If there's one thing the titular character of popular Apple TV show Ted Lasso would ask you to do, it's to "believe". Now, one eagle-eyed developer is asking us to do the same, as he thinks he's deciphered the series' protagonist's famous shortbread recipe.
The award-winning show tells the story of Ted Lasso, a loveable American sports coach who flies to the UK to manage a struggling London football team, and in it he uses these buttery biscuits to win over Rebecca, the club's owner.
Every day, Lasso presents her with a small pink box packed with shortbread biscuits, which we later discover he's been baking himself.
Much to her own chagrin, Rebecca loves them.
See a clip in which Ted Lasso gives Rebecca some biscuits here:
At the end of Apple's Spring Loaded event, which was held last week, there was a "little easter egg", writes developer David Smith in a blog post titled Following the Shortbread Crumbs.
"Apple teases that they are about to reveal Ted Lasso’s secret shortbread recipe. Just as it is about to scroll into frame it cuts off," Smith writes.
"This sounds like an internet treasure hunt to me, which I’m always here for."
Smith was able to read the fractional letters and make out the following:
1 1/2 cups / 340 grams cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces plus more for greasing pan
He then Googled the phrase, to find it matches a The New York Times recipe for bittersweet brownie shortbread by Melissa Clark, although it's slightly different to Lasso's.
"No other instances of that exact string seem to exist that I could find," says Smith. "So this has to be the recipe that they were referencing. Although, this is a two-part recipe and only the first part seems to be what Ted would make."
Smith then documents his attempt at making the shortbread himself. "I wouldn’t say that I am particularly proficient at baking… but as Ted would say… I gotta believe."
Thankfully, Smith says the result of his attempts in the kitchen "tasted delicious".
"Even though my baking skills would certainly get me relegated from the ‘Premier League’ of Baking, I was able to pull this one off. 10/10, would recommend."
At the event, Apple also debuted the new trailer for the second season of the show, and it has been viewed more than three million times since.
The new season will be released on Friday, July 23.
