In 1898, a determined young baker, Joseph Walker, opened a bakery in Torphins, Scotland. In his effort to make something amazing out of just flour, pure creamery butter, sugar, and salt, he not only succeeded, but had concocted a melt-in-the-mouth confection that even the most disciplined dieters around the world couldn’t resist. He had created Walkers Shortbread.
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The calories of “The World’s Finest Shortbread” is a whopping 533 (ish) calories per 100 grams, but it’s likely that those who capitulate to the heavenly cookie probably don’t know (or care) that the shortbread’s simple recipe is what food scientists call a “perfect storm” of addictive qualities. A high butter content (typically one part sugar to two parts butter) gives shortbread its distinctive “crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture” that typically calls for a moment of closed-eyes-bliss when paired with a cup of tea:
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There is an actual neurological response to eating such a concoction. When sugar and fat hit our taste buds, our brain gets a flood of dopamine from the sugar. The fat serves to enhance dopaminergic signaling in the brain’s reward centers creating “a cycle of craving and consumption. This is why it’s so hard to resist another piece of shortbread. And as an aside, the name, ‘shortbread,’ is a baking term. ‘Short’ describes the crumbly, tender texture created by high fat content in the dough as opposed to ‘long’ doughs that are stretchy and elastic. As a nod to celebrity chef, Alton Brown, who always explains the chemistry of cooking, we read that the crumbly texture comes from the fat’s interaction with flour proteins. When the fat coats the flour particles, it prevents gluten formation by blocking water absorption. It literally “shortens” the gluten strands (and, fun fact, this is why fats used in baking are called “shortening!”)
The company’s signature red tartan packaging has always been the brand’s homage to its Scottish roots, but in 2011, the company did something different (cue the dogs). At the Summer Fancy Food Show in Washington, D.C., the company formally announced the launch of a new specialty pack of Walkers Shortbread Scottish Terrier-shaped shortbread cookies which was positioned as a tribute to one of Scotland’s most iconic breeds. The product was still packaged in Walker’s signature red tartan plaid, and when the new Scottie shortbreads were further showcased at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco in 2012, foodies, bloggers, and industry professionals took note.
Word-of-mouth marketing and social media coverage helped the Scottie cookies gain momentum to the extent that they surpassed the company’s expectations. It quickly became the company’s best selling item, and was described as Walkers’ “most successful new product in a decade,” according to brand manager at the time, Lisa Sherman. Their popularity was significant enough that Walkers expanded the line to include chocolate Scotties and mini versions.
These days, the Scotties continue to be sold in various formats—including boxes, tins, mini versions, and gift bags—on Walkers’ official website and through major retailers. The Mini Scottie Dog Carton was introduced for the 2024 holiday season, and who knows what the company will come up with next! If this was our breed, we think we’d buy stock and load up on cookies for the holidays, dog shows, and New Title parties!
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