Wednesday, Jan. 6 was National Shortbread Day, and we can think of no better time than this weekend to take on some shortbread baking projects.
Buttery, sweet and Scottish in origin, shortbread is the best basic cookie there is, made up of flour, butter, sugar and little else. It's actually Scotland's national cookie, according to Walker's Shortbread - who knew that countries had national cookies!
Here are five amazing shortbread recipes to indulge in this weekend in celebration of this week's National Shortbread Day:
Walker's Shortbread Copycat Cookies from Baking Bites. This is the classic shortbread recipe, yielding tender cookies that you can enjoy with coffee, alone or dipped in chocolate.
Caramel Shortbread Chocolate Bars from All Recipes. Also known as Millionaire's Shortbread, these are the number-one crowd-pleasing potluck dessert. Nothing could be more indulgent than a layer of shortbread, topped with a layer of caramel, topped with a layer of milk chocolate.
Butter Tart Squares from Canadian Living. Inspired by butter tarts, the classic Canadian dessert that tastes like mini pecan pies without the pecans, these bars will disappear from the pan faster than you can say "shortbread." Though raisins are definitely a controversial addition to any dessert, they just work perfectly in this one.
Striped Shortbread Cookies from Family Circle. These are beautiful and impressive and require a little bit of time and effort. They're perfect to put in a nice tin and give as a gift. Chocolate, vanilla and almond extract mix together in this aesthetically pleasing stripey cookie.
Chocolate Espresso Shortbread Cookies from Babble. If you're looking to add a little kick to your shortbread cookies, throw in a double dose of caffeine and sweetness with espresso and chocolate.
