Where are my Ted Lasso fans? We’ve got five days, friends. Five days until we head back across the pond, back to Richmond, and back to the world and the characters we’ve all come to know and mostly love (looking at you, Nathan Shelley). I’ve got plans to watch with a friend and we’re going all in. I’ve got a couple of pub glasses for our beer and bangers and mash planned for dinner. We’ll finish with classic shortbread cookies for dessert, of course. No Ted Lasso watch party could possibly be complete without biscuits with the boss.
While searching recipes, I found a multitude of variations on the classic butter, flour, sugar theme. Some recipes used more flour, some replaced part of the flour with cornstarch or semolina. Some used unsalted butter, then added salt. Some called for Irish butter, some called for European, and others didn’t specify at all. Some used more sugar, some less. Several recipes called for vanilla extract, while others proclaimed this blasphemous. I found several sources proclaiming the official Ted Lasso recipe outstanding, while others called it bland or too soft to be considered a classic shortbread cookie. What’s a food blogger and Ted Lasso fan to do? Take the information I have, believe in myself (yep, I went there), and bake with love just like the man himself.
In the end, I put together a simple, three ingredient recipe I adore. I think you’ll love it, too. The flavor is delicate and the butter is the star. The texture is short and crumbly, but not so crumbly it falls apart on you. All in all, whether you serve these classic shortbread cookies with coffee, tea (garbage water to Coach Lasso), or just grab one as a mid-afternoon treat, you can’t go wrong. They really are, in a word, lovely.
Flour, butter, and sugar are all you need for the easiest, loveliest classic shortbread cookies to enjoy with your coffee or afternoon tea.
Classic Shortbread Cookies
recipe and method compiled from multiple sources
Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar, plus more for topping the biscuits
2 sticks European salted butter, slightly softened (Why European butter?)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375º F. Line a 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Press dough into the pan, taking care to get it all the way into the corners. Using a bench scraper or butter knife, cut the dough into 16 squares or fingers, depending on preference. Prick the dough with a fork. (This is called docking and it let’s some of the steam escape so you have a shorter or crispier crumb.)
- Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly golden and very slightly browned on the edges. Remove and sprinkle with sugar immediately. Cool in the pan for five minutes, then lift out with parchment paper and use a knife to gently cut the shortbread completely apart. Let cool completely. Store in a airtight container up to a week. If freezing, let the shortbread cool completely, then place in an airtight bag or container and freeze up to three months.
yield: 16 pieces
Looking for more biscuits that are perfect for your morning coffee or afternoon tea?
