Community Pick
Super-Easy Shortbread (3 Ingredients)
photo by TapestryThreads
- Ready In:
- 55mins
- Ingredients:
- 3
- Yields:
-
24 cookies
- Serves:
- 24
ingredients
directions
- Preheat oven to 300°.
- Cream butter and sugar together.
- Add flour and mix till texture is like clay.
- Press dough into ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan, prick all over with a fork, and sprinkle with sugar (tilt pan to cover the top evenly, then shake excess sugar back into the sugar canister).
- Bake for about 40-45 minutes (till very lightly browned--just golden around the edges).
- Let stand for 5 minutes, then cut into 24 squares while warm.
- Leave in pan to cool thoroughly. (Shortbread will not be crisp until cool.).
- Less easy method: Chill dough. Roll into 1-inch balls, then press balls to about 1/4-inch thickness on ungreased cookie sheets with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar (sometimes you can find a glass with a pretty design on the bottom, like a star). Bake at 300° for about 20-25 minutes (until edges are very lightly browned).
- Least easy method: Chill dough. Roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness, sprinkle with sugar, then cut with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 300° for about 20-25 minutes (until edges are very lightly browned).
- Variation: Add 2 tablespoons dried lavender to the creamed butter and sugar before adding flour. It may sound strange, but the flavor is subtle and elegant. Food-grade lavender is usually available in herb bins at health food stores, and I recently found it at a great price from Atlantic Spice online (their Lavender #1).
- Variation: After cutting shortbread into squares (it will still be warm), scatter 1 cup of chocolate chips over the top, let the chocolate soften completely, then spread as a thin layer and let cool completely before removing from pan. (No need to sprinkle shortbread with sugar before baking if you plan to do this.).
- Variation: Stir 1 cup chocolate chips or butterscotch chips into the dough before pressing into pan. You can also try melting the butterscotch over the top, as above. In England, you'll find "caramel shortbread," which has a layer of caramel and a layer of chocolate on top of the shortbread. It's wonderful (of course!). I've tried various ways of doing this and various kinds of caramel, but it's been a while and I don't remember what works best. It can be tricky not to make a mess!
Reviews
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Tried this several days ago and made a couple of small changes. It seemed a bit dry, so I added a couple of teaspoons of vanilla. I was waiting for the "clay" like texture, but it seemed more like sand to me. Also used vanilla sugar for the topping. Had to cook it about 10 minutes extra until it was lightly browned. . I will be making this again and again. Love the taste and the simplicity. Thanks for posting this.
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Great recipe, I love it! Another thing we do is chill the dough, roll into the balls, then put the balls on the pan and make "Thumbprint cookies" (You've probably made or at least seen them before), by pushing your thumb down on the dough. Then you can put chocolate, caramel, jam, custard, etc. before you bake them. They are fantastic!
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I added just a little more sugar (maybe a few tablespoons as I like them a tad sweeter), literally a few drops of vanilla. The biggest change is I rolled them in parchment into a tube. Refriged it for a few and then cut the cookies with dental floss (a garrote sort of technique) placed them all out on parchment/baking sheet. Pierced them with a fork twice each and called it a day. Turned out pretty nice. If I had some honey it might have been nice to put a little water and honey together and brush them for the final minutes of cooking, get that sort of 'chessmen' cookie effect. Its a good recipe though!
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>I've been baking since I was six years old...but I rarely go beyond the basics. I love recipes that are easy, predictable, and delicious! When I'm tired or a bit down, baking relaxes me and cheers me up. Since I'm maintaining a substantial weight loss (or trying to, anyway!), I can't put too many temptations before myself, so I try to do it when there are people around to enjoy the results. I love baking people happy!</p>