Enjoy this Campbell’s Recipe episode where we make Scottish Shortbread Cookies from Step-by-step Scottish Cooking by Jo Anne Calabria. It was originally released by Murdoch Books on January 1, 1994. You can pick up a copy here: https://amzn.to/3uTqwDr
Step-By-Step Scottish Cooking
Scottish Shortbread
Ingredients:
- 8 oz butter
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ cup rice flour
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Steps:
- Preheat oven to moderately slow 315°F. Brush an 11 inch round pizza baking pan with melted butter or oil. Line with waxed paper. Using electric beaters, beat butter and sugar in small mixing bowl until light and creamy.
- Transfer mixture to large mixing bowl; add sifted flours. Using a flat-bladed knife, mix to a soft dough. Transfer mixture onto lightly floured surface. Knead 30 seconds or until smooth.
- Place dough on prepared pan. Press into a 10 inch round shape (see Note). Pinch and flute the edge decoratively with your fingers. Prick surface lightly with a fork and mark into 16 segments, using a sharp knife.
- Sprinkle shortbread with sugar. Bake for 35 minutes on middle shelf until firm and light golden. Cool shortbread on pan.
Note: The pan must be larger than the uncooked shortbread as the mixture will spread during cooking.
Hint: For special occasions decorate the shortbread with almonds or candied orange or lemon peel. Shortbread can also be pressed into a lightly floured shortbread mold. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Turn onto lined baking sheet and cook. For extra flavor, add one teaspoon coconut extract or one teaspoon grated orange or lemon rind to butter and sugar in Step 1.
Transcript
Cold Open
This is the best shortbread I have ever made!
Discussion
It should come as no surprise that I would rely on a Scottish shortbread cookie recipe. I am, after all, ancestrally Scottish, and I love the culture and food! I am referencing Step-by-step Scottish Cooking by Jo Anne Calabria. We have had this little cookbook for years, and have never been disappointed by it.
I began by collecting my ingredients: two sticks of butter, two-thirds cup sugar, one-half cup rice flour, one and two-thirds cups of all-purpose flour. You will need a little extra sugar to sprinkle on the top. I preheated my oven to three hundred and fifteen degrees. I then grabbed my mixing bowl and began creaming the butter and sugar. I used a beater and didn’t chop up my butter, which was the wrong choice. I should’ve chopped up the butter and just did it all by hand. It’s messier but much more intimate of an exercise, and less to clean up afterward!
Then I added the flour and mixed it all together with my hands. Once it was thoroughly mixed, I continued to knead it into a ball, making sure it was smooth. Then I covered a pizza pan with wax paper, and transferred the dough to it, making a ten-inch round shape with my hands. I pinched and fluted the outside for decoration as well.
Finally I pricked the surface of the dough and used a knife to score the surface into slices. I sprinkled some sugar over top and placed it into the oven for forty minutes until it was lightly golden. I let it cool and enjoyed it with a glass of whole milk. Let me tell you honestly, this was the best shortbread I have ever made , and with such a simple recipe, it will be a holiday favorite for generations to come!
Outro
Thank you for watching this Campbell’s Recipe episode. Please subscribe to the channel and click the bell to get notified about future videos. Don’t forget to click the like button and leave a comment to let others learn about this recipe and this channel. Have a great day and until next time, Slàinte mhath (slan-ge-var).
