I'm actually usually quite happy with Farmfoods, they definitely have their place on the high street, but they did fall just that bit short with these shortbread fingers. The more refined version of shortbread as we know it today is attributed to Scotland, in particular to Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century. She was particularly fond of what was known as Petticoat Tails, which was a thin shortbread baked in a large circle and cut into triangular segments. In her day the shortbread was commonly flavored with caraway seeds, which were all the rage in British baking for several centuries. In fact, the earliest published shortbread recipes from the 18th century were more elaborate than the standard shortbread today: They were baked with candied citrus peels and garnished with caraway comfits. While there are certainly hundreds of variations on supermarket shelves, we firmly believe that the best shortbread should be buttery and flaky with a dusting of sugar on-top. Read More Related Articles

The main reason Scotland is famous for shortbread is because that’s where it was invented. Although the first recipe was a “medieval biscuit bread”, it morphed into its current buttery recipe later on in history. Scotland is also known for making the best shortbread. A few minutes later, when the dough starts to look like sand, turn the beaters up to medium speed. At this point, you'll likely think that it will never come together, but have patience and trust that it will. If - like me- you're looking for shortbread that is rich, crumbly, buttery sweet, then Lidl is definitely the supermarket to go to with their stellar Deluxe All Butter Scottish Shortbread Fingers. Follow the recommendation of your specific recipe. Sometimes it’s helpful and sometimes not. For this molded shortbread recipe I tried it both ways and didn’t see a huge difference. If you do chill the dough before baking you will need to bake it a little longer.From our family vacation to Scotland last summer: View of Eilean Donan Castle from our vacation cottage. Also, if you care for my explanation on why I’m calling this a shortbread “cookie” recipe, you can read my explanation at the bottom of this post. Trust me, there’s a good reason (but it kills me)! No, though if you don’t want to soften your butter, you should rub the butter into the other ingredients instead of mixing it into the sugar. Yes, brown sugar makes a delicious shortbread but I don’t recommend it when you are using a mold or a cookie stamp because brown sugar contains molasses which makes the cookie slightly softer.

Once you’ve added the flour, go easy on the dough (feel free to beat the butter and sugar together really well though). Only mix as much as is needed to incorporate the flour into the butter mixture – this is best done by hand as it’s easy to over process the dough when using an electric mixer. The dough should be quite crumbly.As soon as I took my first bite I was pleasantly surprised to find a buttery and crumbly biscuit that just melted in the mouth. The only very slight negative I had was that there was not enough sugar to completely make this a solid full marks, but other than that it is a delightful biscuit and I am easily on to a winner. Yes. After patting your dough into the mold, cover in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days ahead. Before we get started, if you want to take your shortbread to the next several flavor levels, try our traditional Scottish Millionaire’s Shortbread. With layers of shortbread, caramel and chocolate it is the ultimate indulgence!

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and extracts, then beat in the flour. The mixture may seem a little dry at first; keep beating until a stiff dough forms. If necessary, dribble in up to 1 tablespoon of water to bring the dough together.

Why is Scotland famous for Shortbread?

or other flavoring of your choice. You can use another extract like almond, or you can use a spice like nutmeg or ginger. It also wasn't as buttery as the other options, but it did have a light dusting of sugar on the top which I only really got with the aftertaste. With the signature delicate crumbly texture and beautiful buttery flavour, shortbread is one of those biscuits that is both nostalgic and elegant. It’s right at home with a casual coffee catch up with friends, or an elegant tea party to impress! In fact, we think any biscuit that doesn't meet those requirements shouldn't be allowed to call themselves shortbread - but, that's just us. So delicious. My husband loves the fingers. Making another batch 5 days after the 1st batch. And it’s so easy!” -Cathy

Place the caster sugar, flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until it’s combined and looks like coarse breadcrumbs but is soft and pliable and comes together in a dough when you press it together between your fingers. If it’s too dry and crumbly it needs to be pulsed a bit longer. We put four different supermarkets - Lidl, M&S, Farmfoods and Sainsbury's - up to the test to see how they fare and if they were worthy of being dunked into our cup of tea.

Can you Make these Ahead of time?

Store in a sealed container (an old Walker’s shortbread tin is excellent) and keep in a cool, dry place. Shortbread will keep well for weeks, but is also excellent after being frozen. If you plan to keep your shortbread for more than two weeks, I’d suggest freezing it. Although the ingredients are common everyday pantry items to us now, they were scarce and quite expensive in the past and so shortbread was originally a special occasions only treat. It’s been our family’s signature Christmas gift for as long as I can remember. I have fun developing a new flavor every year to keep it fresh. This year it will be this classic Scottish shortbread baked up in a mold.