"shortbread" news and stories

Happy National Shortbread Day!

Once predominantly a Christmas treat -- or, depending on where you live, perhaps associated more strongly with the festival of Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year's Eve -- these buttery cookies are a welcome bite year-round, satiating both sweet and savory cravings.

Taking cue in shape from the traditional Scottish bannock, a griddle cake of oatmeal and barley, shortbread also followed its predecessor in avoiding an overly saccharine taste. Traditionally baked in an ornate, earthenware mold, the cookies would be often be perforated to be broken into individual pieces, as popularized by Walkers Shortbread.

Today, shortbread still frequently takes a circular form, but its flavors have diversified significantly, from sweet to savory. If you're feeling adventurous, perhaps these savory Parmesan-Rosemary Shortbread Rounds or the Oatmeal Shortbread pictured above will pique your interest.

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Shortbread is sort of the essential cookie: flour, sugar, a little salt, and lots of butter -- sweet cream butter, that is. With a delicate crumb and an incredibly rich flavor, this cookie, along with a cup of strong Darjeeling tea, can make for the best afternoon teatime nosh you've ever had.

Shortbread Cookies Recipe

More Shortbread Cookie Recipes

With the December chill setting in, there's nothing quite as sweet as cold air warmed with the scent of Christmas cookie baking.

One of the easiest holiday cookies to make is Scottish shortbread. A simple combination of flour, sugar and butter, these cookies could not be any simpler, but with a little flair, they can become an elegant and delicious addition to a party table or Santa's helping of cookies and milk on Christmas Eve.

Halloween is almost here. The costumes are coming together, the ghosts are swooping in, the kiddies are getting restless and there is simply no time to make fancy graveyard cupcakes or malted eyeballs. But Halloween-themed brownies and blondies are still a snap! When time is of the essence, witch fingers are a great treat to whip up, and they will certainly elicit kudos from the crowd.

These crunchy Halloween cookies have run their way back and forth across the Web, but we've come up with twists and style updates that are sure to please. Hit the jump and visit the gallery for inspiration.

Just the other day, I was perusing my RSS feed and wondered when Pim would once again make me salivate with some amazing, but simple, recipe. Wonder and ye shall receive, I guess, because she's just done it again in the most delightful way -- Chocolate-Caramel Shortbread Sandwiches.

I might not be a big chocolate fiend, but make it a dark chocolate, and team it with shortbread and salty caramel? I can't think of much that would be tastier. Basically, these cookies are small slabs of shortbread that have a chocolate ganache ring inside that holds in gooey caramel. So, not only are they a mixture of delicious flavors, but they're cookies with a creamy explosion inside.

I just wish these went up the other night when I was baking for the company I had tonight.