Bake
Bien Cuit Shortbread
Popular on Food52
125 Reviews
Jennifer
March 20, 2024
Okay - I put my parchment paper in my baking dish. How are you able to smooth the dough? I used fingers and left finger prints. Tried rolling a glass across it, left tire tracks. My rolling pin is too long for my 13 x 9 pan. Guess I should have used a cookie sheet?
roseann S.
October 28, 2023
I measured grams and mixed with paddle then placed the dough as describe with a chilling. When baked and removed from pan I could not cut the bars as each cut broke the bar. Though really delicious I had nothing but small pieces to eat. What went wrong???
yona
October 30, 2023
Maybe baked them too long? Or try cutting them before they cool completely, even almost right out of the oven. You might also try scoring the sheet of dough before placing it in the oven. Ashley V's comment below might be helpful. I agree with using a good, high-fat butter.
Kate R.
October 17, 2023
Love this recipe, used the food processor and pulsed until just combined, assembled the dough at lunchtime and chilled for about 5 hours before baking, came out fantastic, will make again!
Catherine P.
October 9, 2023
Love love love this recipe. I just piled it all into the processor, blitzed until it came together, and followed the rest of the recipe after that. Unfortunately for my waistline , very delicious!
Ma_Faldine
September 24, 2023
I never made this shortbread simply because the recipe is metric and I didn't feel like converting it. Ins read, I made Ted Lasso's Shortbread. It's easy and the delicious!
lissness
September 24, 2023
I adore these biscuits, as many of my unwitting guinea pigs do, but I do agree the recipe needs minor adjustments. I used a non-stick 13x9 tin and 45 minutes is ample time at the temperature provided. A dough scraper is your best friend here, it makes for a perfectly spread tin. I followed the advice of previous commenters and combined a sprinkle of both Maldon salt and turbinado sugar for extra deliciousness. Walker's could never.
Dana
July 19, 2023
Turned out lovely, though I put chopped crystallized ginger in one half of dough and mini semi sweet chips and chopped tart cherries ( dried) in the other half. Next time I might try tart cherries with dried apricot and almonds as I have when making biscotti.
ChristineSoto
May 20, 2023
update on my post of May 17, 2023. When first out of the oven and cooled a bit, they were a bit chewy. After they cooled completely, they hardened up to the extent that they were impossible to bite into. I thought i followed the recipe exactly, and I'm a pretty good home baker, but what i did wrong eludes me. Any thoughts?
Catherine P.
October 9, 2023
Oh… mine didnt harden up like that at all, in fact I was worried they were going to be too crumbly, but it was perfect. The best I have eaten actually. Not sure what happened to you. Because I put everything into the processor and blitzed, I thought I was going to overwork the dough. But it was perfect.
ChristineSoto
May 17, 2023
i made these for the first time today. The dough buckled a bit as it cooked, leaving a bumpy top, not the smooth looking tops of the photos with the recipe. So i wondered, after i turned it out onto a board, was i supposed to sprinkle the sugar on the bottom of the dough? Otherwise, i found the shortbread a bit chewy, with a delightful flavor.
yona
April 25, 2023
THESE. ARE. AWESOME! But I must say, I got a bit scared after I put the butter in to the mixer. I'm a good cook, but a novice baker, so I'm not familiar yet with the way things work...the chemistry of baking. I followed the instructions to a "t," only I didn't have any unsalted butter, so I just used less salt. I mixed the dry ingredients, then began to add the cubed butter. I stood there and waited for it all to form a dough...and waited...and waited. It blended nicely, but never went beyond the "breadcrumb" stage. So I logged in and began to write a question to get some help; perhaps I got the measurements wrong. I have a scale, so the unit wasn't a problem. About halfway through my post, I heard the mixer begin to "work" harder (like it does when a dough begins to form). It went from "breadcrumbs" to a doughball in literally seconds! I was so startled, but also very pleased! My lesson? Have some patience. YouTube shorts are called "shorts" for a reason; they're deceptive!
