Before the holidays I had bought Thomas Keller's newest cookbook, Bouchon Bakery. Not only are Keller's books beautiful, they are filled with information written in a way that makes you feel like he is talking to you, not at you. As I started reading through this book, I thought to myself Keller approaches the art of baking with the same precision and attention to detail that an architect designs a building. With regard to precision, Keller believes in weighing dry ingredients and he provides what I call the American measured version amounts. Although I have been baking for quite some time, I thought baking like a professionally trained pastry chef was maybe taking me down a path I wasn't certain I wanted to go. Until the day I tasted a shortbread cookie made by a parent in one of my schools. In just one bite I thought to myself 'this woman must be a baker'. What I didn't know at the time was that she weighs her ingredients, just like Keller.
At the holiday time there is an abundance of baked goods brought into schools by parents. On the last day of school before the winter break, I was visiting each of my schools wishing staff a happy holiday. I always first stop into the school office to let them know I will be in their building. On the office counter at a school, I saw a platter of cookies that not only looked incredibly delicious, they were beautifully presented. I must have been in a hurry or distracted as I still don't why I did not take a photo of those artfully arranged cookies. As I was admiring, probably drooling actually over those cookies, the school secretary said 'have a cookie'. Which one to choose was a bit of challenge, but having an affinity for shortbread made the decision just a little easier. In the first bite, I was in shortbread heaven. They were without a doubt the best homemade shortbread I had ever eaten.
Later that evening I sent the parent an email to let her know I thought she was a phenomenal baker. As much I was hoping to get her recipe, at the time it was more important to let her know one of the best parts of my day was taking a bite of her amazing shortbread cookie. The next morning I received an email reply. Not only was she appreciative of the accolades, she shared her recipe! One she had brought with her from Ireland when she moved here. As I read through the recipe, I thought, oh my goodness, she bakes as Keller suggests one should. The dry ingredients were all listed in ounces, not cups or variations thereof. Her Irish Shortbread recipe and the new insights I had gained in Keller's book pushed me to move out of my baking comfort zone. It was finally time for me to take out the scale I had purchased more than a year ago and put the measuring cups off to the side. At least for this recipe.
When I think of shortbread I generally associate the cookie having its origins in either Scotland or England but not Ireland. However, because this recipe came all of way from Derry, Ireland, I decided its name had to take on its origin, in honor of the heritage of the woman who so graciously shared the recipe with me.
This shortbread recipes uses a combination of butter and margarine. The original recipe didn't specify whether to use salted or unsalted butter so I just decided to the use the Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter. It is after all a recipe that came from Ireland. Remember, the butter and margarine both need to be room temperature.
After the butter and margarine are weighed, they are mixed together in a large bowl or on a plate with a fork until well blended.
Not only are there two kinds of fat in this shortbread, there are two kinds of flours: all-purpose and semolina. After the flours and sugar are all weighed, they are sifted into a bowl.
Make certain the bowl or plate you use to mix the butter and margarine together is large enough for you to add the flour to it. The butter and margarine mixture is combined with the flours and sugar mixture. This is where you get to use your fingers! Mix until it all comes together. You can work this mixture until you get small balls of dough or one large ball of dough.
The dough is then pressed into a parchment paper-lined 9" by 9" pan. I used a tart pan with a removable bottom because I like how easy it is to press in and remove the shortbread. Once you have the dough evenly pressed in, use a fork to make indentations into the dough.
The shortbread is baked at 300 degrees (F) in the upper third of the oven for approximately 45 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides and bottom. When you get close to 40 minutes, check your shortbread for color. If you are not using a removable bottom pan, then form a square on a baking sheet so that you can easily check the dough for doneness. Baking time could be as long as 60 minutes depending on your oven. My cooking times have ranged from 45 to 55 minutes.
Remove the shortbread from oven and sprinkle with granulated sugar. While the shortbread is still warm, cut into fingers or squares, whichever is your preference. Let the shortbread come to room temperature. If not serving immediately, it keeps well in a covered container for several days. That is if it lasts that long. Once everyone tastes the rich buttery flavor of these shortbread cookies, you will be making them often. And you might just never buy packaged shortbread cookies ever again!
Recipe
Irish Shortbread (an ever so slight adaptation of a recipe from a generous baker born in Derry, Ireland)
Updated November 2021
Makes 14 1"x 4" shortbread fingers (but cut to your desired size to make more)
Ingredients
9 oz (253g) all-purpose flour
3 oz (85g) semolina flour
3 oz (85g) granulated sugar, plus more for finishing
7 1/2 oz (212g) fat divided: 4 oz unsalted butter (113g) and 3 1/2 oz (99g) margarine
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F).
2. Take butter and margarine out the night to bring them to room temperature.
3. Weigh butter and margarine and mix together with a fork on a plate until well blended.
4. Weigh all purpose flour, semolina flour and sugar. Sift all ingredients.
5. Add the dry ingredients and the Kosher salt to the butter/margarine mixture. Using your fingers rub together until it is very well blended. Note: The original recipe called for the forming of a ball, but I just mix until I can create large chunks of dough.
6. Press into a 9" by 9" (or 8" x 8") pan lined with parchment paper. Note: The original recipe called for forming a square on a cookie sheet.
7. Once the dough is flattened, crimp edges, prick all over with a fork and lightly dust with granulated sugar (about 1-2 Tablespoons). Note: Crimping the edges is optional.
8. Bake at 300 degrees (F) in the upper third of the oven for approximately 45 minutes and until lightly browned on sides and bottom. Baking time could range from 45 to 60 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and generously dust with sugar. Let rest on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Cut the shortbread into fingers or squares while still warm but not hot. Note: If you are not using a pan with a removable bottom, I strongly suggest you cut the warm shortbread while it is still in the pan.
10. Let cool completely before serving. Serve or place in a covered tin.
Note: (1) Using a smaller pan (or 8" x 8") will result in slightly thicker slices of shortbread. (2) For the very best flavor, use a European style unsalted butter. (3) Shortbread is kept in a sealed container will be good for at least two weeks. Maybe longer if it lasts that long.
Note: (1) Using a smaller pan (or 8" x 8") will result in slightly thicker slices of shortbread. (2) For the very best flavor, use a European style unsalted butter. (3) Shortbread is kept in a sealed container will be good for at least two weeks. Maybe longer if it lasts that long.
The first time I made this shortbread was at the Christmas holidays when I traveled back to the Midwest to visit family and friends. The shortbread was one of the cookies I made for the annual holiday cookie platter. Not surprisingly, it got rave reviews from everyone and was the first cookie to disappear. About a week later, I received a text from my nephew who had returned back to college. He asked me to send him the shortbread recipe! I actually read the text twice as this was a 'first' from him. Then I thought, well I had been reluctant in making any recipe with ingredients that needed to be weighed and here was this college kid not even thinking twice about it. So, if like me, you had previously discarded those recipes that looked like something only a professionally trained pastry chef would make, just remember, if a nineteen year old college kid could make this recipe, so can you! Trust me, this may become one of your favorite cookies to make and eat year round!
Some say that on St. Patrick's Day everyone is a little bit Irish. Whether on this day you drink a Guinness or eat either a corned beef sandwich or corned beef and cabbage, maybe the time has come to consider a new adding a new food tradition, the one of making Irish Shortbread. But this is one cookie you won't want to make only once a year.