Shortbread

Shortbread . . . but long on flavor! Being the oldest cookie known to man, shortbread origins date to 1600’s Scotland and were served almost exclusively during the Christmas and Scottish New Year holidays. It is said that docking (pricks made in uncooked dough to allow for escaping steam) was fashioned so as to mirror the sun’s rays and call quick to winter’s end.

After the dough was baked and released from its pan, a small circle or blossom shape would be cut out of the center. The remainder would then be cut into wedges or “Petticoats,” so called because of their resemblance to the bell-hoop skirts worn by 12th century ladies of the court. More practically, however, the method grew out of frustrated bakers who tired of the wedge points routinely breaking off. Sometime later, the baker’s began imprinting the shortbread by baking it in carved, round, wooden molds. The original stamp was that of a thistle plant.

Shortbread owes its versatility to its simplicity. Customarily, shortbread is made with 3 main ingredients: flour, sugar, butter in a 3:2:1 ratio and baked in a slow oven at 300˚ to 325˚. The texture of any given shortbread cookie, its degree of crispness, is dependant upon the length of time in the oven, and thus, the amount of water baked out of the cookie.

But that’s where tradition ends! Today, shortbread is served throughout the year-- in a myriad of shapes-- with a plethora of flavors added-- and limited only by our imaginations. The dough can be pat into a large pans or into little tartlet ones. It can be rolled into half-inch balls and squished flat, or rolled out all at once and cut into squares. Shortbread can be iced, glazed, stamped, filled, topped, or coated. Serve as a dessert dish or herb-flavored with a bite of caviar as an appetizer.

Current Shortbread Selections Includes:

Wedges: Soft to bite, sandy texture, The Sweet Specialist's specialty shortbreads come in an array of flavors and boxed by the dozen.  From classic to savory to esoteric, it's the unsalted butter that keeps these shortbreads long on flavor.
•Butter
•Chocolate
•Green Tea
•Lavender
•Chai
•Filled with white chocolate & raspberry jam