shortbread

American  

[shawrt-bred] / ˈʃɔrtˌbrɛd /

noun

1. a butter cookie commonly made in thick, pie-shaped wheels or rolled and cut in fancy shapes.

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shortbread British  

/ ˈʃɔːtˌbrɛd /

noun

1. a rich crumbly biscuit made from dough with a large proportion of butter

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Etymology

Origin of shortbread

First recorded in 1795–1805; short + bread

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Explanation

Shortbread is a delicious sweet, crumbly Scottish cookie. If you want to bake your own shortbread, you'll need a lot of butter! Shortbread recipes vary, but most of them include a magical combination of flour, sugar, and butter. This traditional Scottish biscuit's high fat content gives it a crumbly texture caused by very short strands of gluten — and the short part of its name. Shortbread is associated with Christmas and the New Year in Scotland, where it also goes by the nickname shortie.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shortbread

Delta has gotten rid of Michel et Augustin shortbread square cookies, the highlight of the Comfort+ snack basket for me.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

As ever, best known for its jam, sells products including rosé wine, teas, shortbread cookies and flower sprinkles.

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026

Sitting on the deck, I put my nose to the glass and breathed in aromas of light peat, ripe plums, shortbread and, floating in on the breeze, sea air.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

The classic starts with a buttery, crumbly shortbread base, topped with a layer of lightly salted gooey caramel, and finished with a lush chocolate ganache.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

Little Lord Sandown watched with interest as I picked up a shortbread half and began to nibble its edges.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

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