Next time I make them, I'm going to add a little anise seed and sprinkle the top with sugar and cinnamon, like biscochitos!
Next time I make them, I'm going to add a little anise seed and sprinkle the top with sugar and cinnamon, like biscochitos!
LisaD
March 26, 2023
I made these and they are delicious! Although, it is difficult to push the dough into a 13 x 9 sheet pan, so I rolled it out to make it easier and more even. It took around 45 minutes to bake, and I let it cool for at least 15 minutes. Even though I was very gentle and cautious about removing it from the pan, the bars did crack. Cutting them was also a bit of a challenge. I feel like when I make them again, I would cool them in the fridge, and then cut them. I think they would be less crumbly, and it would be easier all around. The finished product is absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I chose to finish them with Fleur de sel, and that to me, was the perfect choice.
Ashley V.
March 16, 2023
Oh. My. STARS this recipe is amazing. I’ve made 4 batches in 3 weeks, and here’s what I’ve discovered:
1) DO use Kerrygold or similar (one of the gatherings I brought these to dubbed them “butter sticks” because you can TELL when the good stuff is used.). Unless you’re watching your salt intake, DO use salted butter
2) another comment suggested using a second piece of parchment to press the dough into the pan. Yes. Do this.
3) no need to dock the dough, I have yet to have it puff up while baking, even when I forgot, 2 batches in a row. Now I skip it.
4) DO give the cookies 5-7 minutes to cool in the pan before transferring, they are very delicate while warm
5) transfer from pan to cutting surface like it’s an upside down cake - cutting board over pan, and invert. Carefully remove pan, and voila!
6) DO add flaky salt once transferred to cutting surface and while still as warm as possible. The salt puts them over the top in the most mysteriously delicate way possible
7) DO slice while still warm. But be delicate.
8) DO NOT let the batch size dissuade you from making them, even if you’re a party of one. The recipe halves beautifully (yet another reason to use metric!), and the biscuits keep for a week - if they last that long.
1) DO use Kerrygold or similar (one of the gatherings I brought these to dubbed them “butter sticks” because you can TELL when the good stuff is used.). Unless you’re watching your salt intake, DO use salted butter
2) another comment suggested using a second piece of parchment to press the dough into the pan. Yes. Do this.
3) no need to dock the dough, I have yet to have it puff up while baking, even when I forgot, 2 batches in a row. Now I skip it.
4) DO give the cookies 5-7 minutes to cool in the pan before transferring, they are very delicate while warm
5) transfer from pan to cutting surface like it’s an upside down cake - cutting board over pan, and invert. Carefully remove pan, and voila!
6) DO add flaky salt once transferred to cutting surface and while still as warm as possible. The salt puts them over the top in the most mysteriously delicate way possible
7) DO slice while still warm. But be delicate.
8) DO NOT let the batch size dissuade you from making them, even if you’re a party of one. The recipe halves beautifully (yet another reason to use metric!), and the biscuits keep for a week - if they last that long.
[email protected]
March 12, 2023
Thank-you for the metric weight measurements! I have shifted my baking and bread making to weighing out the flour and butter (much more consistent than archaic imperial or cups) but there are maddeningly few recipes that come in weights. I also love the King Arthur flour recipes for this reason.
anniette
April 3, 2023
I seek out the British versions of cookbooks for this reason: they always include easy metric measurements.
Robert F.
March 12, 2023
Why or why can you not include measurements that do not require the cook to run to the nearest Sur La Table and buy a weighing scale? They are called "cups" and "tablespoons" and so on, and have been used in every cook book since Adam asked Eve to write down her recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Big disappointment, and egotistical to boot
Ashley V.
March 16, 2023
Talk about egotistical, when it’s widely accepted that metric measurements are much more accurate than cups, tablespoons, etc. You can get an inexpensive scale on Amazon, and it’s not as if they take up much space.
Sara G.
