I completely agree. The recipe that tastes most like Walkers is the one that contains only flour, butter (salted) and sugar in the proportions 3, 2, 1 (easy to remember). Nothing else. The secret is in the amount of handling of the dough (as little as possible), and the temperature/cooking time (differs per oven) to get the "bone" (the characteristic shape and size of the lighter coloured part visible when you break the shortbread in half). Grate the cold butter and mix it using cold hands (cool them under a cold tap). If you cannot get salted butter, add some salt, this is really important to get the rich taste. One prepared, immediately put the dough in the baking tin, score it, fork it and bake it. No resting, no curing, no overnight in the fridge, no nonsense of any kind. You may not get the best result immediately, because it takes time to know your oven. Once you do, these will be the best and most authentic shortbread biscuits you will ever taste.
Wow, what a great review! After visiting the United Kingdom a few years ago, I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect shortbread. Thank you for all the links to the recipes!
I would love to see the cooking process and footage of cooking each one instead of solely talking about it! It would be more engaging and fun to see the process! I love your comparison blogs.
A great point, I would also LOVE to show more of the process but it would just be many more hours of filming so I haven't figured out a good way to do this yet. I do try to capture some of the process on Instagram stories for now!
I love these videos sm I’ve been reading your blog for a while but I just recently discovered your RU-vid channel and whenever you upload it literally makes my day 💜❤️💜❤️🥰🥰
Made many of these recipes, made a mistake with the Tartine recipe the first time, but still came out. Did the recipe again and liked my mistake recipe the best!
I Just watched the shortbread made for the queen at Balmoral in Scotland. He was a chef there. He used cornstarch too. Plus vanilla bean paste. Made the holes so it cooks better. I think it would be the best one.
Well, I'm prejudiced in favor of my Scottish grandfather's recipe that seems just slightly different from each of the ones you tested. But I have a question: was it just agreed that no one would dock the cookies (holes in the top)? IMO, it adds to the unique "shortbread-y" texture one is looking for. Has anyone ever seen a more browned version? My mom always made them that way, baked a good bit longer than I ever did (she was an Aussie if that made a difference), but pale is the only way that ever seemed legit to me, though I never said that to her. Mine may be the simplest: butter, caster or regular sugar, flour. That's it unless you used saltless butter, then you'll want a little salt. Combine all, pat out on a pan, press the 4 sides (recipe says "flute") with a fork, dock it (place holes all over with a fork), pre-draw lines with a knife. Now is the odd part: We are instructed to bake 20-25 minutes at 350°F, 15-20 minutes at 250, and 200° to total an hour. I'm not at all sure why, either something quirky about the original oven, or I actually think it makes sure the interior is done to the right degree without the outside getting crunchy. An alternative is to bake at 300° for 45 minutes. To this day, I use the 3 temperatures out of loyalty to the original recipe! 😁 When done, cut them again while still hot. I've always cut them in squares. Cool on a wire rack. Remember all the days at Grandma's when she made these for you. Whoops, that's just me.
My Scottish Grandma made these for me when I was in elementary school and I will never forget that flavour. No store bought shortbread cookie compairs. She was 97 when she passed away a couple years ago.
@@southernbellebabiesYes, my grandma's were tied up in wonderful buttery flavor along with representing pretty much every single wonderful visit I had with her. Sounds like you have the same kind of memory. Children are so lucky when they have nurturing grandparents.
Interesting video & comparison of recipes. I found the recipe from Martha Stewart (the one where she bakes it in a round mold with thistle design on it) to be closest to that of Walkers Shortbread. I baked this version & my friends were clamoring for more.
Kerrygold - high quality? It was always seen as a cheap brand when I was growing up. I use Paysan Breton or Isigny Sainte Mère salted butter for the best buttery taste. Cornstarch always gives a soft, slightly claggy mouth feel. For a smooth, flat top, use the bottom of a cup measure or mug - see backyard chef video.
If you like very butter desserts, you may also want to try Turkish flour halwa or the indian mysore pak. Both made with humongous amounts of butter/ghee.
