Thistles, Knots and Shamrocks

Thistles, Knots and Shamrocks

I grew up Scotch-Irish, Scotch on my father’s side, Irish on my mother’s. There was a family tartan, both dress and hunting versions, a coat of arms, a motto in Latin, the works.

There was supposed to be a clan castle somewhere on the moors, too. I found it very romantic. The Irish side of the family contributed the wonderful traditional combination of song, love of story telling, and cut-loose wit to the mix.

So when I was introduced to my first REAL shortbread in college, as opposed to the mass-marketed grocery store varieties of my childhood, the connection was instantaneous. I was genetically hard-wired, and I was in love.

Maybe this is the reason why I have made so many Celtic inspired shortbread pans. Maybe this is why this series is so dear to my heart. Maybe this is why thistles and shamrocks, knotted patterns and dragons show up so often on my cookie trays at family gatherings.

Others seem to make the connection as well. The Thistle has always been my best selling pan, ever since it was introduced in 1991. The British Isles Pan has always been in the top 3 most popular. These designs and these cookies somehow seem right at home in everybody’s home. Enjoy!

Thistle Shortbread Pan

If there were such a thing as a National Cookie, Scotland’s would be shortbread! It’s famous the world over. And it only seems right that this delightful treat should be graced with images of Thistles, the beloved flower that has become a national symbol.

With our best-selling Thistle Shortbread Pan, you can bake up 8 buttery wedges of shortbread at a time. Just mix one of the 5 recipes in our Instruction and Recipe Booklet, pat the dough into your pan, and bake.

When the shortbread is golden, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out the prettiest, and tastiest, shortbread you’ve ever had.

British Isles Shortbread Pan

On a summer’s visit to the British Isles, I learned that delicious shortbread is served in tearooms everywhere, in Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales. Everyone loves it, and everyone claims theirs to be the best!

When I got home, I decided to make a special British Isles Shortbread Pan to celebrate all of these countries and all of the wonderful shortbreads I had eaten.

Each pan bakes two pieces each of Thistles for Scotland, intricate Celtic knotwork for Ireland, a Tudor Rose for England, and a Welsh Dragon for Wales.

Irish Lace Shortbread Pan

Celebrate “the Luck of the Irish” with shortbread made in our charming Irish Lace ceramic shortbread pan. This round pan produces 8 beautifully scalloped shortbread “petticoat tails”, each decorated with a slightly different, hand-carved shamrock.

And there’s one 4 leaf clover for luck. You can follow the instructions for “painting” your cookies to dress them up still further for St. Patrick’s Day, or you can serve them up just as they come from the pan, buttery, beautiful, delicious.

Celtic Knotwork Shortbread Pan

I couldn’t resist adding an intricately carved Celtic Knotwork Shortbread Pan to my Celtic Collection. These elaborate designs are somehow complicated, playful and absolutely beautiful, just like the culture and history of the Celtic peoples who settled in the British Isles. Several of my designs were inspired by the marvelous paintings in the famous Book of Kells.

To make shortbreads decorated with these intricate patterns, simply mix up one of the 5 recipes in our Instruction and Recipe Booklet, pat the dough into your pan, and bake. When the shortbread is golden, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out truly extra-ordinary cookies.

Each pan comes in a sturdy gift box with a booklet of 5 recipes and instructions. They are 100% lead free, made in America, and are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe. And you can use any of the recipes on this site in your Brown Bag Shortbread Pan.

Remember, you can use any of the recipes on this site in your Brown Bag Shortbread Pan.