National Shortbread Day

Today is National Shortbread Day.

Shortbread in it's most basic form is a simple ratio of sugar to butter to flour as measured by weight:  1 part sugar to 2 parts butter to 3 parts flour.  This ingredient ratio is what gives shortbread it's distinctive texture and flavor, although both can be altered by the addition of other ingredients such as the chocolate pearls in the picture above.  A few other ingredients may be added in addition to those, such as salt, for example, but the proportions of these other ingredients are very low compared to the main three.

It's important to use a high quality butter.  For me, that means a European style butter which has a higher percentage of butterfat in it than most typical butters found in the United States.

When mixing a shortbread dough, it's a wise thing not to mix too much.  Don't overwork the dough.  But do make sure everything is thoroughly combined.  I know, I know, that sounds contradictory.  But mix on low speed with your mixer, and maybe even mix the last bit of dry ingredients in by hand with a silicone spatula.

When using the term "short" in a dough, we mean a "crumbly" texture.  This comes about because of the high fat content provided by all that butter.  So a shortbread cookie is one that is crumbly in texture, not chewy.

So today I think I might make up a batch of shortbread and enjoy it with some chai or maybe some hot chocolate.  Combined with the chilly grey snowy conditions this weekend, it sounds like a perfect thing to enjoy.