A side-by-side baking test has pitted Paul Hollywood's buttery shortbread against Nigella Lawson's vanilla shortbread, and one recipe came out clearly on top. Nigella Lawson's version won for its superior flavour, crumbly texture, and simpler method.
The comparison followed an earlier head-to-head between the two bakers' Victoria sponge recipes, which Nigella also won. This time, the tester started with Paul Hollywood's recipe, which calls for basic ingredients plus cornflour.
Paul Hollywood's buttery shortbread
The recipe uses 225g unsalted butter, 110g caster sugar, 225g plain flour, 110g cornflour, and a pinch of salt. The method involved creaming the butter and sugar first, then sifting in the cornflour and flour.
The dough was rolled out between baking parchment to 1cm thick and cut into triangles. After chilling for 30 minutes, the shortbread baked at 150C Fan for 25 minutes until the edges turned golden. The tester noted the dough became greasy after several re-rolls, requiring extra flour.
Taste-wise, the shortbread had a nice crisp but lacked the crumbly texture characteristic of a good shortbread. It lived up to its buttery name but took longer than expected to make.
Nigella Lawson's vanilla shortbread
Nigella's recipe uses 100g icing sugar, 200g plain flour, 100g cornflour, 200g very soft unsalted butter, seeds from one vanilla pod, and caster sugar for dusting. It came together quickly in a food processor.
The dough was pressed into a Swiss roll tin, scored into fingers, and pricked with a fork. It baked at 140C Fan for about 23 minutes until pale but no longer doughy. The tester saved the deseeded vanilla pod in caster sugar for future use.
The result was incredibly crumbly and melted in the mouth. The strong vanilla flavour came through beautifully, and the texture stole the show.
The winner
Both batches were enjoyable, but Nigella's recipe won for flavour, texture, and simplicity. Her approach was more straightforward and fuss-free, while Paul's demanded considerably more effort and steps.
