There's a story in our family that gets told year after year. It's about the time my sister and I ate all of my mother's shortbreads. Every single one. This year, it's bittersweet because it's our family's first Christmas without my mom.
My parents were gone on a 3-week anniversary cruise. Anxious at the idea of not returning until a few days before Christmas, my mother had done all of her holiday baking. Knowing her daughters well, she hid the shortbreads away. I was home on maternity leave with a four-month-old baby, and my sister was in her first term at university. Every evening she came over to work with me on her essays and to study for exams. She starting bringing over a few shortbreads each night, rearranging the contents of the tin to look like nothing was missing.
One night in anticipation of a long night of studying, she showed up with a tin. Recognizing it immediately as the “shortbread tin” I put on the kettle for some tea. Upon opening it, I realized we had a problem.
Most of the shortbreads were gone and our parents would be home in a few days. Naturally we thought it best to finish the cookies and bake a new pile from scratch. Except we're not kitchen-proficient and we didn't even know where our mom stored her recipes.
Concocting a story, I emailed my parents for the recipe, and they sent it to us. We then elicited my husband to make the shortbreads for us. Being the chef in the family, he agreed and we thought all would be well.
But none of them came out just right. They hadn't achieved the snow-white look of our traditional shortbreads. My husband baked batch after batch. They were piling up on to counter until we had some that were passable.
He carefully diced the red and green glace cherries and placed them on the cookies. We put them back in the tin and my sister returned them to their hiding place. We vowed never to eat the cookies again. A few days later our parents returned, and I got a call from my mom, asking what had happened to her shortbreads. Apparently, my husband hadn't placed the cherries in the spot she did. She knew immediately!
This year, I'm making the shortbreads and I want them perfect, just like my mom's. She always used Gay Lea salted butter because she thought it was the best for baking. The trick is to let the butter be room temperature for easy kneading and to bake the cookies on a low temperature. Here's the recipe for what I think are the best shortbreads.
Best ‘Classic English' Shortbread Recipe
- 1/2 lb butter
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tablespoon rice flour
- a pinch of baking soda
- 1/2 cup fruit sugar (dissolving sugar)
Knead butter by hand. Mix dry ingredients by hand.
Roll on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin to approximately 1/4 inch thickness. Place on an ungreased baking tray. Use your favourite holiday cookie cutters. Decorate with finely chopped glace cherries if you like.
Bake at 275 in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until bottoms are slightly golden. Transfer immediately to a cooling rack.
Disclosure: I am part of the Gay Lea Ambassador Campaign and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
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My fave family recipe is peanut butter balls.
one of our favorites is butter tarts
My favorite family recipe is the Christmas pudding my Mom make with the brown sugar sause that goes over it.
My favourite is a shortbread recipe that my grandmother got from a neighbour in the 1940’s – it’s still the best to this day.
My favourite is my sister’s shortbread.
My favourite family recipe is my sisters amazing sugar cookies!
we love lemon pancakes made with Gay lea norida cottage cheese
I have many! My favourite recipes are mostly dinner based.
My favourite family recipe is the lemon squares my mom makes. Unfortunately she will only bake them once a year at Christmas time. Like your mom, mine hides the recipe and will not divulge its location.
Butter Tarts! It’s my Grandma’s old recipe and it’s the best
my grandmothers potato candy, was the best!!
our fruit cake recipe
My favourite recievis my mom’s cheesecake. I can never do it right!! I amhoping when it is time for me to leave this world my mom will be waiting ready to teach me her tricks!! Love your shortbread story!
my favorite family recipe is drumstick cheesecake
mt grans sugar cookies are amazing my fav recipie
My favourite Christmas cookies are Whipped Shortbread
I do love my husband’s shortbread cookies!
My favourite family recipe is peanut butter balls
For me it is my grandmother pecan crescents 🙂
my family favorite recipe is our yummy chille!!
I love shorbread cookies. They have always been my favourite. My mom used to make them and they seemed to just melt in my mouth.
Our families favourite recipe is whipped shortbread
My great grandmother’s shortbread!
My grandmothers recipe for butter tarts! So mouthwatering, buttery dough, amazing!
Definitely the recipe I have for whipped shortbread, I love them!
chocolate coveredpeanut butter balls
Love shortbread even tho they never come out right…also love making peanut butter chocolate balls,which is so simple, peanut butter,butter,sugar,chocolate chips, no baking! And the kids love it and they help making them!
my favorite family recipe would be peanut butter cookies and apple crisp..but also a few bread recipes too
Coconut Cream Pie (though… I don’t make it nearly often enough).
My favourite is Chocolate Shortbread.
our family recipe is cram pff shells..then fill them with different flavoured real whip creams and drizzle with chocolate or caramel
My Nanas molasses and melt in your melt shortbread recipes . Thank you for giveaway .
I always loved my moms tuna pinwheels.
My favorite family recipe is Whoopie Pies passed down from my mom
Jonnie
I love my husband’s apple pie cupcakes they are divine!!
My favourite is my gumdrop cake
Fruit Cake!
Our favourite is from Malta it is called Figoli and it takes almost 1lb. of butter
We love to make date squares and cinnamon rolls.
My favourite family recipe would be candy cane cookies. I remember making them with my mom and siblings as a child and they are still enjoyed today!
My mother-in-laws shortbread cookies.
Our favorite family recipe is the famous Carrot Cake and of course the cream cheese icing to go over the delicious treat :D)
My favorite recipe is a rice krispie log passed down by my mom
We have a really tasty banana bread recipe that we’ve passed down and around!! It’s always a big hit and we bake it often.
– Amber Y
My favourite family recipe would be my mom’s banana bread.
my sisters shortbread is to die for
My great grandmas butter tarts! <3
We make a really good cherry cheesecake.
my moms sugar pie!
My sisters banana split cake yum yum
Nalysnyskis
My favorite family recipe is my Mom’s chocolate cupcakes.
My favourite family recipe is my mom’s chocolate chip cookies.
peanut butter balls for sure
Our favorite recipe is for hermit cookies.
We like to make Ollibollen. They’re a Dutch doughnut.