The Emmy Award-winning British soccer show Ted Lasso has been an overwhelming hit, and after a long hiatus, it’s finally back this week with Season 4. The biscuits, made by Jason Sudeikis’s title character to win over the team’s owner, Rebecca Welton, played by Hannah Waddingham, quickly became breakout stars in their own right in Season 1. Much like the Cosmo did after Sex and the City, these “cookies” quickly took on a life of their own and became almost as beloved—and perhaps as addictive—as the show itself.
Tea and Biscuits
For Brits, serving biscuits with a cup of tea is a long-standing tradition. It began in the late 1700s, when the upper and middle classes started hosting tea parties between lunch and dinner. These gatherings were often elaborate affairs, with guests invited to enjoy a pot of tea alongside sweet treats such as small cakes and finger sandwiches.
Over time, as tea became more accessible, these formal traditions naturally evolved. People adapted the custom to fit their own lifestyles, and tea with biscuits became a simple, everyday pleasure found in homes throughout Britain—a tradition that continues today.
Christina Tosi
Made with just four ingredients—flour, butter, confectioner’s sugar, and salt—these biscuits are rich, buttery, and every bit as irresistible as Rebecca told us. Christina Tosi, founder of Milk Bar, and a Ted Lasso fan herself, jumped at the chance to recreate the famous biscuits for a show she loved and one that she felt “made positivity cool again.” Tosi has said that Ted Lasso is a show “with the secret undertone of the power of baked goods,” which made this collaboration of hers feel like a perfect fit.
To celebrate the season finale in October 2021, Tosi launched the “Ted Lasso x Milk Bar biscuit” and gave them away for free. These limited-edition biscuits were available only at the Milk Bar flagship locations in New York and Los Angeles. Tosi made just 500 orders available, all packaged, of course, in those now-famous little pink boxes. The collaboration with Apple TV+ and Uber Technologies, Inc. was almost as clever as the show itself. With the show’s return this week, I thought everyone needed this now-iconic biscuit recipe to make at home.
(Note: Apple did publish the “official” Ted Lasso biscuit recipe, shared with The Today Show, but as a chef, I think Tosi’s version is slightly better. Although I’m not British, I am a self-proclaimed shortbread snob, and I can honestly say that what Tosi does—adding egg yolks and brown sugar—gives these biscuits a deeper, caramelized flavor that makes them stand out. I have adapted Christina Tosi’s recipe only slightly. The original recipe can be seen here.)
Ted Lasso Biscuits
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cups Confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees F and prepare an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix the butter and sugars vigorously until smooth. Stir in the egg yolks. Add the flour and salt, mix just until the dough comes together.
- Using damp hands, press the dough into an even layer in the pan.
- Place in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a thin, golden brown layer forms on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into two even columns and then six even rows.
