Shortbread Cookies

Lorrie in Montreal's Note:

An heirloom recipe passed down from my Mother...I make them every Christmas no matter what!

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb unsalted butter
• 1 cup fruit sugar or 1 cup superfine sugar
• 4 cups white flour

Directions:

1. Stir the softened butter and sugar together until well mixed.
2. Add in the flour a cup at a time; you may have to knead in the last cup but don't over mix the dough.
3. At this point I separate the dough roll into 3 logs about 2 inches in diameter and chill them slightly.
4. If you are real adventurous you can roll the dough out and use cookie cutters.
5. Preheat oven to 350°.
6. Once they are chilled enough to slice them, place the slices on an ungreased cookie sheet. You can make them thin or thick (I like them about an 1/8 of an inch), just bake until the underneath is slightly golden.
7. They are nicest if you can hide them away for a couple of weeks in a tin, Mum always said they got *shorter* I think it meant richer and more buttery tasting.
8. I only make these at Christmas and you can decorate them with sprinkles if you like before baking.

Reviews

[billikers]

These cookies were very tasty and easy to mix up. I would definitely caution though, to watch really carefully when they are in the oven until you figure out how long to leave your cookies in - otherwise you will have a batch of burnt ones. :( But the ones I didn't burn were great!! :) Thank you!

[Chef Schellies]

These were so simple to make. I love them! They remind me of some Christmas cookies I made with my aunt when I was little. I used really cold butter which makes them easier to roll. I sliced mine about 1/4 inch thick and baked them for 8 minutes. They turned out perfect. I will definitely make them again, perhaps even before Christmas.

[Halcyon Eve]

Delicious! These weren't difficult to make, although they were a little tricky to roll in the sugar while the dough was so soft--but they were very easy to slice with unwaxed floss once they'd sat in the freezer for a few minutes. I baked them for about 11 minutes, which seemed about right for my oven and the thickness (about 1/4 inch)--10 might have been a bit better, even. One comment--they do spread a fair bit, so be sure to allow enough room in between. I spaced about an inch apart, and that wasn't quite enough--several ended up stuck together. Thanks so much for posting this recipe, Lorrie! Made for 1-2-3 Hit Wonders tag game and for the Prop It Up photo forum event.