The Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook is a lot of fun and shoutout to my aunt for buying it for me. I should probably be drinking tea with some of these bakes, but so far all of the ones I’ve tried have been pretty good.

This recipe was so easy, and shortbread is quickly climbing the ranks as one of my favorite things to bake. It’s simple, buttery, and just always hits the spot. I was also reminded how much I love English toffee—I honestly could have (and did) eat it straight out of the bag.

Everything gets pulsed together in the food processor—just flour, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, cold butter, vanilla, pecans, and chopped chocolate-covered toffee. You could totally do it by hand if you don’t have a processor; it might take a little longer.

The dough pressed right into the pan—mine was maybe a little wetter than it should have been, but it baked up just fine. I sprinkled a bit of sugar over the top before baking and kept an eye on it; mine was ready right around 18 minutes.

Once it came out of the oven, I let it cool for a few minutes before slicing it into bars. They were still a little soft and crumbly at that point, but they held together really well once they cooled down. These didn’t last long at all—between the buttery shortbread, the toasty pecans, and the little bits of melty toffee, they were dangerously snackable. Honestly, the toffee flavor was more subtle than I expected, but I didn’t mind. All 10’s here and these will definately be something I make again.

Baking Ease	10
Time Spent	10
Taste	10
Visual	10

Recipe Used: Downton Abbey Cookbook p. 24