Traditional Scottish Shortbread Petticoat Tails

Traditional Scottish Shortbread Petticoat Tails – A classic, buttery Shortbread Petticoat Tails recipe with just THREE ingredients

A Never Fail Recipe from a Vintage Be-Ro Cookbook

With Burns Night approaching, on the 25th January, and as a Burns, I’d like to share an old recipe for Traditional Scottish Shortbread Petticoat Tails.

This recipe comes from a very old copy of a BeRo cookbook, that was my grandmother’s, who was half scottish, and who made these regularly for the tea-time table.

We all love shortbread biscuits, and the ones you can buy can be delicious, however, nothing beats a buttery, homemade one, and this recipe has just THREE ingredients in it.

Traditional Scottish Shortbread Petticoat Tails are made in a round, which is then cut into triangles. It’s thought the name comes from the fact that the shape resembles the elaborate lace patterns in a petticoat.

It’s also thought that these pretty shortbread biscuits were linked to Mary Queen of Scots, and the French influence in her court, where these biscuits were adapted from a French Galettes Bretonnes, which is a buttery biscuit.

Whatever the origins of these delightful buttery biscuits, they remain a firm favoruite here in the UK, and are ubiquitous in any traditonal tea room, or when gifted in a pretty tin at Christmas!

The three indredients in these buttery biscuits are: Flour, Sugar and Butter – that’s it. Some recipes use Rice Flour or Ground Rice, but I never have, as this recipe always turns out so well.

The quantities in this recipe make 2 x shortbread rounds, each yielding 8 pieces. I attempted to use my decorative shortbread mould, but sadly the pattern disappeared when baked.

I’ve shared a “before” photo of the lovely thistle pattern, which I had to recover midway through baking with the usual pattern made with a fork!

If anyone has any tips how to keep the pattern, please do let me know in the comments below – maybe less butter? Or maybe I should have chilled it first?

Regardless of no pattern, the moulds were helpful to shape these petticoat tails, with the pretty frilly edge. And, these still tasted as delicious as they always too.

You can read more about the Shortbread and Petticoat Tails over on the Walker’s Shortbread website here: The History of Shortbread.

I hope you enjoy these if you make them, with a cup of tea or coffee, or maybe with a wee dram of whisky on Burns Night, or at Hogmanay, as is traditional. Karen

How to use a Shortbread Mould

• A shortbread Mould may be used.
• Mix together 1 x teaspoon of flour and 1 x teaspoon of caster sugar.
• Grease the mould well with oil and sprinkle in half the mixture.
• Press the shortbread into the mould and then turn it out onto the baking tray before baking.

More Recipes for Burns Night

• Raspberry and Whisky Cream Pots
• “Whim Wham” ~ A Scottish Regency Trifle
• Scotch Griddle Cakes with Heather Honey

• Scottish Rumbledethumps for Burns Night
• Roasted “Tartan Veggies” with Smoked Sea Salt, Honey and Thyme 
• Hot Baked Haggis Tatties

• Mum’s Scottish Morning Rolls – Baps
• Auld Alliance: Potted Blue Cheese and Scotch Whisky
• Baked Camembert with Drambuie and Summer Fruit Compote

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