Clotted Cream Shortbread Cookies (Printable Version)

Buttery shortbread with clotted cream and sweet-tart raspberry filling, perfect for teatime enjoyment.

# What You'll Need:

→ Shortbread Cookies

01 - 7 oz unsalted butter, softened
02 - 2.6 oz clotted cream
03 - 3.5 oz granulated sugar
04 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
05 - 11.5 oz all-purpose flour
06 - 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

→ Raspberry Filling

07 - 5.3 oz fresh raspberries or frozen, thawed
08 - 2.1 oz powdered sugar, sifted
09 - 1 tbsp lemon juice
10 - 1.8 oz unsalted butter, softened
11 - 1.8 oz clotted cream

# Directions:

01 - In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, clotted cream, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract.
02 - Sift in the flour and salt. Mix on low speed or by hand until a soft dough forms. Do not overwork the mixture.
03 - Divide the dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
04 - Preheat the oven to 340°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
05 - On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out rounds approximately 2 inches in diameter and place on prepared sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.
06 - Bake for 16–18 minutes, or until edges are just turning golden. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
07 - Mash the raspberries with lemon juice. Press through a fine sieve to remove seeds.
08 - In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter and clotted cream until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Gradually beat in the raspberry purée until smooth and spreadable.
09 - Spread or pipe a generous layer of raspberry filling onto the underside of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies to make sandwiches.
10 - Chill assembled cookies for 20 minutes to set the filling before serving.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • The clotted cream creates a tender, almost melting texture that regular butter shortbread just cannot achieve.
  • Your kitchen will smell like a proper British bakery, and people will assume you spent hours when really you've mastered something elegant and simple.
  • The raspberry filling is tart enough that it feels sophisticated, not overly sweet like so many sandwich cookies.
02 -
  • The moment you see your dough breaking or becoming greasy when mixing, stop immediately—overworking shortbread is the difference between tender and tough, and there's no fixing it once it happens.
  • Using a fine sieve to strain the raspberries isn't optional if you want an elegant presentation and smooth texture, as whole seeds will ruin the refined look you're going for.
  • The filling must be beaten until it's fluffy, not just mixed, because that air is what gives it the cloud-like texture that makes these cookies feel luxurious.
03 -
  • Keep your butter and clotted cream cold before mixing, but not rock-hard—they should be soft enough to cream but cold enough that they won't separate, which happens faster with clotted cream than with regular butter alone.
  • Roll your dough between two sheets of parchment paper instead of on a floured surface to avoid adding extra flour that will toughen your cookies and make your cuts uneven.
  • If your piping bag seems too stiff for the filling, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes—clotted cream softens quickly, and slightly warmer filling pipes more elegantly than cold filling.
Return