Scottish Shortbread

July 9, 2019July 7, 2019

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Picnic Treats Made with Raspberries – Shortbread (surprise!) and Tartlets

I have a friend who is both gluten and dairy free. We were planning a day trip to Yarmouth, MA to visit the Edward Gorey House on a free museum Friday. And we clearly needed to have a picnic lunch. She requested “something with raspberries”.

Mr. Gorey peers out the window at the popcorn man. I think he wants my cookies.

The first thing I wanted to make was lemon bars, but with fresh raspberries in the center. I forgot lemon juice at the market, but got a fresh lime. *shrug* This odd lapse, this inspired subconscious action, led to such deliciousness that the lack of lemon is not to be mourned.

My personal copy. Got it used in perfect condition on Amazon. It’s the 7th printing released in 1982.

Alright, Betty, let’s see how I can play with these guidelines…

Above is the recipe as printed in the Betty Crocker’s Cookbook. Below is what I did with these ‘guidelines’.

I cup King Arthur All Purpose Flour, 1/2 cup refined coconut oil (so it doesn’t taste like coconut), 1/4 cup powdered sugar

I mixed these, pressed the dough into cupcake liners in my muffin tin and baked for 20 minutes.

2 eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1/2 a zested lime. I poured this into the hot crusts, and placed two raspberries in the center. I baked for about 25 minutes.

Raspberry Lime Tartlet fresh from the oven, waiting for my daughter to sample it.

And I, of course, had to make shortbread. I believe it’s expected of me at this point.

Into the mixer, in my standard measurements went the 1 3/4 cups King Arthur Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, 1 cup coconut oil, 2/3 cup powdered sugar… and the remaining fresh raspberries that did not go into the tarts. The dough was a pretty bright pink.

The dough stayed together perfectly. It was exactly like working with regular shortbread dough.

Pretty in Pink. She wore a raspberry shortbread. #notsorry

While these are delicious exactly as they are, my gluten and dairy free friend has often sighed over the lack of truly tasty desserts available to her. I can’t allow this. The Little Old Italian Lady Who Lives in My Soul can’t allow this.

While I don’t have exact measurements for you (sorry for those who need directions) I mixed powdered sugar, a tiny bit of water, and a few capfuls of McCormick flavor extracts. I even dyed them so we could tell them apart. I made icing in orange and raspberry with the flavor extracts, and lime with fresh lime juice and zest.

The cookies baked up a pale purple. The purple icing is raspberry, the green icing is lime.

While on our picnic, we discussed how much joy I take in preparing delicious food for people. And we talked about how some people take no joy in preparing food, or eating it. The Little Old Italian Lady Who Lives in My Soul is out to tell people there is joy to be found in preparing and eating good food.

Now we come to The Most Interesting Food Reviews I’ve had to date. It went from “tell me what you think” to “are we playing Shag, Marry, Kill with my baking???”

On the Raspberry Lime Tartlets …

She proclaimed she would “have a torrid affair with, then marry” the tarts.

Well, damn.

The plain raspberry shortbreads didn’t get any love. She ate the shortbreads in this order: orange, raspberry, lime.

“I would have a torrid affair with the orange ones, but not marry them. I would just sleep with the raspberry ones. And the lime iced ones I would have absolutely adored if I hadn’t eaten the others first.”

“Shaggable” Orange Iced Raspberry Shortbread. Who knew?

June 30, 2019

Father’s Day Shortbreads – A few more flavours to entice you! Coffee, Anise, and Honey.

I was catering lunch for my dad for Father’s Day. Family attending (aside from my parents) were myself, my daughter, my youngest sister, her wife, and their two small babies. Food restrictions: gluten intolerance (1), lactose intolerance (2), vegetarian (1), kosher (3). No worries. *cracks knuckles* I got this.

Me and my dad. The first thing I ever cooked was for him. I was 7. I made scrambled eggs with chocolate chips. And a cup of instant coffee with 4 teaspoons of coffee crystals. He was so proud, and we were so poor, that he smiled and ate and drank without complaint. I believe my cooking skills have improved a bit.

