread dough, thus the name shortbread. ... It was the shape of the frills on the dresses of the Edinburgh ladies who were having shortbread for their court afternoon teas, that the name petticoat tails was derived.

What does it mean when a shortbread is short?

If you use half a pound of butter in a batch of cookies, it becomes “short” — because “short” means, historically, pastry with a high percentage of fat. Thus shortbread cookies are — when correctly made — rich, crumbly and impossible to resist.