IRISH COOKIES
Are perfect buttery treat for this holiday
With St. Patrick’s Day near, it’s time to sprinkle a little Irish charm into your kitchen. And what better way to celebrate than with a homemade batch of buttery and crumbly Irish cookies?
Also known as biscuits (and the proper term if you’re Irish), Irish cookies have a home in almost any kitchen across the Emerald Isle. In fact, it’s customary to offer a cup of tea with a biscuit to any guests. Like other biscuits, Irish cookies feel lighter and more crumbly in texture than regular cookies. They also have few additional ingredients, such as nuts or chips. But most important, Irish cookies lean more savory than sweet, with a rich, buttery flavor.
Everything tastes better with butter. And in this case, we mean Irish butter. This key ingredient separates Irish cookies from their counterparts. You’ve probably seen Kerrygold, a grass-fed butter brand, in your local grocery store. But what is Irish butter? A type of cultured or “European-style” butter (fermented butter), Irish butter has more butterfat content (82%) than American butter (80%). This is due to a longer churning time, the process that whips cream into butter.
It might not seem like a big difference, but that 2% carries a lot of delicious flavor. The more churning, the higher the butterfat and the richer and softer the butter. Irish butter proves great for baking if you want flakier, high-rising treats.
SHORTBREAD VS. SODA BREAD
While both cookies yield tasty results, shortbread cookies and soda bread cookies differ in their preparation methods and characteristics.
Shortbread biscuits originated in Scotland and consist of one part white sugar, two parts butter and three to four parts plain wheat flour. That’s right — shortbread doesn’t contain any leavening agent like baking soda or baking powder. Irish shortbread cookies vary slightly with the addition of cornstarch and Irish butter. Irish shortbread cookies usually come in finger-form for dipping.
Soda bread cookies, on the other hand, are more rustic and inspired