April 14, 2023
Baking is best done by weight. An inexpensive little digital scale is so handy to have in the kitchen. Not sure why you think only upscale shops sell these - our local supermarket chain sells one for under $20
Baker23
April 25, 2023
I bought a great small scale on Amazon for $11. My last scale (Oxo- cost about $25) lasted for over 20 years.
kerryn
April 25, 2023
I live near the water (more humidity) and since I’ve started using metric to weigh my dry ingredients, everything turns out better. I didn’t believe it until I tried it!
stevesmycat
June 15, 2023
Food scales are $10 on Amazon and worth the minimal investment. Imperial measurements don't work as well when baking.
courtrussell
July 19, 2023
🤦🏻♀️ Talk about egotistical assuming that the American way of doing it is the “right” way when it’s definitely an inferior way.
Rachel R.
November 4, 2023
There are so many things wrong with this comment that I am not sure where to begin. Buy a damn scale.
Lora S.
March 9, 2023
Not what I expected, nor my favorite style of shortbread. Made as written plus added 1 t vanilla. In my opinion, the texture is too flaky, and too dry despite the butter residue on my fingers. I had expected more of a melt-away style shortbread. I was dubious about the application of turbinado AFTER baking and was right, it just falls off. IMO, would be better sprinkled on top before baking, and just lift out the shortbread with the parchment sling, rather than turn out onto a board. I can certainly understand why this would appeal to many, it's just not for me. I'm glad the bakery was kind enough to share their recipe, and glad I tried it.
Ma_Faldine
March 7, 2023
Is this recipe available in standard, non-metric measurements? I tried looking at a conversion chart, but it is still not that easy to decipher.
Sherry W.
March 20, 2023
Please Ma_Faldine, you can get a scale for $10-$15 dollars and you will be amazed at how often you will use it.
Ma_Faldine
March 22, 2023
Thank you. Julia Child's "The French Chef Cookbook" has a conversion chart.
soylette
March 3, 2023
I loved this! I used quarter sheet pan and used a dough scraper to flatten out the top of my dough. I also added some anise seeds, vanilla bean scrapings and a bit of lemon zest to mine. So good! Also, I'm American, but I definitely prefer and appreciated the grams measurements (so I can just tare the bowl each time I add an ingredient instead of having to scoop and measure, bc I'm lazy that way)
Babette's S.
March 2, 2023
Too bad only metric measurement is provided. Come on Food52, you have the staff of testers. Have someone convert to USCS (US Imperial) & then test the recipe for accuracy, then edit this shortbread recipe to show both metric & USCS (US Imperial). Thanks.
Myron1101
March 4, 2023
Maybe Americans should learn the metric system since the whole world uses it
holly D.
March 6, 2023
the only volume measurement given is in USCS - 1/8 of a cup.
Since the rest of the measurements for this recipe are weights not volume measurements, it should be easier and more accurate for anybody with a scale to make this recipe no matter where they live. I think most kitchen scales easily measure grams or ounces. This has been true of the only kitchen scales I have used, anyway. So, if you prefer to look at the measurements in ounces simply weigh it in grams and then press the button on your scale to change it to ounces.
Since the rest of the measurements for this recipe are weights not volume measurements, it should be easier and more accurate for anybody with a scale to make this recipe no matter where they live. I think most kitchen scales easily measure grams or ounces. This has been true of the only kitchen scales I have used, anyway. So, if you prefer to look at the measurements in ounces simply weigh it in grams and then press the button on your scale to change it to ounces.
B.Conelley
February 6, 2024
A note to all Imperial measurement freaks: So you have 12 fingers and toes? The metric system is based on groups of 10 (10 fingers and toes), as Is the entire world's system for all measurements. That is unless you are using hexadecimal systems or base 2 (think techies - computers). Use of the metric system has nothing to do with ego. It has everything to do with a system that is used by the entire planet and and it is also about accuracy and simplicity. Again, think 10 fingers and toes. Although, I do believe the Brits use pounds to weigh people.
See what other Food52ers are saying.