The Short Story

While cookies have been around since the seventh century, Shortbread is originally thought to have come to be in the 12th century in Scotland. Originally these were called biscuit bread, which were made from leftover bread dough that was sweetened and left in the oven to harden dry and form a hard dry rusk. Over time, the yeast was substituted for butter, which made it expensive, so it was made usually for special occasions like Christmas. But some say it was specifically made in the winter with slits cut into the round cakes to look like rays of the sun, perhaps to persuade the sun to come back and put an end to the cold winter.

Mary Queen of Scots in the 16th century brought the petticoat design of shortbread into popularity because of her love for the buttery biscuit and for petticoats. Whether this is true, or just a marketing story from Walkers, the design has remained popular. The triangle-sectioned buttery round cookies are still one of the best-recognized shortbread shapes, although the brick and small round shapes are also pretty popular.

But why is it called shortbread?

Short dough, by definition, contains a high amount of fat, or shortening which will produce a very tender and very crumbly texture, or shortness of the cookie. It is also said to have the name shortbread as opposed to biscuit because early Scottish bakers defended keeping the name shortbread to avoid an English tax on biscuits. Thanks to the bakers, and the agricultural revolution making butter more readily available and affordable, we can all enjoy these tasty treats, without the tax. But I like to think it is the short recipe that gives the name. The short story on shortbread is a simple 1,2,3 ratio - I part sugar, 2 parts butter, and 3 parts flour.

The most delicious things are often the simplest.