Inspired by the cookies featured on "Ted Lasso," these brown sugar walnut shortbread cookies are buttery, tender, and perfectly sweet for a wonderful treat. Drizzle maple glaze on top for a lovely finish.
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What makes this recipe special
Even to this day I still remember watching the first season of Ted Lasso. As much as I enjoyed the show, I became even more obsessed with the shortbread cookies featured on almost every episode. After crying about them constantly, my husband baked a batch for me. I knew I chose a good one. And boy were they good.
Well, it's been a few years but every once in a while I still crave those thick, buttery, decadent shortbread cookies. Since it's the holiday season, I decided to make a recipe inspired by those very same cookies. These brown sugar walnut cookies still have the wonderful tender texture but is studded with buttery nuts with a hint of molasses. Finish the cookies with a maple glaze for a holiday touch. It's a wonderful midday treat if I do say so myself!
For more holiday treats, check out my bleeding Halloween cupcakes, caramelized torrija, and apple cider caramel chocolate popcorn.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Butter is a crucial ingredient in shortbread cookies, providing both flavor and texture. It contributes richness and a creamy mouthfeel, which is essential for achieving the characteristic melt-in-your-mouth quality of shortbread. If using salted butter, adjust the amount of salt in the recipe, decreasing it by half.
- Dark brown sugar: Adds sweetness and moisture to the cookies. Its higher moisture content compared to white sugar helps create a softer texture. The molasses in brown sugar also imparts a deeper flavor and a slight chewiness.
- Almond extract: Contributes a distinct nutty flavor, making the cookies more aromatic and flavorful without overpowering the other ingredients.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and sweetness, complimenting the buttery and nutty flavors.
- Walnuts: Finely chopped walnuts provide crunch and texture to the shortbread cookies. They add a nutty flavor that pairs well with the sweetness of the brown sugar and the richness of the butter.
Substitutions and variations
- Flavors: You can replace almond extract with maple extract to enhance the molasses flavor or replace it with additional vanilla extract. You can also add lemon or orange zest for a citrus flavor or add cinnamon for a seasonal twist.
- Nuts: Substitute walnuts with pecans, almonds, or other nuts of your choice.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Make cookie dough
I love making shortbread cookies because they're so easy to make. It's just a matter of combining the ingredients and letting the dough rest. The hardest part? Waiting for the cookies to cool!
Let's jump right in. Start by lining an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper that hangs over the sides. This will make it easier to remove the cookies later. You don't need to grease the pan because there's enough butter in the cookie dough.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together softened butter and brown sugar, beating until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, which takes about 2-3 minutes. You can also use a hand mixer.
Take your time creaming the butter and sugar since this step is crucial to building the structure in the cookie. Beating the ingredients together until fluffy results in a lighter cookie - because no one wants a dense cookie, am I right?
Add the almond and vanilla extracts along with salt, mixing until well combined. Then, gradually add the flour and mix just until incorporated, being careful not to overmix. If you overmix the dough, the cookies can end up tough.
Gently fold in the finely chopped walnuts, distributing them evenly throughout the dough.
Step 2: Chill
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and spread the dough in an even layer.
Recipe tip
To prevent the dough from sticking to your hands, lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top. Then, use your hands or a spatula to flatten the dough.
Then, take a fork and prick the dough approximately 35 times across its surface. This step is crucial as it allows steam to escape during baking, preventing the shortbread from puffing up unevenly and helping to create a more uniform, crisp texture.
Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes. Chilling is an important step that helps solidify the butter, making it melt slowly when baking. It also allows the flour to fully hydrate and the flavors to meld together, resulting in a more tender and flavorful shortbread.
Step 3: Bake
After chilling, bake the shortbread for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into 18 equal portions, each measuring approximately 2.6 by 1.3 inches. You don't want to wait until the cookies are completely cooled before cutting because it will be harder to cut.
Allow the cookies to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. If needed, re-cut the cookies using a sharp knife.
Now since it's the holidays, I decided to make a maple glaze to compliment the cookies. The brown sugar walnut shortbread cookies are already delicious on its own so you can skip this step. But the glaze does make them a little more festive! You can also sprinkle turbinado sugar on the cookies after the preliminary cutting.
Prepare the maple glaze by beating powdered sugar with maple syrup until well combined. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies, adding a bit more maple syrup if you prefer a thinner consistency. This recipe doesn't make a large batch of the icing because you only need a little to drizzle the tops.
My goodness, waiting for the shortbread cookies to cool was the hardest challenge! Smelling the cookies all day made me so excited to try them. Luckily, the cookies were just as delicious as they smelled. The brown sugar adds a lovely molasses flavor while the nuts added a fantastic buttery, crunchy element. If you like shortbread cookies, I think you'll love this version!
Make-ahead and storage tips
- Make-ahead: The cookie dough can be prepared the day before and chilled overnight. Remove the dough and bake according to the recipe.
- Store: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 2 months, defrosting before eating.
Frequently asked questions
The edges should be lightly golden brown, and the center should be set but not too dark.
Yes, the cookies are delicious even without the glaze.
You can use a 9x9-inch baking pan but the cookies will be thinner. They will also bake quicker. Check for a golden brown color at 20 minutes. You can also double the recipe and bake the cookies in a 13x9-inch pan.
More cookie recipes
Looking for more cookie inspiration? Try these:
Recipe
Brown Sugar Walnut Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened butter at room temperature (227 grams)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar (133 grams)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (270 grams)
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (113 grams)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (65 grams)
- 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch baking with parchment paper long enough to hang over the sides.
- Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add almond extract, vanilla extract, and salt, mixing until well combined. Add flour and mix just until combined. Stir in walnuts.
- Transfer dough to prepared baking pan and flatten dough. To prevent dough from sticking to your hands, place plastic wrap on top and flatten with your hands or with a spatula. Use a fork to lightly prick the dough evenly 35 times. Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Remove cookie dough from the fridge and bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 18 equal portions, 2.6 inches by 1.3 inches per cookie. Let cookies cool in pan on a wire rack until completely cool. Remove from pan and re-slice cookies if needed.
- Beat together powdered sugar and maple syrup in a medium bowl until well combined. Add extra maple syrup for a thinner glaze. Drizzle maple glaze on cookies and serve.
Katherine
I never heard of Ted Lasso cookies but I wanted to try these because of the flavor. The cookies were tender and buttery, exactly what I wanted! Thank you for sharing.
Christine Ma
Thanks so much!