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Shortbread Crust
A rich, buttery shortbread crust that elevates any cheesecake base.
Creating a homemade shortbread crust adds depth and character to cheesecakes. The buttery flavour and fine crumb provide a sturdy yet delicate base that complements creamy fillings perfectly.
This guide walks you through making the shortbread from scratch, then turning it into a structured cheesecake crust with added pistachio for texture and flavour.
Ingredients
Shortbread
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g icing sugar
- 40 g almond flour
- 1 g salt
- 1 egg
- 140 g unsalted butter (cold)
Cheesecake Base
- 350 g baked shortbread
- 60 g ground roasted pistachio nuts
- 60 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
Tart Dough
- 340 g all-purpose flour
- 130 g icing sugar
- 5 g vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla essence)
- 2 g salt
- 1 egg
- 180 g unsalted butter
Almond Filling
- 125 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 125 g icing sugar
- 125 g almond flour
- 10 g lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 40 g all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Combine flour, icing sugar, almond flour, salt, egg, and cold butter in a food processor. Blend until a fine crumb forms.
- Knead lightly into a dough, roll between parchment to 3–4 mm thick, and bake at 170°C for 15–20 minutes until golden.
- Cool completely, then break the shortbread into pieces.
- Grind 350 g of shortbread into fine crumbs and mix with pistachio nuts and softened butter by hand.
- Press two-thirds of the mixture into the sides of an 18 cm springform pan.
- Press the remaining mixture firmly onto the base.
- Chill the crust for 10 minutes before filling with cheesecake mixture.
