A while back there was an article in the Star Advertiser giving the recipe for shortbread cookies that we salivated over when we were in elementary and high school. I THINK we might have had it in elementary school, but I'm not positive. I DO know we had it in high school on Oahu. Art says he had it in Honokaa on the Big Island also. Every kid our age who bought those 25 cent school lunches knows what I'm talking about.
My brother has tried and tried to bake this particular cookie, but he says he still can't duplicate that elusive taste. Art says he and his classmates would eye up all the lunch plates to see which one had the biggest cookie. The article says there were some thugs (boys) who would steal cookies from other kids when they went by. I would never have let that happen. I would stick his hand with my fork first.
When I saw this recipe in the paper I was really excited because it was a school cafeteria cook who was revealing the actual real deal. I couldn't wait to try making it despite the fact that it was FULL of butter. Why do you think it's so ono (Hawaiian for delicious)?
What a surprise to find that I already had that recipe in my cookbook file, but just hadn't tried using it.
I couldn't wait to call my brother and let him taste it. I gloated to Art that I would have beaten Dennis to this childhood goal.
I made sure I followed the recipe precisely. I have tried other recipes before from other blogs and cookbooks, but they always fell short.
Our kitchen did smell like the cafeteria cookies. I had mom take the first taste. She said it was very good.
Then I tried it and Art tried it.
Doggone it! It still wasn't right. It wasn't perfect. It didn't taste like high school. I was severely disappointed! Mom says that's because we're not in high school anymore. We're not coming in famished from a round of classes. We don't have our friends around us in a noisy cafeteria all staring at our cookies and anticipating the dessert which we didn't get at home very often.
I don't know. Maybe... I guess I'll just wait for Dennis to come up with the magic formula.
My brother has tried and tried to bake this particular cookie, but he says he still can't duplicate that elusive taste. Art says he and his classmates would eye up all the lunch plates to see which one had the biggest cookie. The article says there were some thugs (boys) who would steal cookies from other kids when they went by. I would never have let that happen. I would stick his hand with my fork first.
When I saw this recipe in the paper I was really excited because it was a school cafeteria cook who was revealing the actual real deal. I couldn't wait to try making it despite the fact that it was FULL of butter. Why do you think it's so ono (Hawaiian for delicious)?
What a surprise to find that I already had that recipe in my cookbook file, but just hadn't tried using it.
I couldn't wait to call my brother and let him taste it. I gloated to Art that I would have beaten Dennis to this childhood goal.
I made sure I followed the recipe precisely. I have tried other recipes before from other blogs and cookbooks, but they always fell short.
Our kitchen did smell like the cafeteria cookies. I had mom take the first taste. She said it was very good.
Then I tried it and Art tried it.
Doggone it! It still wasn't right. It wasn't perfect. It didn't taste like high school. I was severely disappointed! Mom says that's because we're not in high school anymore. We're not coming in famished from a round of classes. We don't have our friends around us in a noisy cafeteria all staring at our cookies and anticipating the dessert which we didn't get at home very often.
I don't know. Maybe... I guess I'll just wait for Dennis to come up with the magic formula.
It could be the simple addition of a spice that you can't recall from childhood. I know what you mean, though, trying to duplicate a recipe. At least Dennis will stay on task and you'll get to taste a bunch of them! Yours looks yummy to me, Kay! :-)
ReplyDeleteSCOTTISH SHORTBREAD COOKIES
ReplyDeletePosition a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Have ready an UNGREASED 8 x 8 inch baking pan.
Beat on medium speed until very fluffy and well blended:
1-1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
Sift and add gradually to the butter mixture:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Mix thoroughly.
Using a small rubber spatula, spread the batter in the pan, making sure it is smooth and even. Pierce the dough deeply with a fork all over in a decorative pattern.
Bake until the shortbread is faintly tinged with pale gold and just slightly darker at the edges, 45-50 minutes.
Place the pan on a rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Cut to form bars.
Eat and enjoy with a cold glass of milk!
sounds good ladies...can you make it with splenda?
ReplyDeleteI agree, a spice of some kind, vanilla, cinnamon...
ReplyDeleteGigi: Thanks so much, Gigi. I already tried that one and it still wasn't what we remembered. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteoh I'm so sorry it wasn't the one! I know what you mean about these elusive childhood recipes!
ReplyDeleteKay: Try making them with top quality ingredients: Bob's unbleached white flour, organic unsalted butter and Maui sugar. That should do the trick.
ReplyDeleteI've found nothing tastes as good as it did when I was young, but sampling shortbread sounds like a wonderful pastime. Wish I were there to help!!
ReplyDeleteHi to Art, best wishes to your mom, and good luck to you and Dennis in the shortbread hunt.
K
PS
ReplyDeleteMaybe you're cooking them a little too long? My grandmother's shortbread was always a cream color rather than beige.
(I had three Scottish grandparents, so I love shortbread, but I hate haggis. Now there's a recipe NOT to try!)
K
I agree with your Mom. You just need to recreate the cafeteria scene for the taste to be there.