Menu:

Cucumber Salad (you know, cukes, a bit of red onion, vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, some fresh mint. Very standard stuff)
Green Salad (lettuce and tomatoes in a bowl with coloured peppers and avocado on the side because some folks are fussy)
Dilled Deviled Eggs. I learned ONE thing from Captain Kirk. And that was dill tastes good on eggs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J7dez_NWSg 3:14. “Dill”. My hens and duck are laying between 2 and 8 egg a day. Remember – don’t wash your eggs, leave them on the counter, and age them at least 2 weeks after being laid before you hard boil them.
Turkey burgers (ground turkey mixed with mashed avocado, garlic, a bit of mayo, Siracha, salt)
Veggie burgers https://healthyrecipesblogs.com/veggie-burger-recipe/ I replaced the sour cream/yogurt with coconut milk yogurt (the vegetarian is one of the lactose intolerant). My daughter couldn’t eat these because of the oats, but she was happy with the turkey burgers.
Peanut butter cup bars – these actually didn’t cut like they did in the video I saw (and didn’t take note of – sorry). But they taste pretty darned good.

1 cup of GF graham crackers, mixed with 1 cup confectioners sugar, 6 tablespoons melted butter and 1 cup of peanut butter. Spread in a parchment paper lined 9×9 pan. Cover with 1 ½ cups melted chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Cut into bars. Good luck with that last part.

This menu isn’t why we’re here. But the family was impressed, so I thought I’d share. We are here for the three varieties of shortbread I whipped up Father’s Day morning.

To remind you of my basic recipe:

1 cup butter

⅔ cups powdered sugar

1 ¾ cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

The day I discovered cascara, I came across the idea of Coffee Shortbread. Add 1 tablespoon of freeze dried coffee. I got the Folgers Instant Coffee Crystals. I think the box was .99 at Walmart. Two packets were just about a tablespoon.

Two packets are about a tablespoon. This picture shows one packet in the tablespoon.

Anise Shortbread

Do not add vanilla! This was insanely imprecise. Sorry. I added 3 capfuls of anise extract and hand crushed some anise seed. How much? No idea. This is how I normally cook and bake. Add spices until I suspect it’s enough. I know many people who want to cook, but aren’t intuitive or creative get VERY FRUSTRATED with me because I’m usually “whatever. Throw some in”. So let’s pretend I used 1 ½ teaspoons of anise seeds.

Honey Shortbread

You must have suspected I’d get here once I did maple.

I replaced the sugar with 4 tablespoons of local honey. And I did not use vanilla.

The dough was sticky, like the maple. But the cookies didn’t get as flaky. I love the way these smell.

Honey shortbread.

Mary loved the coffee ones. Dad said he couldn’t taste anything. But I suspect it’s from all the peanut butter cup bars he inhaled. My sister-in-law said that they were all horrible and she had to save us all by taking them home and eating them herself.

I brought the rest to work for coworkers to sample. No one gets the honey ones. Bill said they aren’t as sweet as any of the others. While even non-coffee drinkers are enjoying the coffee shortbread, the anise is a sentimental fave in my office. I left the containers of these three cookies on my desk for a week. Coworkers would stroll in “I need a cookie, today is difficult.” “I have a meeting, I need a cookie.” The anise ones were the most popular and were nearly gone by the end of the week.

As Mick was snagging three anise shortbread before a particularly stressful meeting he was about to attend, my stepdad texted me “All but one was very good. One kinda tasted like anise and I couldn’t get past it.”

Lisa, one of our VPs, who is about six feet tall, weighs about 5 pounds and is made of legs and geeky fangirl goodness, folded herself into the chair next to my desk as she ate the anise cookies. As she nibbled thoughtfully, she succumbed to the Power of Shortbread and told me a story.

When she was little, her parents would take her to visit an elderly female relative. When you’re Italian, your mom tells you that all old ladies are an aunt or cousin, when they may only be related very distantly by marriage. (I know this first hand. Took me years to figure out my great aunt’s husband’s sister’s kids weren’t my blood cousins. But we’re family.) This elderly woman only ever had Tab and pizzelles to offer little Lisa when she visited. As terrible as Tab is, Lisa loved the anise pizzelles. And these shortbread reminded her of those shadowy memories of this old lady and cold pink cans of Tab.

June 11, 2019June 2, 2019

Shortbread – the most powerful cookie ever

This was not what I had planned on titling this post. In the past week I’ve been baking up a storm and sharing shortbread with various coworkers and family members. EVERY. SINGLE.PERSON. whom I’ve sat with over shortbread has told me stories – memories of childhood, family vacations, holidays, and even the structure of neighborhoods (and political and crime history) of the capital of Guatemala. I had the daughter of a formally trained French chef tell me the recipe I will be sharing here reminds her of her mom’s shortbread. I’ve had a young man with Guatemalan heritage introduce me to cookies that taste similar. I now have to start visiting Latinx bakeries!

