There are more vacation stories to tell and one of them is a recipe – Scottish Shortbread. Isn’t a recipe a kind of story anyway?
Before we switch Isles and head virtually to the Emerald one, let’s talk cookies.
I had no idea how much shortbread was such a Scottish thing. I mean, yeah, I see the Walkers’ brand everywhere but I guess I never gave it much thought. Our lovely Edinburgh hostess welcomed us to her home with tea and shortbread at nine in the morning. Apparently time knows no bounds for cookies in Scotland (or, in my life ever, really). Anyway, I was into it.
I got even more into it when we arrived late and somewhat damp into our B&B in Kyle of Lochalsh before our day on Skye. Not only did we receive the warmest welcome at Creag Dubh, but when we got to our room, we found a little Scottish hospitality waiting for us: a dram of whisky, and a few shortbread cookies to set us right.
Whisky, I can give or take, but these were the best shortbread cookies I’d ever had, and of course I needed the recipe. Kate was only too happy to oblige, writing her recipe out in an elegant hand and painstaking detail, noting that these shortbread cookies require the best ingredients.
Preach, sista.
You know I go on and on about good ingredients here, and the U.S….well, we don’t always have the best. This recipe boasts 4, so I recommend you don’t skimp on any of them. I use Kerrygold butter on the reg, so I recommend that or some similar European varietal. Dammit, it makes a different. No margarine, I beg.
Caster sugar is seemingly more prevalent overseas and while you can buy it here, you can just give our regular granulated sugar a whirl in the food processor. The finer sugar better incorporates into the butter to make a smooth and silky dough. Also, I sifted the flour, which wasn’t actually in the directions, but I wanted to keep everything light and airy, and a quick sift always does the trick.
Finally, Kate measures by weight and not by volume. I weighed my ingredients as well, but included the volume measurements in the event that you don’t have a kitchen scale (let me tell you thought that you should invest in one!)
These cookies come together quite quickly and even if you can’t make it all the way to Scotland, they will surely bring a smile to your face.
Scottish Shortbread
Traditional, melt-in-your mouth, buttery Scottish shortbread
Ingredients
- 350 grams (26 TB) the best unsalted butter
- 150 grams (11 TB) caster sugar (or granulated sugar, ground in the food processor)
- a good pinch of salt
- 500 grams (3 1/4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
Directions
- Step 1 Beat the butter until smooth, and add the sugar and mix until pale and creamy.
- Step 2 Add the flour, half at a time, and then finish kneading to make a dough ball.
- Step 3 Roll out to 3-4mm thickness and out out the cookies using a cookie or biscuit cutter 3″ in diameter. Place them on parchment lined cookie sheets, evenly spaced. Prick each cookie with a fork, and place each cookie sheet int eh fridge for 30-40 minutes.
- Step 4 Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Step 5 Bake for 20 minutes and immediately remove to a rack to cool thoroughly before storing in an airtight container.
- Step 6 Recipe from Kate Mellville
