Scottish Shortbread Cookie Recipe (Walker's Shortbread Copycat) (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a shortbread cookie and a Scottish shortbread cookie? ›

So if you hear the term "Scottish shortbread," you might think it's a different version of the shortbread you're familiar with, right? Well ... actually, no. "Shortbread" is just Scottish shortbread; they're one and the same.

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As it always has been, our shortbread is made using only four ingredients: flour, pure creamery butter, sugar and salt.

So what makes it so good? “Good shortbread should have many different qualities, including taste and texture” says Jim. “But the most important quality is the flavour of the finest pure butter. Walkers Shortbread is virtually the only company of any size that uses only pure butter in its shortbreads.”

The most common mistakes when making shortbread are over-working the dough, and incorporating too much flour. The less you work the dough, the more crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth your shortbread cookies will be.

Triangular wedges of shortbread became known as "petticoat tails", and this form of shortbread has become particularly associated with Mary, Queen of Scots. It has been suggested that a French term for the wedges of shortbread was petit* gâteaux or petites gatelles – little cakes, and this became "petticoat tails".

ARE ALL THE PRODUCTS MADE IN SCOTLAND? Yes, everything is baked in the Scottish Highlands, either in our home village of Aberlour, or 16 miles away in a small town called Elgin.

Walker's Shortbread Ltd. (formerly Walkers) is a Scottish manufacturer of shortbread, biscuits, cookies, and crackers. The shortbread is baked in the Moray village of Aberlour, following a recipe developed by Joseph Walker in 1898.

Use unsalted butter for balanced flavour. Unsalted butter was traditionally used in baking because it was a superior product to salted - salt is used as a preservative so unsalted butter was thought to be fresher.

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.

What is the world's famous shortbread? ›

Royal Household. Walker's Shortbread is honoured to carry a Royal Warrant, granted by Her Majesty the Queen, for the supply of Shortbread and Oatcakes. Walker's Shortbread is a gift fit for a king, and a treat befitting any special occasion.

In Scotland, shortbread is often eaten at New Year's. Mary, Queen of Scots, loved shortbread. Her fondness of "petticoat tails," or thin crispy shortbread flavored with caraway seeds, is widely referenced. She is often attributed with starting shortbread's popularity.

As Leiths also recommend chilling the dough before baking, although only for 15 minutes, I make another batch of their recipe with soft butter, stick it straight in the oven without passing the fridge, and end up with thinner, crunchier biscuits – presumably because the mixture spreads as the fat melts.

Cornstarch provides the shortbread with structure, but its biggest job is keeping the cookies extra soft, tender, and light. I love adding a small amount to chocolate chip cookies too. Optional Coarse Sugar Topping: For an optional sparkly crunch on your shortbread wedges, add a sprinkle of coarse sugar before baking.

The word "bread" comes from "biscuit bread" which was made from leftover bread dough that was sweetened and dried out in the oven to make biscuits. Why do you poke holes in shortbread? The holes allow the moisture to escape during baking and more even heat distribution. This helps dry out and crisp up the cookies.

Did you know Scottish shortbread is made from just 3 ingredients? Butter, flour, and sugar. No leavening agent (like baking powder) is needed. This is excellent news for bakers everywhere.

Shortbread is a type of biscuit or cookie traditionally made from one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour as measured by weight. Shortbread originated in Scotland; the first recorded recipe was by a Scotswoman named Mrs McLintock and printed in 1736.

The difference between these cookies come down to the ratios of flour, eggs, and sugar. Due to differing ratios, shortbread cookies are crumblier and more "sandy" than butter cookies, which are firm and solid enough to be iced.