ReplyDeleteI can't make plain bread and butter taste like cafeteria food. Such a disappointment.
Sorry it wasn't the right recipe but I'm sure it tasted good anyway!!
ReplyDeleteyesterday I tried to bake bread of 100% Rye flour and got a big hard-tack biscuit!
ReplyDeleteAloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
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I remember one particular pudding that we had at school, but I don't have enough memory of it to even try to duplicate it, so I'll have to settle for the memory.
ReplyDeleteMake sure you SIFT THE FLOUR BEFORE MEASURING!!!
ReplyDeleteKay - What fun! I'm surprised at the different "tastes" of different butters, and certainly different margarines. If they still make them, find out the brand of butter at the school. Hattie is proably right, especially during the time you were in school: fresh ingredients right from the local area.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck! DrumMajor
It may have smelled the same, but did it look the same. The recipe seems right, but my grandmother used a three pronged fork to poke holes in them.
ReplyDeletethats a bummer Kay, I guess they must be right, just not the same as an adult.
ReplyDeleteI have a question, I always thought one stick of butter was 1/2 cup , it says 2 sticks, 1/2 cup shouldn't that be 2 sticks = one cup.
Eh, sistah, only easy. No foget where dis recipe came from. You forgot have to drop all kine stuffs into em mistake kine, li dat. Like one hairnet, pair of those cheapy clear gloves (no can wash hands first, eh?), maybe some spit if you talking loud or get into some schmall kine false crack fight, even. Depend if friday or not. Thursday and Friday, always had fight. DEN going taste good, you watch.
ReplyDeletealoha,
walt
Is it possible that vanilla was added?
ReplyDeleteIt is very hard to capture things from the past. Maybe things just SEEMED better.
I am so sorry that I didn't get my Grandmother's short bread recipe as I have not been able to duplicate it.
ReplyDeletemight have been the ovens they used. Just guessing.
ReplyDeleteDon't give up.
ReplyDeleteBut probably Mom is right.
I wish I could find out how they made the similar lunchroom cookies at Senn High School in Chicago in the 60s.
I agree with Laurie...the butter is wrong on the recipe. If it takes 2 sticks, that's 1 cup of butter. This might sound weird, especially since I'm a big believer in butter, but try using Crisco butter flavored sticks. Although I love butter, these sticks work really well in recipes calling for butter.
ReplyDeleteLaurie and dkzody: No kidding? I'll have to try this again... once I have time again. We're so busy with Jon and Sarah. I'm only at my computer now because they're still asleep.
ReplyDeleteHi Kay! The Star-Advertiser published a correction to this recipe on Wednesday. Maybe at was why it was not just right. Thought of you when I saw this.
ReplyDeleteLynn
Hi Lynn! I'm afraid I missed the correction. Can you tell me what they said it should have been?
ReplyDeleteBetty Shimabukuro said 2 sticks of butter is one cup and she accidentally printed 1/2 cup instead of 1/2 pound. So if you used 2 sticks of butter you did follow the recipe. Since I saw the correction I thought I should at least let you know.
ReplyDeleteLynn
Thanks, Lynn! I did use 2 sticks of butter, but it still wasn't quite it. I really appreciate your letting me know because I was wondering.
ReplyDeleteI just cooled the shortbread cookies, took a taste, and then decided to look online for another shortbread recipe when I came across your site. The one I just baked was also off of the newspaper clipping that you posted. You're correct, its just not the same. Kinda powdery? Not the same. Shoots. 1971 grad from Kaimuki High School. Although my memories of shortbread cookies come from elementary school days.
ReplyDeleteAhhh... You're just a baby. I'm a Waipahu 1967 grad. I've given up on those shortbread recipes. This is the 3rd one I tried. Somebody told me maybe the ingredients have changed. Was the butter better then? Sigh... Don't know.
DeleteDid you use a 9-inch pan? Your cookies looked thin. I usually double the recipe and bake in a 9 X 13 inch pan since I don't have a 9-inch square pan. Also, that wouldn't be enough cookies for my family of 7!
DeleteI can't remember what sized pan I used. It wasn't too thin though. The taste was still not like I remembered it. Maybe nothing will compare with our memories.
DeleteHi Kay...this comment is a bit late, but I just found your blog as I was searching for shortbread recipes. I am half Japanese, half Norwegian and grew up in Hawai'i. I also ate those ono 25 cent school lunches and yes, we had the shortbread cookies in elementary school. :) My Norwegian grandma used a very similar butter cookie recipe to this shortbread, only used 2 cups flour to the 2 sticks butter and no salt. Still 1/2 cup sugar. Her secret was to wrap the dough in saran wrap (or put in a covered container) and let sit overnight. You can let sit on the counter or fridge. That way the butter really soaks into the dough. Aloha!
ReplyDeleteHi Liz! Thanks a bunch! I did try a bunch of recipes and have never come up with anything that was perfect. I shall write this down. Thank you so much, Liz!
ReplyDelete