Does shortbread really get better with age?

June 20, 2023 11:02 AM

I've seen claims on some websites that shortbread gets better with age, even to the point of being better after a month. I'm a little suspicious, because my experience with flour baked goods is that they get stale - but maybe shortbread is low enough in flour to be okay? I'm curious what the ideal aging period for shortbread is.
posted by wheatlets to Food & Drink (6 answers total)

It does change-- the same recipe of spritz cookies in an airtight tin vs. right away are a very different texture experience. They're dryer and more shatter-y and less tender after they are stored. I prefer shortbread or spritz cookies within a week of baking but I suppose that's a matter of personal preference.

The key is an airtight container, though. If the air gets to them, they get stale and gross. Staleness is largely a function of air and humidity. If you have a tin with a tight lid, there's no reason not to experiment.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:22 AM on June 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I should clarify - the is for a gift that I plan to give in a week, and I'm wondering what the ideal number of days to make it ahead would be.
posted by wheatlets at 12:02 PM on June 20, 2023

I do think my shortbread improves a bit in flavor over a day or so. Can't say I feel like it's a huge difference, although maybe that's because I use a recipe that calls for an overnight rest in the fridge before baking? I can't say anything about aging them over a week, though - they never last that long.
posted by EvaDestruction at 12:45 PM on June 20, 2023

Owing to the butter content, I've found that excess shortbread that I've frozen (in a well-sealed, air-tight container) for longer-term storage ends up being pretty damn good when it's thawed out (or eaten straight out of the freezer).

So I guess that's a data point of one for cold-aging it?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:59 PM on June 20, 2023 [2 favorites]

If you can make it a day ahead at most, that would be best. I don't think the change is important to the finished product and the longer it sits, the more risk there is that it gets stale by accident.
posted by blnkfrnk at 1:00 PM on June 20, 2023

Best answer: Christmas cookies always get better with a little bit of age and some time in an air-tight tin. Shortbread are usually the ones that my family makes first. Even though we always say we're going to make them early, we are never quite as organized as we plan to be. That means, rather than making them at the beginning of December, they tend to get made around the middle of the month, meaning they have a couple (give or take) weeks to improve. I'm not saying they're bad without a resting period, because they are absolutely not. They're just a bit better with some time. As blnkfrnk explained, they develop more flavour and texture.

I'd say make them whenever is most convenient, if that's sooner rather than later, that's fine--as long as you have an airtight NON-PLASTIC tin in which to store them. If you have to make them the day before you're ready to gift them, that's fine was well. They'll be delicious either way, as long as you don't put them in plastic. Seriously, it does terrible things to shortbread texture.
posted by sardonyx at 1:15 PM on June 20, 2023 [3 favorites]