My Gramma (my mom’s mom) wasn’t the only one with cooking skills in the family. My Nana (my dad’s mom) also had some chops in the kitchen.
My Nana was born and raised in New Zealand, and met my Grandfather when he was on R&R during World War II. She sent him the BEST photos when he was away fighting.
she wrote on the back, “Barefoot Glamour”
from the back: 110 lb, grey-eyed blond. Your wife, Nancy
awesome
After the war, my Nana took the War Bride ship over to America. She brought with her recipes from her own mother and grandmother, and she passed them on to my Aunt Lynn, who has now passed them on to me! I tackled her Scottish Shortbread Cookies because they only have four ingredients. I figured that made it hard for me to mess up.
Nana’s Scottish Shortbread Cookies
You need:
2 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Cream together the butter and powdered sugar. I am finally using the mixer!
Add one cup of flour to the butter/sugar mixture. I mixed with my hand, like my Nana used to, but you can also use a mixer on low using the ceramic mixing tool.
Add the remaining flour and salt and mix it more. Man, I need lipstick.
Flour your board. I…don’t have a board. So I used the counter. I’m a regular MacGyver.
Put flour on your hands, too.
Gently pat out the mixture until it’s about 1/4 of an inch thick.
SOMEONE was supposed to help me with that part.
Using a knife, cut the cookies into bars.
Prick the cookies two to three times with a fork.
Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes.
Take a nap. Cookie making is hard work.
Almost done!
Mmmm….cookies.
I had my dad join Mike and Annie for the taste test, since it is his mom’s recipe…
…and they all liked them! My dad said they tasted just like he remembered.
Annie loves cookies.
My aunt says to store the shortbread cookies in an air-tight tin. I didn’t do this…because the cookies were gone in an hour!
- 2 sticks of butter, softened
- 2 cups of flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- Cream the butter together with the powdered sugar.
- Add 1 cup of flour ro the butter/sugar mixture and mix with your hand.*
- Add the remaining flour and the salt and mix with your hand.*
- Pat out the mixture on a well-floured board to about ¼ inch thick.
- Cut into square or rectangle bars.
- Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and prick cookies with fork 2 or 3 times. This is for the Scottish look.
- Bake at 325 for about 20-25 minutes
Annie says:
Yum, those look tasty- and I love that the ingredients are so simple too!
Rebecca says:
I have a very similar recipe……..and these cookies are delicious on top of amazing, wrapped up with love and tasty and the best ever.
The only difference in my recipe is that I roll the dough into a ‘log’ and then put the log in the refrigerator and once the dough is cool, I slice the cookies………….
AND, I just realized that Bampa looks a whole lot like one of Joey’s Wish Granters from Make A Wish.
Dacia says:
The cookies look delish! When are you going to get Annie a job modeling? She is so cute – all those facial expressions are priceless.
Marsha says:
oh my gosh that pic of Annie is adorable!!!!!
Sue says:
My mouth is watering, Heather! They look delicious, and you are getting to be quite the cook! Great looking group of taste-testers, too!
Sarah says:
Your nana’s a kiwi! Awesome, so am I! I always heard about war brides going to America and I always wondered what their lives were like. So lovely to read this recipe – reminds me of my own Nana’s shortbread. Mmmmmmmmm.
mccgoods says:
You have the ove glove? Does it work as good as they say it does? Not like I cook or anything but maybe I would with an ove glove HAHAHA
Amanda says:
Va va va DNA. Beautiful. Can’t wait to try the recipe! I ache for those snoozing nappers.
Neeroc says:
Love that picture of the two of you – so adorable.
Also? I come from a land that lacks sticks of butter is that 1 cup?
Heather says:
yeah, according to The Google, a stick of butter equals 1/2 cup, so yes, 1 cup total.
Neeroc says:
Google! Why didn’t I think of that? Thanks Heather.
yvette says:
I love the matching aprons – so adorable
Jessica says:
I love that you started posting easy recipes, as I am definately not talented in the kitchen.
Also loving the matching aprons…maybe I should force my boys to wear some! Haha!
Jenb says:
We made aprons with my boys when they were younger. They drew hockey sticks and footballs and sparkly gems (quite the mix). They wore them for years and are now a great keepsake!
meoskop says:
I’m going to try these with glazing sugar – on these older recipes I like it better.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/glazing-sugar-16-oz
We LOVE shortbread, so I’m in for a batch.
Lanie says:
Love shortbread, the pictures and the aprons! Thank you for sharing. Take care.
Kristin says:
I LOVE that picture of you and Annie passed out in your matching aprons.
Tori says:
I am from (and actually in) New Zealand!! :o) Love your Nana’s photos.
How much does a stick of butter weigh please?
Heather says:
I used this: http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/butter_converter.html and it is telling me 226.81 grams…does that sound right?
Tori says:
Sounds good to me :o) Will try the recipe over the weekend and let you know how it turned out using 225g of butter. Thank you.
