Happy National Shortbread Day

I bet you didn’t know it was National Shortbread Day, did you? Geez, where have YOU been? I am a sucker for the myriad food holidays that our country has deemed celebratory for each month and today is no exception. I absolutely love shortbread. Good shortbread is buttery and slightly crispy. It crumbles in your mouth when you take a bite. A basic shortbread can be simple and lightly sweet, but these days there are many variations on this classic cookie that take it in new directions from savory to decadently sweet. There are even whole blogs dedicated to different shortbread recipes!

Shortbread originated in ancient Scotland and follows a pretty basic ratio of ingredients- one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts flour (originally oat flour was used, but today white flour is more common). When I had the lucky privilege of traveling to Scotland for the Golden Spurtle, one of our stops was the Walkers estate. It was closed, so we didn’t get to take a tour, but it was really neat to see where some of the best shortbread is made. I can’t honestly say whether I prefer Walkers or McTavish. On the one hand, Walkers is imported from Scotland (it’s their largest food export) on the other- McTavish is baked right here in Portland, Oregon. I’d wager, though, that homemade shortbread would easily rival both brands.

Accolades from the Queen at Walkers Shortbread Factory in Scotland

Here are some of our favorite shortbread recipes to help you celebrate today. If you want to take the semi-easy homemade route, try our Shortbread Cookie Mix.