National Shortbread Day with Recipe

Shortbread is made up of 3 ingredients. Equal parts of sugar, powder sugar and a bit of salt. White flour is the choice for shortbread as well. The crumbly texture created by the high fat content of the butter is a feature of shortbread.

Shortbread is a crunchy buttery cookie. The three main ingredients of shortbread cookies are flour, sugar and butter with a dash of salt.

Shortbread began as a medieval biscuit that was baked a second time. Shortbread and biscotti are all relatives. Rumors have it that shortbread may have appeared during the 12th century in Britain but others say that Scotland is the home of shortbread "short" bread cookies were fancy desserts meant to be served to the wealthy and on special occasions. In addition they were a favorite of Mary, Queen of Scots

The shape of shortbread has ranged from round, rectangular, diamond shaped, and wedge. Originally though, shortbread was in the shapes of large divided into segments, round biscuits, or thick rectangular slab cut into fingers.

 MAKE PERFECT SHORTBREAD
Adapted from Traditional Scottish Recipes

INGREDIENTS:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (about 6 ounces)
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (4 ounces)
½ cup granulated sugar (about 2 ounces)
¼ cup cornstarch (about 1 ounce)
¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Cut the butter into pieces. Using a wooden spoon, mix the butter and sugar by hand until pale and creamy. Mixing Butter and Sugar
Sift the flour, cornstarch and salt into the bowl of creamed butter and sugar, and mix well, continuing to use your wooden spoon.
It will begin to come together in a somewhat crumbly dough, but it should very easily clump together if you gather it with your hand.
Lightly flour a work surface. Place the dough on top. Roll out the dough until it is about ¼-inch thick.
Decide what shape you’d like the shortbread in. If you’d like it to be a round, shape it into a circle by hand. If you’d like it to bake in a pan, press it into a greased 8″ by 8″ pan. Or, simply cut the rolled dough using a lightly floured cutter.

Score the dough if it will be sliced after baking, and lightly prick all over with the tines of a fork.

If baking as a large round or as small cutout cookies, transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the sides and bottoms are lightly browned but the top is just set. 

Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Don’t get greedy, or you might burn your mouth.

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