I will be writing up another post about the reactions to the varieties of shortbread I’ve been baking. I’ve been told to make sure I write up things like Bill’s fist pump and Dad’s eye roll, but to leave out some of the Spanish swear words Alex taught me.

This was what I bought to my dad for his birthday. Eight different cookies. Each shape is a different recipe. We’ve explored the round (traditional) and diamond (maple).

This one I should name Lady Grey Moonlight’s Shortbread – The Most Powerful Cookie Ever.

I love shortbread. The buttery flavour, the gentle crunch, or soft melting – depending on bake time. So many people love it, but it’s not as sexy as a chocolate chip cookie, or as controversial as an oatmeal raisin. Every time I show up with shortbread I hear “my favourite!” and there are many smiles. Such a simple cookie – butter, sugar, flour – brings joy.

Where does shortbread come from? Scotland, if The Historic UK is to be believed. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Scottish-Shortbread/

“Shortbread was an expensive luxury and for ordinary people, shortbread was a special treat reserved just for special occasions such as weddings, Christmas and New Year. In Shetland it was traditional to break a decorated shortbread cake over the head of a new bride on the threshold of her new home. The custom of eating shortbread at New Year has its origins in the ancient pagan Yule Cakes which symbolised the sun.”

Mary Queen of Scots was reportedly fond of shortbread petticoat tails with caraway seeds. (Pardon me as I break into song. Anyone want to join me singing Blind Guardian’s cover of “To France”?)

In the months between Halloween and New Year’s my kitchen is full of containers of shortbread. I don’t make it in the round dish and cut into petticoat tails. I prefer to use Grandma’s cookie cutters to make shortbread rounds (or hearts, trees, pumpkins, triangles, suns, wolves, moons). I bake them for Easter, my dad’s birthday in June, and pretty much upon request.

Hipster Wife sent this to me on Pinterest when she was explaining London Fog cookies to me. The base of the recipe has become my standard shortbread. It’s creamy, melt in your mouth, and you can pop them like potato chips and not even realize how many you’ve eaten. This is the recipe I use for my holiday cookies, sugar and iced cookies, and even a little sandwich cookie.

What is a London Fog? Besides the thick mist Lon Chaney may be found lurking in?

According to Wikipedia a London Fog is a latte made with Earl Grey tea (or Lady Grey tea) instead of espresso. A London Fog latte has steamed milk and vanilla syrup.

The internet is full of recipes to make your own. We may explore some of these.

A London Fog Shortbread has vanilla and Earl Grey tea in the dough.

I have this scribbled in my The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook above the Scottish Shortbread on page 717.

1 cup butter

⅔ cups powdered sugar

1 ¾ cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

For London Fog Shortbread: add 2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea

Bake at 325 F for 10-12 minutes, 13-14 for a crispier cookie.

I always put the vanilla in now. When my daughter was small I attempted to teach her how to cook and bake. She can’t do either, but she does remember that the secret ingredients to her favourite baked goods were vanilla and love.

The powdered sugar gives these cookies their delicate texture and flavour. The vanilla is just a creamy kiss in the butter that makes you think of a standard sugar cookie. My stepdad, whose mum is from northern England, ate one of this version of my shortbread and declared “THAT’S shortbread, spot on.”

I hope you agree.

May 29, 2019May 25, 2019

Scottish Shortbread and Maple Shortbread – The Taste Testers Weigh In

The recipe as seen in the Scottish Shortbread post

I distributed samples of the Scottish and Maple Shortbread cookies to several friends and coworkers. There is only one difference in the actual recipe between the two cookies. The Scottish Shortbread were cut round, the Maple were cut in diamonds. All I told them was they were both shortbread. They did not have to select their favourite.

The first sample went to my friend L. She is the most English American I know, and appreciates tea and biscuits. We shall quote her directly from her Facebook Messenger response:

the flavor profile of both of them is lovely.

the butter comes out

what is the undercurrent in the round ones?

texture wise, it would depend on my mood. sometimes I like them a bit ‘shorter”

like the diamond ones

the round ones had a nice chew, but it was more uniform than I am used to in my (admittedly North of England) preferences

the diamond ones also had a fantastic caramelization on the bottom that made the butter richer.

but the round ones had a lovely subtle flavour I couldn’t place but was addictive.

so…the flavor of the round, the texture and caramelization of the diamonds?

that said, both were fab, thank you

Bill- (Coworker who trained as a sommelier in France in the 70’s, then later went to culinary school at the same time as Anthony Bourdain. Now he works in accounting with me.) He was convinced the original had almond flavour. Maple not as sweet. Agreed maple was flaky. And original had a firmer form.

