Brown Butter Shortbread Biscuits Ted Lasso Style

I didn’t expect to fall in love with Ted Lasso, but I did. He’s that guy you meet in some innocuous way. You like him well enough but don’t expect to like him so much. Yet you just can’t help yourself. He’s just so, well, likeable.

I was drawn in by the character’s positivity, his ability to see the good and the potential in everyone around him. I was taken by a show with so much heart. It was refreshing to see a good guy, a nice guy, inspire the people around him to follow his lead. It was just the sort of story I needed during a time when it seemed harder to see the good around me.

I do my best to choose to be kind and positive each day, but I often fall short of my own goal. Admitting that is part of the process of improving my success rate. Luckily, I can try all over again the next day.

Ted Lasso is better at all of that than I am. Sure, he has the distinct advantage of being a fictional character with a team of witty writers behind him. He also has Jason Sudeikis to breathe life into him. That gives him an unfair advantage, but mostly I’m just grateful that I can watch this character come to life and have him share a bit of wisdom and positivity with me.

I won’t dwell on your need to watch this show if you haven’t already. Instead, I’ll tell you that I have a delicious recipe for buttery shortbread biscuits to share with you. I’ll also admit that we have Ted Lasso to thank for that. See, he really does spread positivity wherever he goes even if it comes in the form of a buttery biscuit.

I won’t spoil the plot of the show for you, but English shortbread biscuits are nearly a cast member on the show in the loveliest way. As a baker, I loved that. As a person who likes the challenge of creating recipes, I wondered if I could create a recipe that was delicious and looked like the biscuits from the show.

There was only one way to find out. I sat down with a few cookbooks and personal recipes and set about gathering ideas for these biscuits. Once I had a starting point, I baked up the first batch. They looked promising going into the oven. I was hopeful.

When they came out of the oven I could see that I was off to a good start but that these wouldn’t be quite the biscuit I was hoping for. They were delicious and we didn’t let a single one go to waste, but they had room for improvement.

A few days later, I decided to gather my ingredients and try again. Between those two baking sessions, I had made a Quick Buttermilk Cake. Making that cake gave me a delicious idea. When I make that cake, I prepare the baking pan with my homemade pan release spread and a dusting of granulated sugar. I love the light flavor and pretty appearance that the sugar imparts to the exterior of the cake. The sugar adds a sparkly appearance to the surface of cake and a light crunch from the grains of sugar.

I couldn’t wait to try that same technique on the next batch of biscuits. I used granulated sugar just like I do with my cake pans on the first batch. It was a step in the right direction, but the color wasn’t quite as golden as I wanted and the flavor was a bit flat. It was time to make the third batch and up my ante with the sugar and incorporate a flavor powerhouse: brown butter.

This time, I gave it all I had. I used turbinado sugar, a coarse grained sugar (often referred to as raw sugar) that I have used before in my baking. I keep turbinado sugar on hand here at the farmhouse because it is my favorite sugar to use in my morning coffee. I love the caramel flavor it imparts and have found it to also be delicious sprinkled on top of sugar cookies or snickerdoodles before I bake them. Unlike granulated sugar, it tends to maintain its shape during baking which means that it adds more crunch to baked goods along with a lovely golden color.

The third time baking these biscuits was the charm. The biscuits were lightly golden with a delightful crunch from the coating of turbinado sugar.  That crunch surrounded a biscuit with a delicate and tender biscuit that is firm enough to pick up and eat out of hand.  The flavor from the brown butter added so much to the taste and the texture and appearance were just right.

I can’t say if these biscuits are anything close to the ones that Ted delivers wrapped in a pretty pink bakery box each morning. My search for an official recipe came up empty online. I did enjoy reading other fans of the show who are bakers just like me doing their best to create something delicious.

What I can say is that these biscuits are delicious. You don’t have to be a fan of the show to enjoy them.  If you are, they’re a great snack while you watch the next episode. If you’re not, this shortbread is delicious enough to stand on its own. If you’re generous enough to share them, you’ll certainly put a smile on someone’s face.

Ted is forever dropping nuggets of wisdom, sprinkling a brighter way of seeing things throughout each episode. One of my favorites is when he reminds his players that the happiest animal is the goldfish because it has a ten second memory and lives in the present. He asks them to put the past behind them and “be a goldfish”.

