You'll need only three ingredients to make these deliciously buttery air fryer shortbread cookies.
Shortbread is a traditional Scottish biscuit made with flour, butter and sugar.
The high fat content is what makes shortbread "short", meaning it has an irresistibly crumbly, tender texture.
Shortbread is great for dipping in a cuppa, or serving on the side of creamy desserts such as panna cotta or crème brûlée.
To make my air fryer shortbread, you'll rub cold butter into plain (all purpose) flour and a little sugar until you have a crumb, then add a few drops of cold water to give a lovely smooth dough, which you'll chill to firm up.
You'll then slice the dough into cookies, prick them with a fork, and pop them in the air fryer to bake. It couldn't be simpler - you don't even need a cookie cutter!
Read on for the full recipe with detailed instructions and a helpful photograph for every step. And if you have any questions, just leave me a comment. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) white caster sugar superfine sugar, plus 2 tsp to sprinkle
- 120 g (4.2 oz) plain white flour all purpose flour, sifted
- 60 g (2.1 oz) salted butter cold and cubed
Equipment
- Air fryer liner or a piece of greaseproof paper
Instructions
Put a liner on top of the grill tray in your air fryer. If you don’t have one, cut a piece of greaseproof paper to about the same size as the base of your tray. Fold it in half 3-4 times to create a thin triangle. Make holes with a skewer or hole punch and unfold.
Put the sugar, flour and cold, cubed butter in a bowl.
Rub together until you have an even crumb.
Add 1 1/2 tsp of cold water and cut through with a cutlery knife. Give a little bit of the mixture a squeeze. If it comes together, it’s ready. If it’s dry and sandy, cut in up to another 1 tbsp water.
Gather and knead the mixture just enough to bring it together as a smooth dough. Be careful not to overwork it.
Gently shape the dough into a rectangular length - about 10cm long x 2.5 cm tall x 5cm wide (4 inches long x 1 inch tall x 2 inches wide). Wrap in cling film and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Once the dough is very firm, unwrap and cut into 1 cm (1/2 inch) cookies.
Prick each one all over with a fork.
Place the cookies in the air fryer basket, with about 2cm / ¾ inch between them.
Set air fryer to 130C fan / 265F and bake for 20-25 minutes until they've taken on just a very slight golden colour.
As soon as they’re out of the air fryer, sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once you've given my recipe a go, I'd love you to come back and leave a comment letting me know how yours turned out.
I'd love to see your videos and pics, too! Just tag me on social media. I'm @emilylearycooks on Twitter and TikTok or @amummytoo on Instagram.
Print this Air Fryer Shortbread Cookies recipe
Air Fryer Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) white caster sugar superfine sugar, plus 2 tsp to sprinkle
- 120 g (4.2 oz) plain white flour all purpose flour, sifted
- 60 g (2.1 oz) salted butter cold and cubed
Equipment
- Air fryer liner or a piece of greaseproof paper
Instructions
- Put a liner on top of the grill tray in your air fryer. If you don’t have one, cut a piece of greaseproof paper to about the same size as the base of your tray. Fold it in half 3-4 times to create a thin triangle. Make holes with a skewer or hole punch and unfold.
- Put the sugar, flour and cold, cubed butter in a bowl and rub together until you have an even crumb.
- Add 1 1/2 tsp of cold water and cut through with a cutlery knife. Give a little bit of the mixture a squeeze. If it comes together, it’s ready. If it’s dry and sandy, cut in up to another 1 tbsp water.
- Gather and knead the mixture just enough to bring it together as a smooth dough. Be careful not to overwork it.
- Gently shape the dough into a rectangular length - about 10cm long x 2.5 cm tall x 5cm wide (4 inches long x 1 inch tall x 2 inches wide). Wrap in cling film and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Once the dough is very firm, unwrap and cut into 1 cm (1/2 inch) cookies. Prick each one all over with a fork.
- Place the cookies in the air fryer basket, with about 2cm / ¾ inch between them.
- Set air fryer to 130C fan / 265F and bake for 20-25 minutes until they've taken on just a very slight golden colour.
- As soon as they’re out of the air fryer, sprinkle with the remaining sugar and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
More air fryer recipes to try
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