Alex – (Coworker, IT, from Guatemala) said diamond tasted like traditional shortbread. Round one much sweeter. Says sweetness tastes familiar. Likes the maple one better. Round too sweet. He is used to having dessert with a beverage- coffee or tea. If he had the round cookie he wouldn’t finish his drink because the cookie is too sweet.

I presume his comment about his hot beverage is because he takes his coffee and tea with sugar. Note to self: ask Alex how he takes his tea.

Ashleigh- (Coworker from South Carolina who loses her mind when I bring in cookies of any type)- round seems more buttery. Round chewy. Diamond flaky. Likes both. “Two totally different cookies”.

Mick- (Coworker, IT, who also enjoys experimenting in the kitchen to the pleasure and anxiety of his wife) diamonds were drier. And less buttery tasting than circle ones. Round ones denser. Diamonds flakier. Liked both. Prefers maple

Alison (Coworker, HR director, who thinks my kitchen experiments are avant garde. She doesn’t get out much) The diamond crumbles, it’s a typical shortbread and has a little aftertaste. (of what I don’t know. She left me a note.) The round ones are sweeter, she likes the texture better, they are chewy which she loves.

Bev (Coworker, friend outside of the office, total geeky fangirl in her late 60’s) “Oh my Goddess those cookies are wonderful. I think I detect a citrus note in the round ones. Thanks so much for these – shortbread is one of my favorite treats, happy taste buds here!” All she said when I revealed the difference between the two was white granulated sugar/ maple syrup she replied “Maple syrup? That’s creative!”

Same flour, same butter, same bit of salt. The Round Ones had white granulated sugar and the Diamond Ones had maple syrup.

I’m so happy that everyone took this seriously, and is looking forward to the next round of tasting.

May 22, 2019May 25, 2019

To kick off the baking, we’re going to visit the first Scottish Shortbread recipe I ever used. So to my wrinkled, stained and bookmarked copy of The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook we go.

This recipe is supposed to be baked in 2 8” round pans. Once baked and cooled, you cut each round into 16 wedges. I’ve never done this. (Points to General Leia Organa tattoo on my back) This is where the rebellion begins.
We start with the recipe as printed:

1.5 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

1.5 cups all purpose flour

.5 cup sugar

.25 tsp salt

1.5 cups (3 sticks) butter cut up and softened

I make notes in my books. My books, my rules.

I grew up in a house where there was one type of flour – white and bleached all purpose flour. (This can also be seen as commentary on my mother’s culinary skills and lack of creativity.) Cakes were more often than not from a Duncan Hines box. We didn’t have cake flour or whole wheat flour. She took cake decorating classes when I was a kid, and she could frost those Superman and Strawberry Shortcake shaped cakes like nobody’s business. While I now keep several types of glutinous and gluten free flours in my kitchen, I still have never purchased cake flour. *shrug*

For today’s blog I made half a batch thusly:

1.5 cups all purpose flour

.25 cup white granulated sugar (which I presume is what our friends at Good Housekeeping intended, but you will learn this isn’t my usual)

Just under .25 tsp salt because I was too lazy to find my ⅛ tsp

1.5 sticks of butter at room temperature

I rolled out the dough with more white flour and cut with my grandmother’s antique (?) Set of 12 Cookie and Sandwich Cutters. My stepmom has the same set from her mother. I got 70 small round cookies from this half batch of dough.

Cookie dough you could eat raw and I’d not slap your hand for it.

I baked at 325 F for 10 minutes. The cookie is softer than a sugar cookie. It has a quality to it that I can only describe as “made with granulated sugar”. Gluten is a binding agent. If you’ve eaten GF baked goods without a good binder, you know the quality that is missing. This version with granulated sugar and regular white flour to me seems to have extra binding. If I baked for longer these would not be chewy cookies.

This Scottish Shortbread (used as a rolled and cut cookie) makes an excellent replacement for sugar cookies, though softer. So cookie cutters with antlers or fun bends in the shapes may not hold up as well as a more solid (need to dunk in a beverage) cookie. I like to make these for holidays and potlucks with coloured sugars and sprinkles.