"Believe." If you are a fan of Ted Lasso you know that single word may be the most iconic quote in the entire series. A seemingly simple word. Yet, it's one having the power of making a profound impact in our lives. And speaking of having a profound impact. Would you believe a box of homemade shortbread (aka biscuits) in a pale pink box could have one? It's a seemingly simple gift. Yet, in Ted Lasso it symbolized the power of kindness and connection.
So it's not surprising that a plethora of recipes for Ted Lasso Shortbread, all claiming to be the 'official' one, have been popping up on food blog feeds over the past couple of years. While I can make no so such claims and I may be late to the Ted Lasso Shortbread game, I believe this version of the shortbread is THE ONE you need in your life.
One of the key ingredients in a great shortbread is the butter. The flavor imparted by unsalted European style butter exceeds the flavor of any other kind of unsalted butter. Especially when a confection is made with only a handful of ingredients. Surprisingly there isn't a significant amount of granulated sugar in the shortbread dough. So don't skimp on the sugar sprinkled on top of the dough both before and after it's baked. What differentiates this shortbread from all of the others is the use of both all-purpose and semolina flours. Semolina flour gives the shortbread a slightly sweet, richer flavor, a finer, more cake-like crumb, and a slightly yellow color. Along with some Kosher salt, these five simple ingredients come together to create the most epic shortbread.
Unlike my Irish Shortbread recipe, this dough comes together in a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. After beating the butter until it's light and fluffy, the sugar is mixed in until fully incorporated. The sifted all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and Kosher salt mixture is added in three additions. When the dough forms small clumps, it's ready to be transferred to the baking pan. To evenly flatten the dough, use a sturdy flat bottomed glass or the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a third cup of granulated sugar and chill in the refrigerator for thirty minutes before baking.
To achieve the most optimal results, use a metal baking pan (9" x 12"), line the pan with parchment paper, chill the dough slightly before baking in a preheated 300 degree (F) oven, and cut the shortbread in the pan before it has cooled completely.
You can certainly cut the shortbread freehand, but using a ruler and strips of one inch wide paper will help give you the most beautiful 3" x 1" shortbread fingers. It will take a bit of patience to cut the shortbread in the pan, but trust me, the effort is worth it. Ten of those shortbread fingers fit perfectly in these pale pink boxes.
Granulated sugar gets sprinkled on the shortbread dough before it bakes and again after it's been cut. The sugary top and dense, buttery, rich shortbread make for the most scrumptious, craveworthy bites. You are going to be obsessed with my version of Ted Lasso shortbread! Believe!
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Recipe
Ted Lasso Shortbread
Makes 33 pieces of shortbread (1" x 3")
Ingredients
18 ounces (506g) unbleached all-purpose flour
6 ounces (170g) semolina flour
6 ounces (170g) granulated sugar
15 ounces (424g) unsalted European style butter, room temperature (see notes)
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar divided
Directions
1. Line a 9" x 12" metal baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a medium sized standing mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (approximately 3-4 minutes).
3. Add in the sugar and beat until blended in.
4. Sift together the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and Kosher salt. Add to the butter/sugar mixture in three additions. Beat just until small clumps of dough begin to form.
5. Transfer the dough to the baking pan. Flatten the dough using the bottom of heavy, flat bottomed glass. Evenly spread 1/3 cup of granulated sugar over the top of the flattened dough.
6. Place the pan of dough in the refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F).
8. Set baking pan on a large cookie sheet before placing on the middle rack in the oven. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until the shortbread looks lightly golden brown along the edges.
9. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Let rest for 8-10 minutes before cutting into even 1" x 3" pieces while the baked shortbread is still warm. See Notes.
10. Lightly sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar over the top.
11. Carefully remove from the pan and pack into pale pink boxes. The shortbread will be good for up to two weeks, if it lasts that long.
Notes: (1) The amount of unsalted butter used equates to 3 sticks plus 6 Tablespoons. (2) In addition to Kerrygold, there are a variety of European style unsalted butters available in the grocery stores now. Look for ones with a milk butter fat of 82%. (3) To get the most evenly cut pieces of shortbread, I use both a ruler and strips of paper cut into 1" widths cut to the length and width of the pan. Gently lay the strip of paper on top of the shortbread. Using a sharp knife, cut along the edge of the paper. Repeat until the entire pan is cut into 33 pieces.
