Easy Shortbread Crust for Bars

If you already have the bar recipe and just need a good, reliable shortbread crust recipe, this is it! It is made with just 4 ingredients, comes together in the food processor, and gets pressed right into a 9×13 pan. This is the buttery shortbread crust from my Perfect Pecan Pie Bars.

Ingredients

To make a classic Shortbread Crust you only need 4 ingredients –

• all purpose flour
• powdered sugar
• kosher salt
• cold salted butter

How to Make Shortbread Crust

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F.

Step 1

In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, powdered sugar and kosher salt. Pulse a few times to combine.

Step 2

Pulse while gradually adding the butter cubes, then pulse a few more times until the mixture is crumbly. It will still look crumbly, like it’s just flour – but this is right!

Step 3

Transfer the crumbly shortbread mixture to the 9×13 pan and firmly press it into an even layer with your fingers.

Step 4

Bake for 15 minutes, until just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Add your filling and finish baking.

Ways to Use Your Shortbread

• Perfect Pecan Pie Bars
• Lemon Bars
• Millionaire Bars

Shortbread Crust Recipe

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 12 squares

Author: Susie Weinrich

The easy, buttery shortbread crust behind my favorite Midwest bar desserts. This is the shortbread crust only, so you can pick the filling.

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 cup cold salted butter cubed

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar and kosher salt. Pulse a few times to combine.
  2 cups all purpose flour, ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ tsp. kosher salt
• Pulse the mixture while gradually adding the cold butter cubes. Then pulse a few more times until all of the butter cubes have been added.

  The mixture will still look crumbly, and you will think, this can't be right…. this IS right!
  1 cup cold salted butter cubed
  
• Transfer the crumbly shortbread mixture to a 9×13 inch pan and firmly press with fingers into an even layer. The bottom of a 1 cup measuring cup works great too for pressing it evenly into the pan.
  
• Bake for 15 minutes until starting to just become golden brown around the edges.
  
• Add your preferred filling on top of the crust and bake per the instructions of your recipe.

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