With only 3 ingredients, you can make a buttery crust that is perfect for bars and squares and can also be used for cookies. It's one of the easiest base crusts you'll ever make. Depending on the filling or topping, you can make it saltier or add vanilla, citrus and other flavorings.
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Foolproof base
This is a classic recipe for bars and squares, and I use it a lot. It's fantastic and uses pantry staples: flour, butter, sugar and maybe a pinch of salt.
It's a formula more than a specific recipe, and depending on what you're making, it can be doubled, tripled or cut in half.
It can hold most sweet toppings. We use it for:
- Millionaire caramel bars
- Plum squares
- Apple pie bars
- Honey walnut squares
- Raspberry apple crumb bars
- Maple pecan pie bars
- Almond bars
And I'm adding lemon bars shortly, a traditional topping for this buttery mixture.
You can line the pan and freeze it for up to a month, or keep it refrigerated for 3 or 4 days and cover it well to prevent dryness.
Basic shortbread crust formula:
- 1 measure of flour
- ½ measure of butter
- ¼ measure of sugar
It never fails as long as you remember the measuring unit is volume, like cups.
You can add a pinch of salt, spices, citrus zest and other flavorings. But the main recipe is perfect and goes well with any topping, give or take.
The result is crumbly, and you can easily pat it on the bottom of the pan.
Steps to make shortbread base
For this recipe, I prick it with a fork and freeze it before pre-baking it. This step will make it crunchier and less soggy once the filling is added.
- Mix ingredients in a large bowl and then scatter in the baking pan. Distribute it throughout the bottom.
- Press it with your hands until it's all compacted and there are no crumbly parts.
- Prick it with a fork and freeze it before pre-baking it.
- Bake it for 15 minutes, until it's starting to dry and puff. This will help prevent it from becoming soggy when you add the filling.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
Chilling or freezing the shortbread crust before lightly baking it (called blind baking) prevents it from shrinking and puffing up too much.
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Shortbread Crust (for bars & squares)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- This recipe is for the shortbread base only; it does not include fillings.
- With a wooden spoon or electric hand mixer on low, cream ½ cup unsalted butter with ¼ cup granulated sugar until smooth.
- Add Pinch of salt and sifted 1 cup all-purpose flour in two parts, combining well. Do not overmix. It will be crumbly.
- Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and pat the dough evenly on the bottom. Lightly flour the tips of your fingers if needed to do this. Be sure all surface is covered as evenly as possible.
- Prick the bottom with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Pre-bake for for 15 minutes, until starting to dry and color. Remove and reserve on a wire rack until you add the filling and bake it further. For no-bake fillings, bake the crust for about 25 minutes, until dry and fully baked. Let cool on a wire rack.
Lois says
This was good, I wanted to use up some leftover rhubarb and didn't feel like making another pie. I pre-baked the shortbread crust, put a layer of raspberry jam, and custard and rhubarb on top to bake. I had to let it totally cool to eat, as the crust was falling apart, but once it cooled a bit it was delicious!
Aoife says
Would these work for a cheesecake base?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Aiofe, yes it would.
Jane says
I was struggling with the base for some almond bars, and found this recipe, which had different proportions. This worked very well, and turned out perfectly for the bars.
Paula Montenegro says
So happy to know that Jane! I love this formula, it's simple and yields consistent results.
Ms Jenny says
I've been using this for topping my homemade lemon curd bars on.