Christmas Shortbread: Types, Tins and Millionaire's Shortbread

Shortbread is three ingredients: butter, sugar and flour. That is why it is so good when it is done well, and so disappointing when it is not. There is nowhere for a cheap ingredient to hide.

It is also one of the best Christmas gifts going. It keeps for weeks, it travels well, and almost nobody says no to it.

Why shortbread at Christmas?

Shortbread comes from Scotland, where butter was a luxury and shortbread was kept for celebrations, above all Christmas and Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year. The habit of giving it in a tin travelled with Scottish settlers, and in Australia a shortbread tin has been a Christmas gift for generations.

The main types of shortbread

Fingers. Thick rectangles, pricked with a fork. The most traditional shape and the easiest to dunk.

Rounds and petticoat tails. A round, cut into wedges. Petticoat tails are the thin, fluted version.

Shaped shortbread. Stars, trees and animals. More fiddly to make and very good for children and gifts.

Flavoured shortbread. Ginger, macadamia, lemon or chocolate chip worked into the dough. Try macadamia shortbread for something very Australian.

Gluten-free shortbread. Made with rice flour or a gluten-free blend. Rice flour actually gives a good, sandy texture. The gluten-free pure butter shortbread is a reliable one.

How to tell a good shortbread

Read the ingredients. The first should be flour and the second butter. If you see vegetable oil, palm oil or margarine, put it back. A good shortbread is pale gold, snaps cleanly, then melts on the tongue rather than crumbling into dust.

Shortbread tins worth giving

A tin does two jobs. It keeps the biscuits crisp, and it is still on the kitchen bench, holding pens or buttons, ten years later.

• The Luxury Festive Shortbread Tin is the most Christmassy of the range.
• The Nordic Christmas tins come in blue and red. Buy one of each for a pair of gifts.
• The Nutcracker shortbread tube fits neatly in a stocking.

For everyday shortbread, Scottie Dog butter shortbread is Australian made and properly buttery, and Jens traditional shortbread is a generous 300g pack for the biscuit tin at home.

We cover the Valley Produce Company range in more detail in Valley Produce Company shortbread and chocolate.

Millionaire's shortbread (caramel shortbread)

Millionaire's shortbread is a shortbread base, a layer of thick caramel and a layer of chocolate. In Australia it often goes by caramel slice. It is very rich, so cut it small.

Base: 250g plain flour, 75g caster sugar and 175g softened butter. Rub together, press into a lined 20 x 30cm tin and bake at 180°C for 20 minutes until pale gold. Cool.

Caramel: a 395g tin of sweetened condensed milk, 100g butter, 100g brown sugar and 2 tbsp golden syrup. Melt over low heat, then simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 to 8 minutes until thick and a shade darker. Pour over the base and leave to set.

Top: 200g dark or milk chocolate, melted, spread over the cold caramel. Chill until firm, then cut with a hot knife.

Short on time? Crush bought shortbread with melted butter for the base. It works well and saves half an hour.

How long shortbread keeps

Shortbread keeps for two to three weeks in an airtight tin, which is why it makes such a good gift to post or to make early. Keep it away from anything with a strong smell, because butter picks up flavours easily. Millionaire's shortbread is best kept in the fridge and eaten within a week.

Other things to do with shortbread

• Crush it over ice cream or poached fruit.
• Use it in place of sponge fingers in a trifle.
• Fold it through a chocolate salami with shortbread and macadamias, a no-bake Christmas sweet that slices like salami.

Browse all of our biscuits and biscuit tins, read our round-up of the best Australian biscuits and biscuit tins, or see the Scottie Dog and Valley Produce Company ranges.