Directions: |
Directions:To help the sugar dissolve, blitz it in a food processor for 15 to 30 seconds or use superfine sugar.
In mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt, and mix on medium-low until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, mix on low until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add flour in two parts, mixing on low until incorporated before adding the next, 15 to 30 seconds.
Remove from bowl. Shape into a 5-inch square for rectangle shaped cookies or roll into 2 logs for round cookies. Wrap and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Adjust oven racks to lower and upper third. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
Place dough between two sheets of plastic wrap. Roll out to a 9-inch square, ¼-inch thick. If dough has become soft, refrigerate until firm. Using a knife and a ruler, score the dough horizontally 1 ½-inch-wide strips. Then score it vertically at 1 ½-inch intervals. If the dough is not cool to the touch, refrigerate it. Once it is firm, cut through the markings.
For round cookies slice the logs ¼-inch thick. Chill if not cool to the touch before baking, about 30 minutes.
Dust the tops of the shortbread with the reserved sugar and arrange on the prepared sheet pans, leaving about 1-inch between them. Bake until pale golden brown, 13 to 15 minutes in a convection oven, 17 to 19 minutes in a standard oven, reversing the positions of the pans halfway through baking. Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely. |
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Notes: |
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Notes: Although this recipe is in grams, the basic formula for shortbread is 1 part sugar to 2 parts butter to 3 parts flour by weight. Feel free to use your measurement of choice when you weigh the ingredients. If you want lemon or orange shortbread, use the zest of 1 lemon or half an orange in place of the vanilla. To make chocolate shortbread, replace ¼ of the flour with unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder. To change the texture of the shortbread, substitute rice flour or corn starch (corn flour) for up to half the flour.
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