IShortbread is my absolute favorite cookie, with its rich, buttery goodness. This Petticoat Tails Shortbread is traditional, Scottish festival shortbread at its finest. With only four ingredients, it’s also super easy to make! Ring in the New Year, or Hogmanay, with this simple cookie recipe!
Traditional Holiday Cookie
I’m not into sweet, sweet stuff which is why I’ve always loved shortbread when I want a really good cookie. This recipe for Petticoat Tails shortbread has four ingredients, so its simple to make and so incredibly delicious.
My inspiration for this recipe comes from a fine British recipe book called The Festive Table, by Jane Pettigrew. This book comes in mighty handy for a Waldorf-y, traditional foods, Christian, homeschooling mamma as its full of feast day foods and treats. From it I learned that these Petticoat Tails are often served to celebrate Hogmanay, or the Scottish New Year.
Another nice thing about this recipe is that it’s so easy that the kids can certainly learn how to make it – be sure to invite them into the kitchen with you!
Other Holiday Cookies to Consider
Benne Wafer Cookies – great for shipping in holiday packages!
Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – use up leftover oatmeal for these.
Paleo Pizzelle Cookies – gluten free and lower carb!
Petticoat Tail Shortbread Recipe
Shortbread is perfect for those who want a little something sweet, without gagging on too much sweetness. It is, as the British would say, a simply scrummy biscuit.
Petticoat Shortbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 Cups Organic Flour
- 1/2 Cup Organic Powdered Sugar
- 8-10 Tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Caraway Seeds, optional
- More Powdered Sugar for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/177C.
- Mix flour (1 3/4 C), powdered sugar (1/2 C), and caraway seeds (1 tsp.) together.
- Cut in butter with a pastry cutter (or two knives) until the dough looks like pebbles.
- Mush together into a loose ball and place on a lightly floured board or silicone mat. Knead the dough until it firms up but is still workable.* Have faith - the dough will be dry at first but the warmth of your hands will melt the butter a bit and blend everything together. Pretend its playdough.
- Roll out the dough to about a 1/4" thick circle. Crimp the edges like you would a pie crust with your finger and thumb. Prick surface with a fork all over.
- At this point you can score it by cutting the circle into equal wedges with a pizza cutter; if you're using a silicone mat, be careful not to cut it.
- Cut out a small circle in the middle- details on why below.**
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden.
- Take out and sprinkle with powdered sugar while still hot. You can also cut and dredge each wedge entirely in the powdered sugar, but that makes it a bit sweet for my taste.
- Allow to rest for about ten minutes. Unless you just can't wait another second!
Notes
Preparing the Dough
Traditional shortbread is very dry. In some measure, it’s comparable to pie crust, but drier. This texture is a big part of what gives this treat its signature flavor and sets it apart from other cookies.
As with pie crust, cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until the dough begins to look like pebbles. Turn it out on a clean surface and start massaging the dough into a cohesive ball.
It will take a bit for your hands to warm to butter all the way through and for the dough to start forming. If you really feel like the dough is simply too dry to hold together, go ahead and add 1-2 Tbsp. more room temperature butter.
Roll and Shape the Dough
Like with pie crust, you don’t want to overwork the dough. Get it to hold together and form it into a 1/4″ thick circle.
Be sure to flute the edges if you’re going for a festive look. You can score the top or not, which ever you prefer – this recipe doesn’t have a leavening agent so it won’t pouf up. I just like the look of the fork scoring.
Pre-cut the dough with a pizza cutter into evenly spaced wedges and transfer carefully to a baking sheet. Bake as directed.
Caraway Seed, Really?
I usually take my shortbread plain or with some lemon extract. So, when I made this recipe the first time, I was wary of putting caraway seeds into anything so sacred as shortbread.
I did NOT need to worry because that 1 tsp of caraway seeds make the flavor of this shortbread simply pop! The caraway lent an earthy, spicy flavor to this wonderfully rich cookie.
Ground nutmeg would be a suitable replacement if you don’t have caraway seed on hand. Mace would work, too. However, the caraway is delicious!
Dipped Shortbread and Other Christmas Cookie Ideas
The easiest way to dress these cookies is with powdered sugar sprinkled on top of them.