One thing I noticed right away… making short bread should be thinner and more uniform size. Plus most important is docking it with a fork before baking… none of the shortbreads you baked were docked( poke holes with fork) to cook evenly.
Good point about uniformity; I could have rolled them more evenly. I did dock the shortbread that called to be docked (like Seasons & Suppers for example)!
Thank you so much for all the effort this must have taken you! So appreciated. Any idea if you can freeze baked shortbread (single layer on a sheet pan)? How does the unbaked dough hold up? Thanks a lot.
Thank you for the kind words! Yes, you could definitely flash freeze the shortbread (freeze until solid as a single layer, then break up and put in a freezer bag for later)--but obviously the flavor won't be as fresh! I think the dough would hold up for several days in the fridge, but I haven't tried for longer than that.
thanks, this was great!! i always get stuck on recipes, knowing one version could BLARRGH and another be the heavens shining down. (usually meals, not baking). i started getting walkers shortbread recently. had it last year for 1st time, and it was so much different from those cookie tin things which i hate. got me wondering what the recipes were like. never even heard of deans. i'm part scot, so perfectly happy to stay with walkers lol. but curious where deans is from. also, walkers has one that's in the shape of scottie dogs and.... ah. hard not to love.
I know it’s been a long time since you did this testing, but have you looked at the binging with babish recipe? I’m just wondering if you or anyone else knows how it compares to these.
I think you used the wrong card for Ted Lasso. It says rice flour, granulated sugar, no chill, twice baked. All of that is wrong. Edit: It looks like that was the card from Season and Suppers that got inserted twice.
I saw a butter cookie recipe with powder sugar that made the cookie softer. Oops you just mentioned powdered sugar but maybe you could do 1/2 powdered and 1/2 reg sugar.
I have been looking for a shortbread cutout recipe as I can’t get enough of Whole Foods ‘Little Rae’s’ retail offering. I’ve researched some of the same recipes you offered, the rice flour addition, Euro butters, egg yolks, brown sugar, and disparate cookbook recipes, so much so I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. I will rewatch this episode and narrow my favorites to a workable few that will come close to ‘LR’s’ taste and texture. If you have a suggestion for ingredients in the aforementioned listed flour, butter, egg yolk, etc choices please advise. Thank you, great content!
Altering the proportions of the ingredients will change the texture. Shortbread should be viewed more as a method than a recipe. Some people prefer a crisper texture, that is a choice, it is still shortbread.
The people who eat shortbread dense and crisp are the people who invented it, the Scots. If you want it tender add your cornstarch and icing sugar, but that’s a cookie , not shortbread traditionally to the folk who pressed it in clay forms or rolled it in trays or molded it in petticoat tails. The Walkers are a Scottish lowland clan who do actually carry the tradition fairly well.
I don't get this video, there is only one shortbread recipe, 3, 2, 1 flour, butter (salted), sugar. Any other ingredient and it is no longer shortbread, but some other "cookie" as people keep calling it (it's a biscuit).
Well I can't very well stop saying it had powdered sugar now that the video is edited and published (: The graphic is wrong. The cookies have powdered sugar in them.
this is such a great comparison! I also noticed the zillions of recipes. I have to say, your beautiful was so close to your mouth that I had to listen rather than watch you taste. Sorry! You're brilliant but maybe a bobbie pin? Keep up the great work!
There is English short bread and a Scottish short bread. The secret to short bread is using corn starch. 1/3 to half of what use in flour. Should be crumbled, not a solid mass.Crumbled so it is short and then pressed into pan. The brought biscuits are not what it should be. Look up uk recipes .
I liked your video and it was informative. I can understand why most chefs tie back their long hair. While beautiful ,your hair is touched many times to where it detracts from your message.
Leave the graphics and text up much much longer, use more closeups of the things you are talking about. Those are all much more interesting and important than watching you talk.
Can someone tell me where I can get the exact measures of the ingredients? I want one of ted lassos and the other one would be seasons and suppers one.
I love that you did this! You deserve all the love, because it is not cheap 'n easy to do all that work. I'm going trust your tastebuds and give the Ted Lasso (which I'd never heard of) a try.
