Yield: about 24 shortbread squares
Recipe: 65/200
“Back to Baking”, pp. 25
I was way overdue to fill up my cookie tin with scrumptious cookies. I took the small snowstorm of this week as an opportunity to do just that. As such, I made these simple traditional shortbread cookies. They are easy to make and make the perfect buttery snack with coffee, tea or, as is my personal preference, hot chocolate.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown or white rice flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease an 8-inch square pan.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter for 2 minutes to make it light and fluffy.
- Add the icing sugar and sugar to the butter mixture and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, sift and whisk together the flour, rice flour and salt. Add these to the wet ingredients and combine until evenly blended.
- Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and press it flat into the bottom of the pan with your fingers. Use a fork to dock the shortbread all the way through the dough at one inch intervals.
- Bake the shortbread for 25 minutes, until the outside edges have browned a little.
- Let the shortbread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then cut it into 24 or 36 squares. Allow to col completely before lifting them out of the pan to store.
Notes from Anna:
- When making shortbread, it is essential to beat the butter thoroughly before adding the sugar. Since there are no eggs or baking powder in these cookies, making the butter fluffy is essential to keep them tender and light.
Valerie
Valerie 