'Perfect' three-ingredient shortbread that can be baked in just 20 minutes

Shortbread is one of those sweet treats that just instantly makes you think of Scotland - and it's been enjoyed here for hundreds and hundreds of years.

But did you know you can make a delicious batch of the classic Scottish delicacy at home in just 20 minutes, using no more than three common ingredients?

As tasty as the biscuits are, they are not always complicated to make, according to one woman on social media who has hailed this simple recipe as the 'perfect' treat for baking on a rainy day.

The recipe was shared on TikTok by @homewithbb, a woman who often posts simplified versions of classic treats requiring very few ingredients that are easy to make at home.

And her shortbread recipe, which has amassed over 470.9k views to date, has proved hugely popular with her followers - as many have taken to the comments to express how much they want to try it out.

So if you're looking for an easy midweek baking project then all you'll need is flour, caster sugar and butter. And by following a few simple steps, you'll have some delicious shortbread baking in the oven in no time.

The woman said: "Yes, you read that right. Shortbread only has three ingredients so it's perfect to make on a rainy weekend with the kids or just to have on the sofa with a cup of tea."

Three-ingredient shortbread

You will need:

• 330g flour

• 90g caster sugar, plus a little extra to sprinkle on top

• 250g salted butter

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190C and cut your butter into cubes. The woman stressed that it needs to be 'really soft', so you may need to leave it out of the fridge for a while in order to soften.

2. Weight out your caster sugar and butter, adding them to a bowl and mix together using an electric whisk. You only need to do this for a couple of seconds, as the woman said: "You don't want to mix it too much. If you don't have a mixer, you can just use a wooden spoon."

3. Sift in your flour and combine the mixture together using your hands or a spatula to form a dough.

4. Sprinkle some extra flour on your worktop and roll out the dough using a rolling pin, a bottle of wine or anything else you have to hand. The woman said: "You don't want it too thin, you want it quite thick" - so you end up with a nice and crumbly shortbread.

5. Use a cutter to make shapes in the dough, then line a baking tray and bake your biscuits in the oven for 15-20 minutes on your oven's middle shelf until the edges are slightly brown but still pale in colour.

6. Sprinkle your shortbread with sugar immediately after taking them out the oven, wait for them to cool a little and tuck in.

Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.