Scottish Shortbread Cookies {Made with Powdered Sugar} - What A Girl Eats (2024)

FAQs

Why do Scottish people eat shortbread? ›

In ancient Scottish folklore, sun-shaped cakes, such as shortbread, had magical powers over the Sun during the Scottish New Year's Eve.

Takeaway: look for recipes that use granulated sugar for a more crisp-style shortbread and powdered sugar for a more tender shortbread!

Traditional Scottish shortbread is a simple recipe made with sugar, butter, flour, and salt. Other shortbread styles will include leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda, which makes them crisp instead of crumbly like traditional Scottish shortbread.

Shortbread is traditionally formed into one of three shapes: one large circle divided into segments (“Petticoat Tails”); individual round biscuits (“Shortbread Rounds”); or a thick rectangular slab cut into “fingers.”

However, lipids, which are a component to food such as shortbread cookies are considered unhealthy because they are the most energetic nutrients in food and are a source of saturated fatty acids (SFA) (usually 40%) and sometimes also trans fatty isomers (TFA) [4,5,6].

Shortbread

Description: Simple, sweet cookie. American equivalent: We have this in the USA too. My thoughts: Shortbread is kind of funny. We have it in America, but it's not something you ever really go out and buy.

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.

Cookies made with powdered sugar won't bake up as crisp. Also worth mentioning: If you're out of powdered sugar, but have granulated sugar on hand, whiz 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a food processor for each cup of powdered sugar you need.

Shortbread is now Trefoils®!

Why is my Scottish shortbread crumbly? ›

Figure In More Fat. While Ina Garten adds a bit of water to solve the crumbly shortbread conundrum, that's not the only solution to try. Sometimes, dry shortbread occurs because you don't have enough fat in your dough. Fat, and namely butter, helps to retain moisture and give the dough its consistency.

Since you will be cooking your shortbread in the lower third of the oven, you will get some top browning as the cookie bakes. The surface of the shortbread should be a toasty light brown when it is cooked. It should never appear raw or slightly opaque in the middle.

The name "millionaire's shortbread" appears to have originated in Scotland. The "millionaire" prefix to millionaire's shortbread or millionaires slice implies a level of decadence and wealth to the sweet treat, that it is an upgrade from regular shortbread.

As shortbread was made with butter, sugar and flour, it would be both expensive and difficult to get hold of the ingredients, and so became synonymous with wealth, luxury and celebrations.

The theory being, the name came from ye olde English word for pattern, which was tally, and so the biscuits became known as petticoat tallis. And there's been no looking back for shortbread sine. And is now regarded as one of the finest of all biscuits, ever.

That firm to the bite feel with a crumbly texture is the source of your shortbread addiction. Without it, it could be called something else entirely!

I adore shortbread. It's rich and buttery — and also delicate, almost ethereral. It's a sweet treat, but it's not too sweet. It's beautifully versatile.

Shortbread may have been made as early as the 12th Century, however its invention is often attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th Century. Petticoat Tails were a traditional form of shortbread said to be enjoyed by the queen.

Shortbread tastes good because of butter, glorious butter. Few cookies fill your mouth the way shortbreads do. And the flavor! One bite of a real shortbread cookie, with its fine crumb and rich sweet taste, is confectionary ecstasy.