British · Authentic-ish British
Shortbread
181 kcal a serving, against 244 for the traditional version. That is 63 kcal off, or 26%, with 4.9g of protein. Serves 10. 45 minutes plus cooling.
What the traditional version is
The original is so simple it almost isn't a recipe: plain flour, soft butter at about one part to two flour, a cloud of caster sugar, and sometimes a pinch of salt or rice flour for extra crunch. You cream the butter and sugar, work in the flour, then press and bake it till pale gold. When it's right, it nearly dissolves on the tongue, with a sweetness that never feels sticky.
What changed, and what each change costs
Butter to half butter, half quark
Butter is what makes shortbread taste like shortbread, but it's also where most of the energy comes from. By swapping half the butter with quark, you're bringing the numbers down and getting a decent boost in protein for a biscuit. You still get some of the flavour from the butter, but much less greasiness.
What it costs you. Shortbread made this way is noticeably less rich. The luxurious melt is gone. The edge is more crumbly-dry than sandy, and the taste is more muted. If your gran would disown you for this, don't make it when she's around.
Sugar cut by a third
A bit less sugar and you'll notice a gentler sweetness, which lets you focus on the butter (what's left of it) and the quark.
What it costs you. Shortbread is meant to be only just sweet, so this isn't a tragedy. Still, the sugar also helps with texture, so you lose a tiny bit of the tender snap.
Flour partly swapped for gram flour
Gram flour brings more protein than wheat flour, and a subtle nuttiness that doesn't clash. It's a small move, but it helps the numbers.
What it costs you. The texture is a bit coarser, and if you're not careful with the bake it can taste a touch beany. Use less than a third, or you're eating a chickpea biscuit.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 244 | 181 |
| Protein | 2.7g | 4.9g |
| Fat | 14g | 7.6g |
| Saturated fat | 8.6g | 4.4g |
| Carbohydrate | 27.1g | 23.4g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 1.1g | 2.7g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish British prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, milk.
The method is in the book
Here's the honest bit - you'll know you're not eating the real thing by the end of the first bite. The quark keeps things from getting bone dry, and you get a nice slight nutty edge from the gram flour, but that shattering crumb and slow melt are mostly missing. Still, you can have two pieces and not immediately need a nap. The protein's up, the butter's down, and it's a biscuit rather than a slab of fat. Is it shortbread? Only in spirit. If you want to know what you're missing, just make the original and try both side by side. Then put the rest in the office kitchen and pretend you never saw them again.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish British, along with 57 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.