Copycat Trefoils Shortbread Cookies Recipe - Recipes.net (2024)

FAQs

Are trefoils the same as shortbread? ›

Trefoils include a hint of brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk and buttermilk in the ingredients list, which Shortbread do not. This creates a stronger butter flavor for Trefoils, not to mention to the difference in appearance with holes poked in the dough for best baking results.

Ingredients: ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, PALM OIL, WHEY (MILK), CORN SYRUP, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE), CORNSTARCH, SALT, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR (MILK).

Cornstarch provides the shortbread with structure, but its biggest job is keeping the cookies extra soft, tender, and light. I love adding a small amount to chocolate chip cookies too. Optional Coarse Sugar Topping: For an optional sparkly crunch on your shortbread wedges, add a sprinkle of coarse sugar before baking.

If you're worried that your other Girl Scout cookie flavors won't be back this season, don't fret. The Girl Scouts have announced that classic flavors, such as Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, Samoas, Peanut Butter Patties Tagalongs and Trefoils, will be available for purchase next season.

Shortbread is now Trefoils®! April Bowen that's a good point.

The most common mistakes when making shortbread are over-working the dough, and incorporating too much flour. The less you work the dough, the more crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth your shortbread cookies will be.

The word "bread" comes from "biscuit bread" which was made from leftover bread dough that was sweetened and dried out in the oven to make biscuits. Why do you poke holes in shortbread? The holes allow the moisture to escape during baking and more even heat distribution. This helps dry out and crisp up the cookies.

Adding too much butter can cause the cookies to be flat and greasy. Adding too little butter can cause the cookies to be tough and crumbly. You should use unsalted butter to control the salt content, but if you only have salted on hand, reduce the amount of added salt accordingly.

Trefoils, or "Shortbreads", are shortbread cookies made in the shape of the Girl Scout trefoil.

Do Trefoils taste different? ›

Trefoils may look like plain cookies, but the taste is far from plain. They have a buttery taste perfectly balanced with a sweetness that isn't overpowering. These cookies pair great with coffee if you're a cookies-in-the-morning kind of person.

Traditional Scottish shortbread is a simple recipe made with sugar, butter, flour, and salt. Other shortbread styles will include leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda, which makes them crisp instead of crumbly like traditional Scottish shortbread.

After shaping the cookies, don't rush to the oven! Instead, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so (overnight is OK, too). A short stay in the fridge will firm up the cookies and solidify the butter. This will help keep them from spreading too much.

Why do you put shortbread cut-out cookies in the fridge before baking? This is to resolidify the butter. The butter is at room temperature when making the dough resulting in a soft dough. If baked straight away, the butter would melt away immediately when hitting the hot oven and the shortbread would spread.

In British English, shortbread and shortcake have been synonyms for several centuries, starting in the 1400s; both referred to the crisp, crumbly cookie-type baked good, rather than a softer cake.

Carrie Stetler from the Star Ledger justifiably complains: “I'm outraged–yes, outraged–that Girl Scout Cookies have new names. Samoas are now “Caramel deLites.” Do-si-dos are “Peanut Butter Sandwiches.” Tagalongs are “Peanut Butter Cookies” and Trefoils are “Shortbreads.”

Trefoils® | Little Brownie Bakers.