Jenn says:
I just LOVE the picture of Annie with the little grin on her face. She is so fricking ADORABLE!!! I know I keep saying that but I swear, both Maddie and Annie are breath taking. I don’t know how one cannot fall in love with them! Enjoy your cookies!!! YUM…They Look Great!!!
Sarah - { rad: renovations are dirty } says:
mmm… shortbread is my favourite cookie. I make a ridiculous amount at Christmastime using my Grandmother’s recipe. I like using fruit sugar, though. Along with cutting out cookies, I use a ceramic shortbread pan from Lee Valley. Love it!
Oh, and your matching aprons are adorable!
Shan says:
Super easy recipe..and adorable aprons!!
Lindsey says:
I am definitely making these – right now, so just noticed a discrepancy – is it 1/2 cup or 1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar? Pretty sure it’s the one and a half. Thanks for the recipe.
Rachel says:
I just got done making these and used 1 1/2 cups (didn’t even notice the discrepancy – just printed off the recipe at the bottom). Seems to me that only 1/2 wouldn’t be enough. I didn’t think they were overly sweet.
Panni says:
Try dusting icing sugar over them when they are still warm for the greek version of shortbread. Very yummy too.
Mommy says:
I love the matching aprons and I love your Nana’s captions to her pictures! Jeez, those long legs!!! She was gorgeous!
Thanks for sharing your recipes. Can’t wait to try them!!
Christina says:
Try cutting those with a pizza cutter and you’ll have quicker cutting and cleaner lines (that is if you WANT quicker cutting and cleaner lines).
Trisha says:
Always looking for tea and coffee cookies that are easy to make. Thanks for sharing. These will be perfect for the fall weather that has finally arrived.
Annie’s taste testing photo is hands down one of my favorites of her so far. Well done Heather and Mike. She has got be the most photogenic little girl I’ve ever seen. So adorbs!!
Melissa says:
In the picture “they like the cookies!” Annie looks just like Maddie.
Smoochagator says:
Your Nana was a HOTTIE! I can’t wait to try these cookies. And I am loving your recipe posts – please keep doing them!
Ray says:
Love your cooking segments. I’ll have to try out this recipe one day. And that photo of you and Annie passed out with matching aprons is ADORABLE!
Love the photos your Nana sent to your Grandpa during the war. CUTE! =D
Rachel says:
Do the cookies spread when baking? They look like they would be a good recipe to practice with the cookie cutters we got as a wedding present and used once (didn’t work out too well). Today’s a rainy Sunday with no plans, so I’m gonna try them out.
Also, that last picture of Annie is freaking adorable.
gail says:
hi i was looking for a good shortbread cookie recipe when i saw yours and thought simple enough so i printed it. Problem i had to come back to this site because no where on the printed version is what the oven temperature should be needed to bake these cookies. gonna try them now.
Marilyn says:
Today my son comes home from 6th grade saying that I have to make something for the international bake sale tomorrow and choc chip cookies wont pass muster (huh?) on top of this, hubby had emergency surgery yesterday and so I am taking care of him ( ugh.. men) so I needed something easy… Going to try these tonight!!
Uncle Ross says:
Your Nana rarely talked about the war and her early years in the US but:
She did mention that USO Crooner/Irish Tenor Dennis Day (the singer Jack Benny Program) was on the ship Lorain with her and her BFF Connie when the made to voyage to the USA. Star-struck Nana was harassing him. She admitted that and got a great laugh out of the tale. Evidently bothering him to the point Day really avoided your Nana.
Also the toilets on the ship didn’t work and everyone had to do their business in a bucket and dump it overboard. TP was at a premium.
Showers and laundry were with salt water. Pretty miserable. Lunch/brunch was a Malt-O-Meal kinda meal dinner was bread and some sort of canned mystery meat and a vegetable. Just straight forward something to eat,, nothing fancy.
The mint still seen growing around Highland and 3rd street in Hollywood may have been planted by war brides. Nana mentioned one day when I took her to lunch at her favorite restaurant Valentinos in the vicinity and we drove through the old neighborhood in the early 1970’s.
You aunt Lynn still makes the shortbread and packs in in classic tins for the family,, but often forgets to add the sugar,, and we don’t have the heart to tell her.
Uncle Ross says:
Your Aunt Alice asked me to expand on the mint planted in Hollywood remark.
Lamb is the favorite dish of New Zealand and mint sauce to lamb is like A1 sauce is to steak for Americans.
No Mint sauce sold in the local Hollywood markets in those days so Nana and other war brides made their own.
Nannas mint sauce recipe:
4 large cloves garlic, slivered
Coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup coarse-grain mustard
1 cup very finely chopped fresh mint leaves, washed and dried
2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
4-6 tablespoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
1-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Ann Goldie says:
At the beginning you call for 2 sticks of butter and 1/2 cup of icing sugar. Further down the recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter and 1 1/2 cups icing sugar. Which is it?
Heather says:
1/2 cup. Sorry about that!