Why is my shortbread rubbish??

[VelociraptorRex]

I thought (probably very misguidedly) that I would make some shortbread to give to family and friends this Christmas. Two attempts (and a ridiculous argument with a 2yo later) and I have some very misshapen Christmas trees and stars. Anyone got a foolproof recipe for shortbread, or can anyone tell me how to stop it spreading out when it cooks??
(Otherwise I'm going to buy some and pretend I made it)

Using plain flour?? Self raising will spread.
Fridge the dough.

Did you chill it first? That helps stop it spreading.

Yes definitely put the dough into the fridge. (Roll out your shape first )

Use gluten free flour! Seriously, I made crap shortbread until I was diagnosed with Coeliac.

This is the recipe that works best for me www.bbc.com/food/recipes/shortbread_1290

Remember to just mix the sugar and butter into a lumpy mixture — you don’t want smoothness. It has to be chunky / lumpy. Try not to handle the dough (use a knife to bring it together) and fridge it in cling film straight away for an hour before rolling it out.

@Cherries101 that's the recipe I was using, I forgot to fridge it though! Thank you all I'll try again when the toddler isn't "helping"!!

@Koutouloufari does the taste or texture change with gluten free flour?

I made some good shortbread recently by using part SR flour and part rice flour

Chill the dough and I add a little cornflour too.

Think there will be some experimenting in this house over the next couple of days, good job DP and DS like shortbread

I use that recipe too - for myself, I add coffee and walnuts, but dh prefers it plain.

Needs to rest in a cool place for an hour and put fork marks through the biscuits .
225mg plain flour
110 mg cornflour
110mg icing sugar
225mg soft butter cut into small pieces
In a machine - add all the ingredients and put on a slow speed until the dough comes together ,then raise the speed till it forms a smooth dough. Roll out .
So easy but don’t overwork. The icing sugar and cornflour make it very short .
Cook at 150 for 45 - 50 minutes.

The taste is the same, I think. The lack of gluten just makes the shortbread, shorter, as it were.

So it should all just look like normal dough? The first recipe I tried it was just a load of breadcrumbs and wouldn't come together!

My shortbread dough looks like breadcrumbs too, that's the way I was taught. It's lovely but very short.

Ah, so I might not have totally ballsed that one up then

Half and half plain flour and cornflour
Half and half caster sugar and icing sugar

I quite like nigella lawsons vanilla shortbread recipe. I think the cornflour makes a difference.

Don’t overwork it. Try just pressing it into a cake tin rather than cutting out shapes, that may mean you handle it less. Make sure you put prick marks into it and this will stop it from puffing up (and possibly spreading I guess).

Thank you all, I'll give it another try today!

My DH swears by the cornflour/plain flour trick, interesting about the gluten free flour, will need to try that!

I’m an excellent baker (say it as I shouldn’t) but I can’t make shortbread! Nigella’s recipe for butter cut out biscuits is brilliant and incredibly forgiving though. And robust enough to make decorations to hang on the tree.

here

Ooh thank you @BertrandRussell

"So it should all just look like normal dough? The first recipe I tried it was just a load of breadcrumbs and wouldn't come together!"

Interestingly, @VelociraptorRex, ds2 rang me yesterday with exactly this problem - he was trying to make shortbread for the first time ever, to take into the staff room today, and his wouldn't come together either. I advised him to mix in a little more softened butter - I will text him and see if that worked out, or if it turned into a greasy mess!