The absolute BEST shortbread in the whole world, in my opinion, are made by Walkers. They can be purchased here in the US, but they are imported from Scotland, land of Highlander, bagpipes, and pleated tartan (FYI: this is the true name for what we North Americans call “plaid”) kilts. They have a fantastic ratio of butter and sugar: super buttery but easy on the sugar, which is perfect for tea time. Unfortunately, if you consume your body weight in these shortbread cookies, it gets costly! That is where my journey in search of a comparable recipe begins. (Note: The cookies in the picture are mine. I was being eco-friendly by reusing the awesome tin.)

Googling “walkers shortbread cookie recipe,” I stumbled upon quite a few recipes that claim the same worthiness of space in my belly. I read the reviews on most of them but only one really stood out. It is the Scottish Shortbread II recipe from allrecipes.com. Many of the reviewers had stated they thought the cookies from this recipe taste just like or even better than the real deal! THIS I had see!

INGREDIENTS:
*Makes 24 cookies (I ended up with 16 fat, oblong cookies)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour organic unbleached flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar organic evaporated cane sugar
• 3/4 cup butter organic butter sticks from Whole Foods

DIRECTIONS:
Before you begin, I should let you know that this recipe never states how long to bake them (I baked for 18 minutes at 350°F). Also, I added 1/2 cup cranberries to my dough and I did not use the 9 x 9 dish. Instead, I shaped the cookie bricks myself and just baked them on a cookie sheet. They expanded ever so slightly, so next time I will freeze them for several minutes prior to baking.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Blend all ingredients well. Dough will be stiff.
3. Press into a 9 x 9 inch buttered dish.
4. Prick top with fork.
5. Bake until pale golden brown on edges.
6. Cool and cut into squares.