Today, for instance, January 6th is National Shortbread Day, celebrate today with Walkers Shortbread. The holidays may be over but we still celebrate the little nuance holidays. While I had no idea today was National Shortbread day until I visited the Walkers Shortbread site, I could not help but share this adequately timed holiday to the receipt of my package of Walkers Shortbread cookies. Stories that a magical castle the bakers at Walkers created in honor of the show Outlander on Starz had graced my email as well, so this is how I stumbled upon this wonderful little nuance holiday. If you are a fan of Outlander (and shortbread) like myself you know how cool this castle was to build. Outlander returns to Starz this Sunday January 10th with new episodes.

Nlot only can you build a castle with shortbread, consider shortbread as a great gift or entertainment piece in your next baking feat. Though the holiday season has concluded most continue to celebrate well into February; at least we do in our family with celebrating Christmas into January with family as we could not get together during December. Who doesn’t love to celebrate holidays!

Confections are some of my favorite baked goods and my grams and aunt making some wicked good rum balls. Rum bulls should be confections all year round, like rum cake. Booze and food are always a yummo mixture. Julia Child and I are simpatico to always have liquor with your cooking and or baking. I digress. Walkers Shortbread are a crisp, soft, buttery treat of a cookie. Unlike most shortbread they do not crumble upon first bite and they deliver that mouth watering buttery taste in each morsel.

My husband and I noshed on the box of Christmas Trees shortbread cookies. Perfect snack bites you can just pop into your mouth. While I could go on about the wonderful taste of Walkers Shortbread let me share more about the organization as they are truly a company to be celebrated:

Walkers Shortbread was founded in 1898 and is still a family-owned and managed company. We offer a wide range of traditional shortbread, cookies, cakes, oat crackers and puddings, which are now exported to over 80 countries. All our quality products are baked in the villages of Aberlour and Elgin in the Scottish Highlands, and contain no artificial flavorings, colorings or additives.  All of our shortbread, oat crackers and biscuits are certified Kosher OUD. The Walkers family continues to operate its original shop in Aberlour, on the High Street.

Enjoy this wonderful recipe courtesy of Walkers Shortbread and their time lapse video of the Outlander Castle. Maybe take a walk on the wild side and enjoy some shortbread with your morning coffee, or like my kids who received this special buttery treat of Walkers Shortbread Scotties in their lunch today. Happy National Shortbread Day courtesy of Walkers Shortbread.

Directions

To toast nuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and have rack in center of oven. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool completely and then either chop up finely with a knife or place in your food processor pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl.

Process the shortbread cookies in the food processor until finely ground. Add the crumbs to the finely chopped pecans. To this mixture add the confectioners sugar and cocoa powder and stir until combined. Add the corn syrup and rum and mix well. Chill if necessary and then shape into 1 inch balls. Place the sifted confectioners sugar into a small bowl and roll the rum balls in the sugar.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. These are best if made several days in advance of serving to allow the flavors to mingle. Serve at room temperature.

Makes about 4 dozen (48 rum balls).

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