Photo and design by Brian Kachejian
The best shortbread cookies deliver a completely different experience than most cookies on grocery store shelves. Unlike chocolate chip cookies, sandwich cookies, or cream-filled desserts, traditional shortbread cookies are built around a much simpler formula focused heavily on butter, flour, and sugar, often without eggs. That creates a richer, more delicate texture that crumbles easily and melts differently in your mouth. In this taste test for RockinFoodie.com, we ranked three of the most recognizable shortbread cookie brands, Walker’s, Lorna Doone, and Keebler Sandies, to see which one truly delivers the best buttery bite.
Shortbread cookies occupy a very unique place in the cookie world. They are not overloaded with frosting, stuffed with candy pieces, or filled with artificial flavors trying to overpower your taste buds. The foundation of shortbread has traditionally been simplicity. Most recipes rely heavily on butter, flour, and sugar while leaving out eggs entirely, which creates that famous crumbly texture and rich buttery taste that shortbread fans love. Because there are so few ingredients involved, every little detail matters. The butter quality matters. The flour matters. The sweetness matters. There is nowhere for weak ingredients to hide inside a shortbread cookie.
That simplicity is one reason why shortbread has survived for centuries, especially in Scotland, where traditional shortbread became deeply connected to holidays, celebrations, and tea culture. Today, however, shortbread cookies have evolved into many different styles depending on the brand making them. Some focus heavily on butter and traditional baking methods, while others lean more toward sweetness, oils, preservatives, and mass-market production. That difference became extremely obvious during this taste test.
For this review, I lined up three of the most recognizable shortbread cookie brands on American shelves: Walker’s, Lorna Doone, and Keebler Sandies. While all three technically fall under the shortbread umbrella, they turned out to be dramatically different experiences once tasted side by side.
Walker’s may be the most respected name in the shortbread world. Founded in 1898 in Aberlour, Scotland, the company built its entire reputation around traditional Scottish shortbread recipes. The brand remains closely associated with authentic all-butter shortbread and has become one of the most recognizable imported cookie brands in the world. Walker’s products are famous for having relatively simple ingredient lists compared to many modern packaged snacks, which became especially noticeable during this taste test. The buttery richness and clean flavor profile immediately stood out.
Lorna Doone has a completely different history. Introduced by Nabisco in 1912, these square-shaped cookies became one of America’s longest-running packaged shortbread-style snacks. For generations, Lorna Doone cookies became associated with lunchboxes, hospital visits, vending machines, and quick packaged snacks. Their smaller individually wrapped packaging made them especially common in medical waiting rooms, cafeterias, and travel snack displays. The nostalgic appeal of Lorna Doone is enormous for many Americans, even though its flavor profile has changed over the decades.
Keebler Sandies entered the conversation from another direction entirely. Keebler built its reputation through affordable packaged cookies sold heavily in supermarkets across the United States. While many people immediately think of fudge stripes or Chips Deluxe when they hear the Keebler name, Sandies have quietly maintained a loyal following among shortbread fans for years. Unlike Walker’s, which leans heavily into traditional Scottish-style baking, Keebler Sandies feel much more like an American interpretation of shortbread, sweeter, softer, and often easier on the wallet.
For this taste test, I compared three of the most recognizable shortbread cookie brands sold in stores today, Walker’s, Lorna Doone, and Keebler Sandies. While all three technically fall under the shortbread umbrella, they turned out to be dramatically different experiences once I tasted them side by side.
#3 – Lorna Doone
Lorna Doone is one of the oldest packaged shortbread cookies in America. Introduced by Nabisco in 1912, these cookies have been around for generations and carry a tremendous amount of nostalgia. The minute I opened the package, I immediately thought about doctor visits, hospital waiting rooms, and those moments after medical procedures when somebody hands you a package of Lorna Doone cookies because you have not eaten in hours.
The cookie itself looks very different from the others in this contest because of its square shape and smaller individually wrapped packaging. But once I took the first bite, the difference became even more obvious. Compared to Walker’s, the Lorna Doone cookie was far less buttery and not nearly as sweet. Instead of tasting rich butter and flour, I noticed a much stronger oil flavor.
