Editor’s Note: This is the first in an ongoing series of recipes submitted by The Pie Society, a British themed bakery in Savannah Georgia. Check out their website here.
The mouth-watering smell of shortbread baking every morning at Pie Society is sure to bring in passers-by walking through Savannah’s City Market. This traditional Scottish biscuit is a perfect representation of British Baking at it’s finest. Simple, buttery goodness using timeless recipes that have been passed down for generations.
Most commonly associated with Scotland, particularly during the Christmas holidays and Hogmanay (a Scottish name for the celebration of New Year’s Eve), shortbread is a truly historical confectionary that dates back as far as the 12th century. Its origins lie in medieval biscuit bread- a twice baked and enriched bread roll made with sugar and spices. The earliest recipes were most likely made using leftover bread dough, oats, and barm (yeast made from fermented liquor),[1] and eventually the yeast was substituted with butter, and shortbread was born. [2] Its links to Scotland can be found in the misfortunate Mary Queen of Scots. Mary’s preference for a traditional form of shortbread known as ‘Petticoat tails’, named for their similarity to 17th-century petticoats,[3] commonly attributes her to its refinement. The Scottish Queen isn’t the only link between her country and shortbread- the first recipe printed was written by a Scotswoman named Mrs. McLintock in 1736.[4]
With Walker’s Shortbread exporting over $59m worth of shortbread in 2016,[5] its popularity evidently has reached much further than the Scottish border today. While there are many variations in recipes for shortbread, the fundamental ingredients have remained the same: sugars, butter, and flour. Some recipes add a touch of vanilla essence for flavoring or use rice flour for extra crumbliness. Variations in flavors are very common, with chocolate chips, currants, citrus peel, and nuts all being popular additions. At Pie Society we go a little further with our flavors, offering a choice of Plain, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Chocolate Chip, Cherry, M&M, Mint Chocolate Chip, of Double Chocolate Chip (a favorite of any Midlands’ school dinners- especially served with mint custard!). Not to be forgotten is the beloved Millionaire’s Shortbread- a plain shortbread base topped with rich caramel and melted milk chocolate. We like to describe ours as a fancy Twix. Variations in shape also offer some interesting options, with shortbread rounds, oblong slabs and petticoat tails decorated with fork pricks, being the most common.
Why ‘Shortbread’? Most likely the name derived from its heavy reliance on butter or shortening. But perhaps the crumbly nature of this Scottish biscuit coined its name, seeing as ‘short’ has been used to mean ‘crumbly’ since medieval times.[6] ‘Shortbread biscuit’ is more commonly used in Scotland and the UK, but here in the States and at Pie Society, we generally refer to them as ‘Shortbread Cookies’ to avoid confusion with American biscuits- much more like scones to us than cookies!
Cookies or Biscuits, either way, shortbread continues to be one of our best-sellers. You can order some via our website www.thebritishpiecompany.com/order, or check out this recipe for Chocolate Chip Shortbread Petticoat Tails:
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Sugar 50g (1.75oz) plus extra for sprinkling¼ cup
- Confectioner’s Sugar 50g (1.75oz)¼ cup
- Vanilla Essence¼ tsp
- Butter 200g (7oz) plus extra for greasing pan1 cup
- All-Purpose Flour 300g (10.5oz)2 cups
- Pinch of salt
- Chocolate Chips- optional (or use cherries, currants, or another flavor of your choice!)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly grease a 9inch round pan with butter.
- Cream together butter, vanilla and both sugars in a mixer with a paddle until pale and fluffy on medium-high setting. Reduce to a low speed, add the flour and salt until the mixture is fully blended into a dough.
- Add the chocolate chips and remove from the bowl once fully blended.
- Place the dough into the pan and flatten up to the edges. Prick with a fork on the top, and gently flute the edge by pressing your finger into the dough around the circumference of the tin.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until slightly turning golden brown at the edges.
- Sprinkle with lots of sugar.
- Allow to cool and remove from the tin. Cut the round into 6 wedges or ‘Petticoat Tails’.
Sources:
[1] Hyslop, Leah.“Potted Histories: Shortbread“.(6 October 2013). The Telegraph.
[2] Johnson, Ben. “The History of Scottish Shortbread”.
[3] Hochman, Karen. “The History of Shortbread Cookies”. (March 2019)
[4] Hyslop, Leah.“Potted Histories: Shortbread“.(6 October 2013). The Telegraph
[5] McCulloch, Scott. “Walkers Shortbread reports bumper profits but warns of margin pressures ahead”. (20 October 2017)
[6] Hyslop, Leah.“Potted Histories: Shortbread“.(6 October 2013). The Telegraph.
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Diana Hilsendeger says Lovely recipe BUT not presented in an American measurement format. Most Americsns do not have the means to measure flour by grams or ounces. We measure by cups. I am an avid baker, but would not be able to make this recipe without purchasing other measuring equipment, which would then sit, unused, in a drawer until the next foreign recipe comes along.
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