Making Friends With My Heritage: Livingston Scotch Cookies

I was still trying to perfect my cherry cookie recipe when I got sidetracked. This is not an uncommon event. I was flipping through an old, old laminated handmade cookie book (someone really planned for you to USE this one.) When I spied 'Scottish Shortbread Cookies'.

I have spent the last 6 months researching my Scottish family genealogy with much success and some really interesting travels. Ginger Rambles On Next fall I am going to Scotland for the capper to the deal.

So anyway, I have not had great luck with the cookie thing and decide to abandon the cherry cookie perfecting for the night, as I should be genetically predisposed to Scottish Shortbread Cookies.

I, of course decided to add my own touch, spices and the like. 'The Like' being SCOTCH. I am a Scottish girl. I like Scotch (Highland Scotch, Most lowland Scotch is, well, not for me.)

I also decide to forgo modern appliances, which starts my husband, The Gadget Man to twitch when I say NO FOOD PROCESSOR. I do acquiesce to the butter slicer because it looks old enough to have come from the Highlands and the old hand pastry blender for the same reason. I suppose someone invented them sometime and that is as good a time as any for me.

It was quite a chore blending the flour with the butter by hand. I pretend I am in the kitchen of my crofter's dwelling on a fine spring day. I don't know any good Scottish songs. All I know are Irish ones. I'll have to work on that.

I highly recommend that unless you are a strong Highland woman used to churning your own butter and pulling breech lambs in distress out by sheer force, you make peace with the food processor. Doing this would give Chuck Norris a work out.

The whole 'genetically predisposed' theory was completely correct. The cookies came out WONDERFUL. I picture a young man up on the hill, sitting on a rock in the heather, watching his sheep with a nice kerchief of these cookies to enjoy.

The cookies finished, I went to bed thinking about making a breakfast version. With parritch (porridge oatmeal) and the like 'The Like' being coffee.

Livingston Highlander Shortbread Cookies

1 1/4c flour
1/2 c butter
3 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
3 tbs of The Glenlivet (or any decent HIGHLAND scotch)

Blend all your dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cube the butter and cut it in.
Mix until it all looks like small crumbs
Mix the honey and scotch together
Blend in with the dough

Take it in your hands and make it into a ball. Knead it with your hands until it is well blended. You will probably still see bits of butter. That's okay.

Roll out on lightly floured wax paper into ½ inch thick large circle.

Cut into strips 1 ½ " x 1"

Put on parchment paper or ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 300 for 20-25 minutes or until brown and crispy.

Makes approx 24 depending how you cut.

*****

MMMMMmmmmm...I wonder if I should grind my own flour. I definitely need to buy some heather. I own some goats and a donkey. That's close enough to sheep for me.