I don’t know if it is a scientific fact that a goldfish has a ten second memory, but the idea resonates with me.  For years now, I have held my belief that I should aim to be more like Penny Lane. She sees only the best in everyone, never lets a tough moment shade the rest of her day, and finds comfort and happiness over and over again all day long. I watch her do it and find myself both amazed and inspired by her easygoing manner.

Ted Lasso also is known to tell the people around him, “I appreciate you” when they seem to least expect it. Like Penny Lane, he sees the best in everyone. He sees what they can do and isn’t distracted or focused on the stumbles they make along the way. That’s the kind of person I want to be.

So, Dear Reader, if I haven’t mentioned it lately, I appreciate you. I hope that you know what your kind comments, photos of our recipes you make for your families, and your presence here means to me. It brightens my days and inspires me to keep creating new things to share with you.

This delicious biscuit recipe is the latest, but I’ll be sure not to make you wait too long for the next one. While I dream up something new, I hope that you’ll treat yourself to a batch of these delicious biscuits, that you’ll be a goldfish, or take Penny Lane’s lead and live in the present and choose to see the good all around you. It’s there, I promise. The real trick is in challenging yourself to see it and then choosing to do it all over again tomorrow.

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Brown Butter Shortbread Biscuits

Jennifer from 1840 Farm

While these biscuits were inspired by Ted Lasso, you don’t have to enjoy the show to delight in these tender, delicious biscuits. They’re great for serving with a cup of tea or coffee. If like me, you love the show, they’re a perfect snack while watching another episode.

If you don’t want to make brown butter for this recipe, you can make these biscuits without them. They won’t have the subtle toffee notes from the brown butter, but the texture will be just as scrumptious. Making the brown butter is absolutely worth the final delicious result, but please don’t let that step keep you from making the biscuits using traditional butter.

I like to bake these biscuits in an 8 x 8 casserole dish or a 1/8 size sheet pan which measures 9.5 x 6.5. You can also use a 9 x 9 brownie pan or double this batch to bake it in a quarter sheet pan if you have one.

Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon butter , melted
• ¼ cup turbinado sugar , divided
• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces butter , cubed and softened
• 2 ounces brown butter , cubed and softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Position an oven rack in the middle of your oven. Using a pastry brush, cover the bottom and sides of your baking pan with a thin coating of melted butter. Sprinkle half of the turbinado sugar over the butter, creating an even coating of the sugar crystals on the bottom and sides of the pan.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Use a dry whisk to mix the dry ingredients together and break up any small lumps. If you prefer, you can sift the dry ingredients to achieve the same results.
• In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, brown butter, and sugar. Stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until crumbly. Do not overmix.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Gently press the dough into an even layer. Take care not to compress the dough any more than necessary. This dough doesn’t include any leavening, so it won’t rise as it bakes. Using a gentle hand when filling the pan will create a more tender biscuit.
• Brush the top surface of the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle with an even layer of the remaining turbinado sugar.
• Transfer the pan to the refrigerator or freezer and chill for at least 20 minutes. You can chill them longer or even overnight if that fits into your schedule more easily.
• When you are ready to bake, transfer the pan to your preheated 325 degree Fahrenheit oven. Bake for 25 minutes. The biscuits should firm up and have a slightly dry appearance on the top surface. They should not brown or take on any color.
• When the 25 minutes have elapsed, turn off the oven. Allow the biscuits to remain in the oven for another 20 to 25 minutes. Remove them from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow the pan to cool for 10 or 15 minutes.
• Because the biscuits are held together with butter, they need to cool completely before removing them from the pan. However, if you allow them to cool to room temperature before slicing, they will break apart as you slice them. So, we’ll allow them to cool fully in the pan but also score them while they are slightly warm.
• After allowing the pan of biscuits to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, use a thin or serrated knife to score the biscuits into the size and shape you desire. Fully score them from top surface of the biscuit down to the pan, but don’t attempt to remove them as they will break apart while still warm.
• Allow the pan of scored biscuits to cool completely at room temperature. Once they are cool, you can remove them with an offset spatula.

Notes

These biscuits keep very well at room temperature for several days although they don’t seem to last that long at our house.

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