Shortbread for Christmas

[Lyle1]

Having been raised in America, I grew up on traditional foods from many lands and cultures, all of them tweaked and adjusted according to what ingredients were available in America. I also learned that every family had a distinct opinion of the correct way prepare the same dish. I have favorite recipes, but if I can't improvise to suit my mood and what is in the pantry, what fun is cooking?

I use the following recipe from a book of Highland Recipes adapted for the American kitchen. I don’t know how “traditional” it is, but I like it.

1 lb. sweet butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 cups sifted flour
1 cup rice flour
(or 4 cups sifted flour) The rice flour makes a difference, and it is not as hard to
find as it once was.

Cream the butter & add the sugar gradually. Blend well, but do not over work. Gradually work in the flour.

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured board to pat out into two circles about ¾ inches thick. (You can use part powdered sugar and part flour for this, for better results.)

Prick all over with a fork. Place on a baking sheet. Then put the shortbread in the refrigerator or freezer for half an hour.

Bake at 375º for five minutes, then lower the temperature to 300º and bake for 45 to 60 minutes. When done, shortbread should be golden but not browned at all. Cut into wedges while still warm.

I’ve used this recipe for shortbread cookies. Pat dough out to ¼ to ½ inch thickness and cut to shape. Prick each one twice then refrigerate for about 20 minutes. I bake the cookies at 350º for 5 minutes, then at 300º for five or 6 minutes. The thicker the cookie, the longer it bakes!

I have two shortbread molds that I’ve never used. Maybe this year I’ll give them a try!

I've also seen recipes that add some lavender and/or rosemary, which sounds good to me.

[Azrobert]

*** ?
No matter what is discussed on this forum, there's always an expert that comes down with a last-word authoritative statement like that. Although a thread sharing recipes is not where I'd expect it! Very off-putting.

I guess I should give back the medals that recipes based on this one have won at highland games in traditional shortbread contests!

Sorry if you were offended. Did not mean to step on anyone's toes. All of my wife's family came from Scotland and were pretty adamant about how shortbread is made. It is simple, few ingredients, very little technique and very delicious. No doubt what you make is very nice. If you take an ethnic food and change the character, then at what point do you stop calling it the original name? Especially if you use ingredients that were never available in the original location? Just saying...

[Pleater]

The ambient temperature might well alter the result - the recipe I gave instructs that the butter is rubbed in - that would give something the consistency of breadcrumbs, so the 'kneed to a smooth paste' is to create something which can be rolled out.

Shortbread is definitely a top end product and only the best ingredients, white flour, fine (castor) white sugar and unsalted butter would be used for it - and it would have been an expensive item to make.

Using brown sugar or oatmeal would have been seen as economising by my grandmother's generation. No bad thing perhaps, but not something to offer when visitors came to tea, oh dear me no.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: