Millionaire’s shortbread

Shortbread for luck

Shortbread used to be so expensive that it was served only on special occasions such as weddings, Christmas and Hogmanay. Hogmanay is the Scottish name for the New Year festivities. The celebration goes back to pagan traditions when yule cakes, which are actually very similar to shortbread, were eaten. The yule cakes were a symbol of the sun and new beginnings. Friends and family in Scotland still share shortbread with each other on Hogmanay as a sign of good luck for the new year.

The ins and outs of shortbread

The ingredients

Shortbread is made with 3 ingredients: butter, sugar and flour. The sugar to butter ratio is 1 to 2. The sugar plus butter to flour ratio is about 1 to 1. In fact, it is similar to what we call shortcrust. The ratio of butter to sugar gives the dough a high fat content and this gives your cookie a soft buttery crumb. 

You can make a lot of variations with shortbread. You can add flavorings such as vanilla, cumin or lavender as well as chocolate, nuts or dried fruit. You can also partially replace the flour with rice or corn flour. This will make the cookie even more crumbly.

The shape

There are 3 traditional shapes for shortbread: rectangular fingers, round cookies or the petticoat-tail shape. Nowadays, you can find wooden molds with all kinds of cut-outs and decorations to make your shortbread even more special and festive. 

Why are there holes in shortbread?

Have you noticed that shortbread always has holes? They play an important role as they let the steam escape from the dough during baking. This way there are no air bubbles trapped and the cookies stay flat and even.

A few points of attention

• Always use unsalted butter of very good quality. Your cookie can only taste good if the ingredients are impeccable, and butter plays a crucial role in this recipe.
• Put the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking so that the dough does not run out in the oven. This is important when baking pre-shaped shorbread.
• Bake the cookies until they are golden and not brown.
• Don't overwork the dough. The gluten will develop, and the shortbread will be tough and hard.
• Shortbread is usually baked in one piece. Cut it into fingers or squares when it's still lukewarm.
• Plain shortbread is sprinkled with granulated sugar. Do this immediately after you take the cookies out of the oven. That way the sugar will stick to the dough.

Storing shortbread

You can store shortbread for several days in a cookie jar. You can also wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it. 

Millionaire’s shortbread

Millionaire's shortbread is the ultimate treat. It consists of 3 layers. You start with shortbread on which you spread a layer of deliciously creamy caramel. Then you top it off with a thin layer of crunchy, dark chocolate. It's quite a rich and filling cookie, hence its name millionaire's shortbread. If you are a fan of salted caramel, then use salted butter in the recipe or add half a teaspoon of sea salt. You then get billionaire's shortbread. Mmm, deliciously decadent!

Millionaire's shortbread is Didier's favorite cookie. He has tasted it in at least 10 different places in Scotland and is now an expert on the matter. He kept a precise score and the clear winner of the best millionaire's shortbread during our road trip is Birch Café in Portree on the Isle of Skye!

Recipe

For this recipe you will need a 23 x 23 cm square baking dish, parchment paper and a mixer. A sugar thermometer may come in handy.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line the baking dish with parchment paper and make sure the paper extends about two cm above the pan. That way you can easily remove your shortbread from the mold.