Ted Lasso Biscuits (Shortbread Cookies)

Thick & Buttery Shortbread Cookies//Sugar Dusted//Ted Lasso Biscuits

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[If you’ve never watched Ted Lasso and have zero interest in the backstory of why I developed this recipe, feel free to skip the foreword below. Here’s the takeaway: these are the best shortbread cookies (or “biscuits,” if you speak the Queen’s English) you’ll ever eat. Go make them. Foreword done. You’re welcome. Bye!]

If you’re a Ted Lasso fan like me (it’s honestly my favourite show), you’ve probably swooned over the Biscuits with the Boss scenes. But in case you aren’t aquatinted with this sweet tradition: every morning, Ted shows up at Rebecca’s office (whether welcome or not!) with that iconic little pink box filled with thick, buttery shortbread cookies that somehow feel like the perfect comfort hug. So cute, so funny, so wholesome.

From the first BWTB scene, I knew I had to get my hands on those shortbread biscuits somehow! I absolutely love shortbread in general, but those looked next level. I had never seen them cut that thickly before, and Hannah Waddingham made them look utterly irresistible. The craving they sparked was instant and inescapable.

Now here’s the thing: I tracked down the official recipe Apple TV shared on the TODAY show website - I truly can’t tell you how excited I was that they had released it. But then I baked it, and honestly… it just didn’t hit the mark. Even Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca herself!) said those original biscuits from Season 1 “weren’t that appetizing.” Yikes. I would’ve known this had I read the article above the provided recipe, but, honestly, I’m glad I tried them. They weren’t bad, but I thought they’d be more moist, more flavourful, more special.

So I went off on a little mission to perfect them. I tried other bloggers’ versions of them, and again, while they were all fine, none were as magical as I imagined they could be. As what they were supposed to be. So 5-7 tests later, here she is! THE Ted Lasso Biscuits with the Boss recipe. The one that wouldn’t have made Hannah Waddingham have to dig deep into her acting boots to sell us on the magic of Ted’s little confections.

I’m going to wrap it up here. I hope you love these as much as I do. These are my new favourite shortbread cookies - so moist, so buttery, and with the perfect amount of sugar and salt to bring out all of the flavours, including a lovely whisper of vanilla to round them all out. They make the kitchen smell so heavenly as they bake, and, to put the cherry on top of it all, they are SO quick and easy to make.

Go pour yourself a nice cuppa, and maybe a few loved ones to share these with, and enjoy!

Recipe:

Makes 1 (8x8x2 inch) tray

Notes

• It’s vital to this recipe (if you want them to be perfect, anyway), that you use both the usual pink salt that has small granules, as well as a nice flaky salt. The smaller granules lend flavour to the baseline dough, and then the bigger flakes provide the most delicious bursts of flavour in little pockets here and there. Be precise with the measurements, and make sure you follow the instructions of having 2 salts of differently sized granules. If you don’t have pink salt, that’s fine, just use another salt with smaller granules - the size is the important part.

• Make sure you use the 8x8x2 inch tray called for. This makes them nice and tall, allowing for an exterior with a nice bite to it, and a supremely soft and moist interior. The baking time is also specific to achieving this result for this exact pan size.

• Follow the bake time and temperature exactly the first time you make these. This is how I like mine - a light crunch on the outside and a super soft interior. If you decide you like a crunchier exterior, and want to experiment, increase the oven temperature to 350, and decrease the bake time by 10 minutes for starters. But I wouldn’t just leave the oven temperature at 325 and increase the bake time, as this will yield a less moist centre.

• As a general baking note - all ovens are different. So the times and temperatures that I write are for what I feel a normal, well-functioning oven, would call for. When I'm working with a weaker oven, I like to try to figure out how many degrees I need to increase the temperature by to reach the "normal" power level I'm used to. Obviously that takes trial and error, but I recommend figuring that out instead of increasing the baking time all the time. You'll get better results that way.

• These biscuits don’t need the sugar. They’re great either way. You can also add a flavoured glaze on top. Stay tuned for some of my favourite variations to come…

Shortbread

Ingredients

• 315 g butter, room-temperature

• 150 g powdered sugar

• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 + 1/8 tsp salt (pink Himalayan)

• 3/4 tsp flaky sea salt

• 345 g all-purpose flour

• Sugar, for dusting - just a few spoonfuls

  
  

Instructions

1. Butter an 8x8x2 inch baking tray, and line it with a parchment sling.

2. Place butter in a large bowl. Sift in the powdered sugar. Add in the vanilla extract and pink salt (or the finer of the 2 salts you’re using).

3. First combine on low speed with an electric mixer, and then increase speed and beat on high for 2 minutes.

4. Add in the flaky sea salt. Combine on low speed.

5. Sift in the flour. Combine on low speed. Do not over-mix.

6. Scoop the batter into the prepared baking tray. Roughly spread it out with a spatula or slightly wet hands.

7. Cut a large piece of plastic wrap, and lay it over the dough. Use the back of a wooden spoon (or anything smooth that won’t stick to the plastic; I find metal spoons do), and run it over the dough until it’s totally smooth and evenly dispersed.

8. Discard the plastic wrap, and place the tray in the fridge for 30 minutes. When you’re 20 minutes into this waiting time, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and ensure that the oven rack is positioned in the middle.

9. Remove the tray from the fridge, and prick the dough all over with a fork - about 15-20 pricks. I like to do this in lines, to help me to later see where I want to cut my cookies, but it doesn’t really matter.

10. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is a lovely golden colour.

11. Remove from oven, and let sit for 5 minutes. Place a cutting board right next to the baking tray. Then, lift up the parchment sling in a swift motion, and place it on the cutting board.

12. Immediately sprinkle some sugar overtop. How much you use is totally up to you! I probably used 4-5 tablespoons (I was on the generous side), but you can do a thinner layer, or you can omit the sugar entirely if you don’t like that. You can also do a glaze (wait for them to cool first if you're going this route).

13. Let the shortbread cool completely. Then, slice into pieces. I like to cut it into 12 rectangles - first cut it into 6 strips, and then once down the centre the opposite way. This admittedly makes pretty big biscuits, but I find despite them being so rich and moreish, once you take your first bite, you’ll probably find them to be the perfect size!

14. You can eat them immediately. They’re a slight bit better on day 2 (the butter seeps into the flour even more so - cakes are like this too), so I’d make them the day before or several hours before an important event if you want absolute perfection, but they’re truthfully wonderful straight away! Store the shortbread in an airtight container or on a plate covered in plastic wrap, at room temperature. These are excellent for 3-4 days.

15. Enjoy! And feel free to make yourself a nice latte or tea latte to go with them.

    
    

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