There was something about the cookie that just did not work for me during this taste test. On its own, maybe it would have tasted better, especially if I were hungry and not comparing it directly to Walker’s. But side by side, the difference in quality became impossible to ignore. It tasted more processed and less natural than the others in the contest.
Lorna Doone earns points for nostalgia and convenience, but when it came strictly to flavor and texture, this one landed at the bottom of the ranking.
Score: 5 Out Of 10
#2 – Keebler Sandies
Keebler Sandies entered this competition with some momentum because I had just reviewed them recently during my Keebler cookie ranking video, and I remembered really enjoying them. Keebler has been one of America’s most recognizable cookie companies for decades, largely because of the famous Keebler Elves marketing campaign and a long line of affordable supermarket favorites.
Sandies represent Keebler’s version of the shortbread cookie, and unlike the more traditional Scottish style approach used by Walker’s, these feel much more like an American interpretation of shortbread. The cookies are softer, slightly less buttery, and built around accessibility and value.
One of the first things I noticed was how different the flavor profile was from Walker’s. The Sandies were not as sweet, and strangely enough, they reminded me a little bit of Armenian cookies, which I happen to love. That gave them a unique personality compared to the others in this contest.
Another thing working heavily in Keebler’s favor is value. You simply get a lot more cookies for the price compared to Walker’s. That matters, especially for families buying snacks regularly. The texture was enjoyable, the cookie tasted fresh, and overall this was still a very good shortbread cookie.
But once again, comparing anything directly against Walker’s became difficult because Walker’s simply tasted richer, cleaner, and more authentic. Keebler Sandies performed well and absolutely deserve respect, but they could not quite reach the level of the winner.
Score: 8 Out Of 10
#1 – Walker’s Shortbread
Walker’s completely dominated this taste test from the very first bite. Founded in Scotland in 1898, Walker’s has built an international reputation around traditional Scottish shortbread recipes, and once you taste these cookies, it becomes very easy to understand why.
The first thing I noticed was the ingredient list. Compared to the others, Walker’s used remarkably few ingredients, which honestly felt like a very good sign. Simplicity matters tremendously with shortbread cookies because there is nowhere for artificial flavors or low quality ingredients to hide.
The flavor here was sensational. Extremely buttery, rich, sweet without becoming overwhelming, and incredibly smooth. The flour texture was wonderful, and the cookie practically melted apart in my mouth. One thing I immediately appreciated was how clean the cookie tasted. There was no strange aftertaste, no heavy processed flavor, and no overwhelming oil presence. It simply tasted natural.
I also appreciated the fact that these were gluten-free, something that many people looking for specialty cookies will notice immediately. But honestly, even if you are not concerned about gluten-free products, the flavor alone makes these cookies stand apart from almost every packaged shortbread cookie I have ever tasted.
The more I compared the others against Walker’s, the clearer the result became. This was not even a close contest. Walker’s delivered the richest flavor, the cleanest ingredients, the best texture, and the most authentic shortbread experience of the three brands.
If you truly want to experience what a great shortbread cookie should taste like, this is the brand to buy.
Score: 10 Out Of 10
Final Ranking
#3 – Lorna Doone
#2 – Keebler Sandies
#1 – Walker’s Shortbread
This taste test proved that shortbread cookies are far more different from one another than most people probably realize. Because shortbread depends on such a simple formula, butter, flour, and sugar become incredibly important, and the quality difference between brands becomes very easy to taste. Walker’s completely separated itself from the competition with its buttery richness and clean flavor, while Keebler Sandies delivered a very enjoyable and affordable alternative. Lorna Doone brought plenty of nostalgia to the table, but simply could not compete with the stronger flavor and texture of the other two brands.
If you enjoy cookie rankings and nostalgic snack food reviews, make sure to also check out our Ranking Keebler Cookies That Deserve More Respect article, our Oreo flavor rankings, and more food reviews and taste tests throughout RockinFoodie.com.
