Reviewed: Dec. 10, 2011

I was skeptical but it turned out ok, though the spice mixture is a bit odd, and the proportion of butter to flour seems off as well. With some tinkering it could be very nice. Mostly, though, I doubt the "medieval" part of this. Allspice is an New World spice, which medieval Scottish cooks would not have known about.

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Reviewer:

Raz

Reviewed: Jan. 11, 2011

Fantastic! Just like my Scottish grandmother use to make!

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2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Gayle's Kitchen

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Living In: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Reviewed: Dec. 23, 2010

This is delicious. I made it as described but opted for a 9 inch square pan. The result, at full baking was both a little undercooked in the center, and over crisped on the outside. Next time I'll go with a 10 inch pan and instead of sprinkling half the sugar over top, I'll reduce that to 1/4 on top, 3/4 inside. A nice shortbread with a wee tweak.

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Reviewer:

Raedwulf

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Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada

Reviewed: Apr. 22, 2010

This was good for discovering we are not fans of shortbread. I had to boost the butter somewhat just to have something other than dry, dry, dry flour in the pan. It actually cooked up better than I thought possible, but the end result (for us) was less than we had hoped. I won't be making this (or any) shortbread again, so this may not be the most fair rating. Obviously there has been some success, and I will post a picture regardless. Techimpaired, it was fun taking a stab at a medieval recipe, even at that.

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Reviewer:

Hezzy_tant_Cook

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Feb. 18, 2010

We loved this recipe. It's so easy to make and tastes wonderful with coffee or a dark tea. I also added 1/4 tsp of ground clove. Thank you!!

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4 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Bethms123

Reviewed: Dec. 30, 2009

How did anybody get this to work with no liquid? It is like dry sand and was a crumbly mess.

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5 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

POETTE

Reviewed: Jun. 27, 2009

We really liked these. They melt in your mouth! I didn't have any superfine sugar, but I whirled some regular sugar in my food processor, which did the trick. The flavor is very subtle, but letting the cookie dissolve in your mouth lets you get the full effect. Thank you for the recipe, Tech! I will add it to my collection.

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21 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Jahdu

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Saginaw, Michigan, USA

Living In: Ringgold, Georgia, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 19, 2008

I will never use this recipe again. The cookies were almost tasteless and were very very crumbly...almost powdery.

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8 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

JenandBen

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Jul. 28, 2008

I've made this recipe two times now. The first I followed the recipe exactly. The second time, I added all but 2 tbs of the sugar/spice mixture into the flour before mixing in the butter. I then sprinkled the 2 tbs on top after scoring the shortbread. I also baked in my brownie pan (9X10) instead of the 8X8 as suggested. Great recipe, great spice mixture. Don't omit the cardamon, even if you have to go out and buy some just for this recipe. It is a very fragrant spice and really adds to the taste.

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Reviewer:

s.broadaway

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Fort Smith, Arkansas, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 3, 2008

Ugh! What a disappointment! I LOVE shortbread and LOVE the spices the recipe calls for, but this did not work! The shortbread itself was heavy and floury rather than light and melt-in-the-mouth. And I found the spices distracting rather than complimentary. Sorry, just not my cup of tea.

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12 users found this review helpful