‘Short’, means a lot of butter, makes them very tender (the cornstarch makes them even more so) and very yummy. You can cut these, put them on a baking sheet, cover them, and freeze them for days before baking, straight from the freezer. You can also just chill them for half an hour or so and then slice and bake.
How to Make Shortbread:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- Pinch salt
Methods:
- Use an electric mixer to mix butter and sugar; mix on low speed, just until they get thoroughly mixed, for about 30 seconds or so. Still on low speed, beat in the egg yolk, then the flour, cornstarch, and salt, until the mixture barely holds together; this will take a few minutes.
- There are two ways to shape the dough, and both require chilling. If you want to make real shapes, form the dough into a rough ball or disk, wrap in plastic and freeze or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until fairly firm.
- Roll it out on evenly floured surface until it is 1/3 inch thick. Cut into any shape you like, and then put the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet. They will not extend much, so you can place them pretty close together. Chill for 1 hour or freeze for as long as you want. (Once they’re frozen, you can take them off the sheets and store them in a plastic bag for several days if you like.)
- Alternatively, shape the dough into a round, triangular, or rectangular log and refrigerate or freeze until firm, for about 30 minutes. (You can also store the log, frozen.) Slice 1/4 inch thick and put on the baking sheet.
- Heat the oven to 275°F. Bake the cookies until just firm but still quite tender and not at all brown, about 30 minutes. Cool for a minute on the sheets before using a spatula to transfer the cookies to a rack to finish cooling.
- Store on a plate, uncovered, for no more than a day. Wheat Shortbread. A portion of whole wheat flour gives the shortbread a nice nutty flavor: Substitute up to 3/4 cup whole wheat flour for white flour.
- Pistachio or Other Nut Shortbread.
- Pistachios give the shortbread a beautiful green color: Substitute 1/2 cup pistachio with other nut flour or meal for 1/2 cup of the flour. Reduce the cornstarch to 1/4 cup. Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with a pinch of ground cardamom before baking if you like.
Six Simple Ideas for Shortbread:
You can combine these ideas if you like.
1. Add 2 tablespoons grated orange or lemon zest to the dough. For more flavors, reduce the butter to 2 tablespoons; replace it with 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice.
2. Add 1/2 cup toasted/chopped pine nuts to the dough (nice with lemon zest or rosemary).
3. Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or ginger to the dough.
4. Add about 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary, thyme, or lavender leaves to the dough.
5. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract to the dough (especially good with nuts).
6. Add 1 ounce melted bittersweet chocolate to the dough.
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