Shortbread has always been a Christmas staple, but it is also enjoyed all year round. The great thing about Christmas shortbread though, is that it comes in different festive flavours, shapes, and packaging and is the perfect treat to give your grandkids, kids and neighbours. Or you can always just enjoy it yourself with your morning tea or coffee.

Independent consumer advocacy group CHOICE recently conducted a taste test among ten festive shortbread products from leading brands such as IGA, Mac’s, Walkers, Coles, Woolworths, and many more.

The group has the expertise to make sure Australian consumers get the best information. Photo from CHOICE.
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The judge for the test was CHOICE’s very own test coordinator, Fiona Mair, who tasted the snacks without knowing the brands to avoid bias. She was also responsible for the scores and tasting notes.

Fiona developed her finely tuned palate through her experience as a judge on a panel for several taste tests for CHOICE, including strawberry jam and pesto. Recently, she was asked to judge in the specialty food category for the Royal Agricultural Society Fine Food competition.

The shortlisted products were sourced from major supermarket chains’ Christmas or Festive range.

The price mentioned is based on the pack size specified (not on special) as of November 2021.

The criteria for CHOICE Score is made up of:

• Appearance (35%)
• Flavour (25%)
• Baked quality (20%)
• Quality of finish (20%).

And now for the results. Want to know how your favourite supermarket shortbread fared? Read on!

Fiona Mair, in the kitchen, is seen working through the shortbread evaluation tests. Photo from CHOICE.​

Best tasting shortbreads

Garnering a CHOICE score of over 70% or more, these three emerged as the best shortbreads among the rest:

IGA Signature Decorated Shortbread Cookies

• CHOICE score: 77%
• Price: $9.50 for 180g pack ($1.58 per biscuit)

Coming in at first is the Signature Decorated Shortbread Cookies from IGA.

The cookies look perfectly round; their pale golden appearance is neatly decorated with icing on top.

Ms Mair described the taste and texture as: “Not too sweet, slightly buttery. Slightly crumbly, with a slight resistance to chew – not so melt in your mouth. Vanilla flavour and aroma.”

What you need to know: Among the ten shortbread brands tested, this was the most expensive, but it also received the highest appearance score of all the products. Please note the icing contains egg white.

Photo from CHOICE.​

Walkers Homebake Shortbread Festive Shapes

• CHOICE score: 75%
• Price: $5.00 for 175g pack ($0.42 per biscuit)

Walkers’ Homebake Shortbread Festive Shapes came in at a close second.

The cookies look homemade and have a pale golden colour with a little sugar sprinkled on top. They come in assorted shapes.

Ms Mair described the taste as: "Buttery, not too sweet, slightly salty. Crumbly, crisp, crunchy, melt in your mouth at the end."

What you need to know: This product received the highest flavour score among the rest, and is also described as the most ‘buttery’.

Photo from CHOICE.​

IGA Signature Festive Shortbread Cookies

• CHOICE score: 70%
• Price: $4.50 for 180g pack ($0.50 per biscuit)

Third on the list is another one from IGA: the IGA Signature Festive Shortbread Cookies.

Same as the first one, the cookies are perfectly shaped and have a good size and thickness.

Ms Mair described the taste as: “Vanilla flavour, not too sweet. Firm, crunchy, slight melt in your mouth. Good, consistent quality of finish."

What you need to know: This product scored amongst the top three for appearance and baked quality.

Photo from CHOICE.
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The ranking for the rest of the shortbreads is as follows:

• Woolworths Bakery Lemon & Macadamia Shortbread Stars (CHOICE Score: 66%)
• Coles Bakery Pear & Davidson Plum Filled Shortbread (CHOICE Score: 64%)
• Woolworths Bakery Cinnamon & Vanilla Shortbread Tree (CHOICE Score: 64%)
• Woolworths Bakery Fruit Mince Filled Shortbread (CHOICE Score: 62%)
• Mac’s Butter Shortbread Festive Shapes (CHOICE Score: 60%)
• Woolworths Gold Roasted Almond Shortbread (CHOICE Score: 58%)
• Coles Bakery Butter Shortbread Christmas Trees (CHOICE Score: 44%)

Photo from CHOICE.​

What are the ingredients of shortbread?

Shortbread originally came from Scotland in medieval times. The traditional recipe makes use of these ingredients: one part sugar, two parts ‘shortening’ (butter is usually used), and three parts flour (originally fine oatmeal but now wheat flour is more common).

Other ingredients are used for added taste, such as cornflour or rice flour, margarine, egg, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, lemon, almonds, macadamia nuts, and fruit fillings.

Fun fact!

Did you know that shortbread got its name from the ingredients used, such as fats, butter, or oils that ‘shorten’ the dough? The final product turns out more crumbly and buttery, hence the term: shortbread.


CHOICE’s easy shortbread recipe

Fiona Mair also shared an original and customisable recipe for simple shortbread for people who don’t have the time to go to the supermarkets or those who want to add their own touch to the snack.

Perfect for sharing with friends and family at Christmas!

Ingredients:

• 250g butter, slightly softened
• 1/3 cup (80g) caster sugar
• 2 ½ cups (375g) plain flour
• 1 tbsp water (if needed)
• 2 tbsp white sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan-forced) while greasing and lining a 23cm square tin. Make sure to extend the baking paper to overlap two sides – this will assist in removing the baked shortbread from the container.

2. In a food processor bowl, place the butter, caster sugar and plain flour. Process until the dough comes together to form a ball. If it’s too crumbly, add water. If you’re using a hand mixer, place butter and sugar in a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. In two batches, fold in water and flour. On a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth.

3. Firmly press the shortbread dough into the tin evenly. With a light hand, use a knife to cut a 6 x 3 grid in the dough – this makes cutting easier after baking. Prick the shortbread with a fork five times for each portion. Sprinkle with white sugar.

4. Bake shortbread for 40 minutes. Allow cooling in the tin for 5 minutes.

5. Gently remove the shortbread onto a cutting board and cut along the markings with a sharp knife to cut it into portions. Place onto a cooling rack.

6. Serve once cooled or store in an airtight container.

A few tips:

• To help to get an even layer of dough, roll out the dough gently on the baking paper lined for the tin, as close to the size of the base as possible, then gently lower the dough into the tin with the baking paper and flatten the dough evenly over the bottom.
  
• If the dough is too soft, place it in the fridge to firm for 15 mins. Soft dough indicates that the butter is starting to melt, which can create a hard texture that won't melt in the mouth.
  
• The shortbread will be very delicate when removed from the oven. Allow it to cool slightly before cutting and moving.
  
• Optional: Add lemon zest, chopped nuts or candied citrus peel after processing the dough if desired.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Love a good shortbread. Have always bought Walker's or Mac's. Only as a treat, maybe twice a year.

 

[Val]

Walker’s is my all time favourite, I love it when they appear at Christmas time. Yum

 

[martho1gold]

I like Walkers but sometimes I make my own Shortbread

 

[Jersey Girl]

I like Walkers but sometimes I make my own Shortbread

I have made my own but no-one else likes them. So, then I have to eat them all by myself. Yum. That many are not good for you, and I have very little will power when it comes to a good shortbread lol.

 

[Fat&fancy]

I absolutely love Walkers, I won't buy anything else!
saw them in Coles last week and bought a box to put away for xmas.....Hmm suffice to say they are gone already LOL.

 

[Jonathan Leane]

I know the purists won't be happy with this, but I love the shortbread/chocolate combo biscuits: