Desserts,Recipes
April 24, 2019
What better way to enjoy a slice of tender, buttery shortbread than with a steamy cuppa? With this recipe, you can enjoy both at once (although I’d still recommend that side of hot tea!); the floral, citrusy Earl Grey pairs perfectly with the rich, decadent undertones throughout shortbread. I add some honey and lemon as well, to give it that extra-tasty punch of tearrific (is that a word?) flavor.
Now, what exactly is Scottish shortbread? It’s really just a traditional shortbread cookie, often baked into a round shape and cut into wedges, to resemble the sun. Shortbread was used to commemorate the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, in Scotland–it’s sunny shaped promised warm, summery days to come. It was also a special treat for the New Year–really, I just think people in Scotland like to use everything as an excuse to eat more delicious butter (not that I blame them; they’re on to something! And I think the French are listening…).
People also sometimes refer to the traditional wedge-shape as “petticoat tails,” as they resembled the fabric shapes used to make petticoats during the 16th century. Whatever you choose to call them, they’re heavenly; I sometimes wonder how something with so much butter can seem so light!
This recipe is also genuinely easy and no-stress; it only requires one bowl and a trusty oven. The shortbread also keeps for a significant amount of time, compared to most baked goods; in fact, shortbread is supposed to improve in flavor as it sits! All together, it should last you around a month (as if we won’t all eat it within the first few days…okay, first day…).
Let me know how the recipe goes if you try it:
Earl Grey Scottish Shortbread Recipe
Buttery, tender, and delicious, this shortbread is the perfect tea-time dessert. I use loose leaf Earl Grey tea, fresh lemon zest, and a bit of honey to create a crumbly, delectable tea-inspired cookie. This recipe is also incredibly easy to make, and the cookies keep for up to a month (they say shortbread actually gets BETTER as it sits…if this stuff isn’t on some watchlist for too-perfect things then I’m just concerned at this point…). Next time you’re craving shortbread, try this recipe out…it might just become you’re favorite cookie 🙂
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, English, Scottish
Servings 8 people
Ingredients
- 2 sticks salted butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. loose leaf Earl Grey tea You can also use the contents of two tea bags.
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 2 1/4 cups AP flour
Instructions
Grease a round 9-inch cake pan or tart pan. Set aside.
Cream together the butter, salt, and sugar until light and fluffy, around 3-5 minutes. You can do this with a hand or stand mixer.
Add the vanilla extract, tea, lemon zest, and honey. Beat until smooth.
Gradually, add the flour into the mixture, beating on a low speed until just combined. The dough will feel somewhat stiff and dense. If it is too dry, add a bit of heavy cream to loosen it; alternatively, add more flour if it feels wet. Ideally, it should feel firm but without dry flour crumbs.
Press the dough evenly into the greased pan, using your palms or a measuring cup to make it flat (without indents on top).
Using a fork, prick the dough. You can choose to do a design on top with the prick-marks (it was traditonally supposed to resemble the sun, to celebrate the winter solstice).
Chill the pan with the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
After chilling, bake the shortbread for 40-60 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. It might still seem somewhat soft in the middle, but it will set more as it cools.
Let the shortbread cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Then, turn out the shortbread on a cutting board. Cut, with a pizza roller or sharp knife, triangular slices, as if cutting a pizza or pie. Let the slices cool completely on a cooling rack.
Consume these delectable morsels of buttery goodness with a hot, steamy cup of Earl Grey tea 🙂
Notes
Shortbread keeps fresh for quite a while; in fact, many people (myself included) find that shortbread actually improves in flavor as it sits (until it unceremoniously goes bad, of course…nothing good can last forever, after all!). If stored in an air-tight container, shortbread should last you up to a month (if not more!). However, you might not be able to resist that long…that’s a different issue 🙂
I welcome creativity and experimentation! If you want to keep this basic recipe but change up the flavorings with a different type of tea or extract, please go ahead (and share, of course!). Shortbread, as simple as it seems, is a great diving board for creative ideas.
Keyword afternoon tea, best shortbread cookies recipe, earl grey cookies, earl grey shortbread recipe, lemon and earl grey shortbread, Poeme blog recipes, poeme macarons blog, scottish desserts, teatime desserts, traditional scottish shortbread, traditional shortbread recipe
This dessert goes perfectly with my signature Earl Grey and Peach Macarons at Poeme Macarons, my macaron shop. Order some today for the ultimate dessert pairing 🙂
Happy baking, everyone!
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