“Lassoed” Into Making “Biscuits” (Shortbread)
In the Queen’s Language, Cookies are Biscuits
I LOVE Shortbread cookies and have quite a few recipes on 3jamigos that are shortbread-centric. I live by the motto “more butter, more better”. Food52 shared the recipe for biscuits from the Ted Lasso show, of course I made them. It was a no-brainer, an automatic cookie bucket list entry. In fact, it was The “biscuits” that enticed me to watch the show. Up to that point, Ted Lasso was not even on my radar despite friends and family buzzing about it. Well, I started watching Ted Lasso and the buzz is justified. Optimistic, empathetic, decent and endearing, qualities we seemed to be in short supply of these days. Ted Lasso is the perfect escape and the biscuits are pretty darn good too.
The Premise
American football coach goes to England to coach FOOTBALL. LOL
Biscuits with the Boss
Each day Ted brings a box of biscuits (cookies) to his boss, Rebecca. A tiny pink box filled with buttery goodness. Scrumptious biscuits, solid acting, a funny storyline, and Jason Sudekis, 🍿🍿🍿🍿.
The recipe is the “official one” provided by Apple TV, the distributor of Ted Lasso. There are other “me too” recipes out there (that of course I am going to try) like Christina Tosi’s version, but I figured this was a good place to start. These are essentially shortbread cookies. Did I like them? Yes. Do I think they are the be-all-end-all? Probably not.
My absolute favorite Shortbread is from an essay in Cuisine Magazine (sadly gone), “My Father’s Shortbread”. A Classic Scottish Shortbread–buttery, sandy texture, nice crumb, melts in your mouth and yet has some substance to the bite. It is the cornerstone of every holiday box of cookies we give out at Christmas. It is my be-all-end-all shortbread.
My second favorite is Bouchon’s Shortbread, tender, melt in your mouth, screams butter. It is a beautiful cookie. A little sweeter from the dusting of sanding sugar on the cookie.
Back to Ted
Don’t get me wrong. I will make Ted’s Biscuits again. They have a smoother texture than classic shortbread and a softer bite. I’m guessing it has to do with beating the butter much longer than the other shortbread recipes, the addition of powdered sugar and baking at a higher temperature than classic shortbread. The crumb is much more uniform so you don’t get that same sandy texture.
The cookies are baked in an 8 inch pan and cut after they are cooled. Start checking at about 40 minutes during baking. My batch turned a nice golden brown at 45 minutes. Cool cookies on a rack. The cookies are cut after they cool. Use a sharp serrated knife to keep the cuts clean and minimize breaking. I’m not sure why they aren’t cut warm, I might try that next time.
The cookie tastes better the next day, the butter flavor shines when given the chance to sit. Patience has its rewards.
So if you are sitting down to watch Ted Lasso, make a batch of any of these biscuits. It will make the show that much more fun and enjoyable. If you are like Ted, have a cup of coffee not a cup of garbage water (according to Ted). Me, I would love a steaming hot cup of tea.
Ted Lasso's Biscuits (Shortbread)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Sanding sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300℉
- Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and set it aside
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter for three to five minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar.
- Add flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
- Press into baking pan, keeping the dough as even as possible. I use an offset spatula and a tamper to even out the dough. Chill for a minimum of 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until it looks golden-brown but is still a little soft to the touch. Take the pan out of the oven. Sprinkle with sanding sugar now if using. Let it cool completely on a rack before cutting them.
- Remove from pan and use a serrated knife to cut slices to the dimensions you like. Ted cut his into squares, I cut mine into rectangle shape like Walker Shortbread. Go find some cute pink boxes too!