Butter, flour, and sugar are the three simple ingredients that it takes to make Lime Shortbread Cookies. These buttery biscuits with a hint of lime are perfect with a hot cup of tea or coffee!
Although I have called shortbread a cookie, it is in fact a biscuit. I called it a cookie while my children were growing up here in America because they did not know the word “biscuit”. Biscuits that they were exposed to were those that were made with buttermilk and served in restaurants here. Other biscuits that they tasted were during our visits to our families in India and Singapore. So as a matter of convenience, I called it a cookie rather than a shortbread biscuit.
Origin:
Shortbread is a biscuit, not a cookie. The essential ingredients in shortbread are butter, flour, and sugar. Besides that, the history of shortbread stems from allowing remaindered bread dough to harden until it became a rusk. As butter was introduced, this leavening process was replaced, which is why it is called “shortbread”. In baking terms, “short” refers to fat (think short crust pastry), and the amount of butter used to make this dish crumbly also named it “shortbread”.
In fact, the British government legislated that something could not be called shortbread unless 51% of its fat came from real butter. As a matter of history, the Scottish Association of Master Bakers does not refer to shortbread as a biscuit but a “specialty item of flour confectionery”, for the purposes of avoiding taxes.
While the shortbread is commercially available throughout the year in the UK, it is a traditional celebratory dish. January 6th is the Scottish National Shortbread Day, and the rich buttery dish was a luxury reserved for Christmas, Hogmanay (Scottish New Year’s Eve), and weddings. In fact, in the Shetland Islands, a decorated shortbread cake is broken over the head of a new bride on entering her new home.
Over the years, this simple but tasty baked good has increased in its versatility and popularity. From cacao-based to toffee-based to shortbread with jam in the center, shortbread has always been a great platform to innovate. But in general, it is not common to find a citrus-based shortbread. I chose to use lime because I grow them in my backyard. My citrus trees’ yield inspired me to add a fresh citrus twist to a variety of dishes. But to the rich Lime Shortbread Cookies, in addition to lime, I have added other flavors such as grapefruit, pomelo, and orange zest from my backyard.
The recipe below is the anthology of many years of sampling and reading about this perennial tea-time favorite. Grocery stores in England hand out coupons and recipes during the festive season of the year. I have collected and taken notes on many British dishes and baked goods that I have compiled in my journals. Shortbread recipe is ever-present in brochures and flyers. My visits to the libraries there have resulted in some ancient, authentic recipes that I have recorded in my books.
An alternate way to make Lime Shortbread Cookies:
An alternate method of making shortbread is to work the butter and sugar with your fingers, instead of beating them together. Add the flour as you go to bring it together to create the short crust pastry. Press the crumbly dough onto a lined tray, crimp the edges, prick with a fork, and bake until golden. Cut into desired shapes with a sharp knife, cool, and then break the large round cookie into triangular pieces. This method does not call for rolling. You use your hands to press down the dough firmly onto the tray.
While the traditional shortbreads are one large circle divided into triangular petticoat tails, Lime Shortbread Cookies can also be made into round biscuits or even individual rectangular pieces. When my children were growing up, they loved it when I used the butterfly mold and sometimes dollops of jam to make the eyes.
Choice of toppings:
I personally like the shortbread the way they serve in England and Scotland, which is dusted with caster sugar. Simple and delectable. As I mentioned earlier, I have made shortbread using orange peel, chocolate chips, lavender, and lemon. I made two batches: I rolled one batch to 1/4″ inch thick and made another batch with 1/8″ thickness. To one batch, I added the lime zest and juice, and the other, I added white grapefruit zest and juice. You can make one batch with several varieties and frost them with sprinkles, or nuts, and candied peel.
I had traditional shortbread when I visited Scotland a couple of times. Some of the tea shops in Edinburgh serve these shortbread wedges or triangles with fancy tea sets that added a yesteryear charm that still makes me wistful. Shortbread cookies made in the Scottish Highlands in a small village is worth a stop. The cold, crisp air outside makes tasting a hot cup of English breakfast tea with plain shortbread an out-of-this-world experience!
Frequently Asked Questions:
1.Should shortbread cookies be chilled before baking?
If the cookies turn out to be on the softer side, then chilling them prior to baking helps. I have not found the need to chill them as the climate here is usually cool.
2. Why are shortbread cookies pierced with a fork?
Pricking the cookies all the way down to the tray helps prevent the butter from bubbling, which cause some bumps on the surface of the cookies. Commercially available shortbread cookies are usually pierced.
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Ingredients:
- Rice flour : The recipe for the Shortbread is from England. While Queen Mary of the Scots was rumored to flavor her shortbread with the savory caraway seeds, I have chosen to add rice flour in addition to the three ingredients. In traditional Indian cuisine, rice flour is added to crisp up a fried dish. In this English shortbread recipe, rice flour provides an additional crisp texture to the shortbread. I have made these Lime Shortbread Cookies countless times without rice flour and they turn out fine. But this recipe with rice flour gives it a unique taste and texture. If you elect to not use rice flour, then you must adhere to 1:2:3 ratio of sugar, butter and plain flour or wheat flour respectively. You could add a little more flour if needed to get the right consistency.
- Sugar: I use caster sugar rather than granulated sugar because of the powdery nature of this dish. Given the penury of ingredients in the Lime Shortbread Cookies, the quality of the shortbread is entirely dependent on the quality of the ingredients.
- Butter: Shortbread tastes rich and buttery, and crumbly because of the high butter content. Correspondingly, it is important to use good quality butter. I tend to go with Irish butter, but equally, you can use any European butter such as German, Finnish or Danish butter.
- Flour: I have used all-purpose flour in this recipe for the Lime Shortbread Cookies.
How to make Lime Shortbread Cookies:
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until combined.
2. Sieve the flour with the salt. Gradually, add the flour until the mixture looks crumbly. Grate the lime zest into the mixture.
3. Add the lime juice and knead lightly. Roll out to your desired thickness and stamp out the cookies.
4. Pierce the Lime Shortbread Cookies with a fork in the center and bake at 350degrees F on a lined tray for 11-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Tips:
- Roll the dough to even thickness to allow for even baking.
- Add only a dash of lime zest and juice.
- Do not overcrowd the baking tray. Please leave an inch of space between each Lime Shortbread Cookie.
Storage:
Shortbread cookies must be stored in airtight containers. My Lime Shortbread Cookies tasted fresh even after three weeks at room temperature. I refrigerated some cookies as my son was visiting us from the UK. These refrigerated cookies stayed fresh for a couple of months. I like making a wide variety of food every time he visits us. I want him to be able to enjoy a lot of homemade food and baked goods that he can refrigerate and eat for weeks in London.
Other baked British goods that you could try:
Lime Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- stand mixer, baking trays
Ingredients
- ½ lb unsalted butter
- ¼ lb caster sugar
- ½ lb all-purpose flour
- ¼ lb rice flour
- large pinch salt
- 1 lime zest
- 1½ tsp lime juice
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until combined.
- Sieve the flour with the salt. Gradually, add the flour until the mixture looks crumbly. Grate the lime zest into the mixture.
- Add the lime juice and knead lightly. Roll out to your desired thickness and stamp out the cookies.
- Pierce with a fork in the center and bake at 350 degrees F on a lined tray for 11-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Let the cookies cool on the tray for a few minutes before easing them onto a wire rack.
- Place the cookies an inch apart on the lined baking tray.
Nutrition
I didn’t change a thing for this recipe. The proportions were perfect. Love the addition of lime!
these cookies are so cute! and i love the lime!