Earl Grey Scottish Shortbread
Equipment
- 9x9 Baking tin
- Parchment paper
- Food processor
- Coffee grinder, optional
Ingredients
- 113 g Caster sugar see note about Caster sugar
- 226 g Unsalted butter softened to room temperature 1/2 cup, use good quality butter
- 339 g AP flour
- 2 Tbsp Earl Grey tea loose leaf or 3-4 tea bags, use good quality tea
- 1 Tbsp Candied orange peel chopped finely Optional
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Cut a strip of parchment paper 8” wide and 15” long - enough to overhang from the sides of the pan
- Line the bottom of the tin with the parchment paper. Grease the bottom and sides of the tin with non stick spray or butter
- Cut the softened butter into cubes.
- If the tea leaves are very coarse, gently crush them with your fingers, or use a coffee grinder to make a finer powder.
- Add the butter, flour, sugar, tea, and salt to the food processor and pulse until the dough looks like bread crumbs and starts to gather into a ball easily in your hand. Be sure to scrape the mixture down in the food processor as you pulse.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl while it is crumbly and add the chopped orange peel, if you are using them.
- Give the dough a gentle mix to distribute the orange peel, then transfer to the prepared baking tin.
- Using your fingers push the dough into an even layer that covers the bottom of the tin completely. I like to use the bottom of a glass to press down and make sure there are no air pockets in the cookie dough. You can be quite firm with the dough to get it to form an even layer at the bottom of the tin.
- Score the cookie dough gently with a knife into 24 rectangular pieces.
- Using a fork, prick the cookie dough to create a nice pattern, and to let any air in the dough to escape while baking.
- Cool the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Bake the cookies for 45-50 minutes until the edges and top are a light golden brown and starting to pull away from the sides.
- Let the cookies cool in the tin for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Gently lift the whole batch of cookies using the parchment paper sling onto a cutting board. Be careful not to lift the cookies too soon or they will break. You want them to cool and set a bit first.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the cookies along the score lines while they are still warm.
- Cool completely for an hour or preferably 3-4 hours before transferring them to an air tight container.
Notes
Caster Sugar - Caster sugar is finer than granulated sugar, but not as fine as powdered sugar. To make your own, simply run granulated sugar through a coffee grinder for 20 seconds
Butter - Use good quality butter. Since there is no vanilla in this recipe, the butter carries the flavor for the most part.
Proportions - This recipe uses the traditional Scottish method of 1 part sugar - 2 parts butter - 3 parts flour by weight. Cool, eh?
You can also roll the cookie dough into a log, chill, and slice into rounds. If you go down this route, then reduce the baking time. Check the cookies after 15 minutes and then continue checking every 5 minutes until they are done. They should be done in less than 25 minutes. The baking time will depend on the thickness of the cookies.
Shortbread cookies develop more flavor as they sit in the jar. If you are serving this to guests, I recommend making them a day or two ahead.
Butter - Use good quality butter. Since there is no vanilla in this recipe, the butter carries the flavor for the most part.
Proportions - This recipe uses the traditional Scottish method of 1 part sugar - 2 parts butter - 3 parts flour by weight. Cool, eh?
You can also roll the cookie dough into a log, chill, and slice into rounds. If you go down this route, then reduce the baking time. Check the cookies after 15 minutes and then continue checking every 5 minutes until they are done. They should be done in less than 25 minutes. The baking time will depend on the thickness of the cookies.
Shortbread cookies develop more flavor as they sit in the jar. If you are serving this to guests, I recommend making them a day or two ahead.