If you’d like something fancier, you can dip these shortbread cookies in melted chocolate and let them cool. This isn’t the traditional way to eat them, but it is a tasty way to eat them!
To learn how to make your own melted chocolate, please follow instructions 1-2 in this post from A Modern Homestead on making Honey Sweetened Chocolate. Dip the cookies into the chocolate once it’s melted.
Any leftover chocolate can be cooled and eaten as a treat on its own.
If you need a gluten free Christmas cookie, try these Almond Flour Sugar Cookies from Fit as a Mama Bear. Sugar cookies are similar to shortbread in many ways and the almond flour gives them a special texture.
Also, you have to check out my friend Susan’s Pine Needle Cookies! She has all kinds of fun Christmas stuff on her blog, Learning and Yearning.
Or try these Chai Molasses Cookies from Feast & West which come with an awesome opportunity to donate to a worthy cause, if you’re inclined.
This shortbread is hands down my favorite Christmas and New Year cookie! For more simple holiday inspiration from my homestead to yours, please get your own copy of our book, Homestead Holidays! With traditions from around the world, crafts for every age, recipes for every level of cook and homestead wisdom from families and friends, Homestead Holidays is sure to have something for everyone.
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I love shortbread, too! A few years ago, I learned that my mother’s family descended from a sept of the McClean clan and as such I am also an heir to the Duart Castle in Scotland (along with a million other people, I ‘m sure!). I love your petticoat cookies and am intrigued by the caraway seeds–will give this recipe a try!
Only the best people are Scottish, of course, Sheila! Let me visit your castle and I’ll bake you some shortbread! 😉
I love shortbread and those look amazing. Thanks for the recipe.
They disappeared quite quickly!!
I love shortbread, too. I’ve never make it like this or put caraway seed in it. I’ll have to try this recipe next time. Thanks for sharing!
The seeds were new to me, too, but they were delicious!
So pretty! I love the simple straightforward ingredients. My husband would absolutely love these shortbread cookies since he prefers less sweetness.
Blessings,
Shari
I like simple in my kitchen!
I’ve been making shortbread for many years, and I can tell you, You did good! These look lovely! Like you, I don’t care for overly sweet things, so shortbread is just the thing. Love it with a nice strong cup of tea with just a splash of milk.
I’m so glad you approve! Feel free to share any shortbread secrets you have!
Oh, I love shortbread. For some reason though, it seems like something I associate with the holidays – a view that needs changing, I think. Going to try these!
Thanks,
Russ
Repeat after me, Russ – “Shortbread starts with an “S”. So do Saturday and Sunday. Ergo, I should eat shortbread at least twice a week.”
Makes perfect sense to me.
Sounds like a fairly simple recipe and looks quite tasty. I always loved shortcake bread of any type when I used to eat bread. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & twitted.
These look amazing! The caraway seeds make me nervous, too. But I trust you! 🙂 I have GOT to try this… every time I look at it, my mouth waters!
I picked this post as my featured post for the From the Farm Blog Hop this week, too!
You’re so sweet – thank you!
If you want, you could try fennel seeds, instead – is that safer? The original recipe called for, I think, a tablespoon of caraway seeds – ack! The Scotts have hearty palates but I took it down a bit. Let me know if you like them… I want to see if I can make some kind of raw sugar or honey caramel sauce to drizzle over them – just a touch – not too sweet!
Thanks for sharing at Simple Lives Thursday; hope to see you again this week.
I love shortbread.. I’ll have to try this recipe too, what a great blog you have. I’m from England and my dad is Scottish, so shortbread is a must in our family. Did you know Mary Queen of Scots is known to have named the triangular wedges ‘petticoat tails’ ? Anyway, I came over from Simple Life Mom – check out #33.
I did know that actually but only because the book I mentioned, Festive Table, taught me so! How wonderful to be both English and Scottish and I can only imagine the shortbread that must appear in your house every holiday. In fact, my mouth is watering. Will go check out your post…
My Grandmother used to make these when I was a child but she dropped them by teaspoon. Wused to fill our pockets with them that she kept in the fridge.
Thank you for sharing that sweet memory, Treva! I love shortbread of every kind but these are a lovely holiday tradition. Happy Christmas!