Yesterday's advent activity was purposefully low-key and easy. We made shortbread, which we all really like. Our favorite recipe, included here first among all my shortbread recipes, has brown sugar, which gives it a tasty flavor. And this time, at least, it came out of the well-greased mold beautifully.
Vel’s Christmas Shortbread
This is my favorite shortbread. I don’t know who “Vel” is because I found this on allrecipes.com. It has a homey flavor because of the brown sugar. I usually halve the recipe.
2 cups butter
1 cup brown sugar
5 cups sifted flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in flour and knead by hand until dough comes together. At first the dough will seem dry and crumbly but don’t give up, keep mixing. Roll out the dough to ¼” thickness and cut with cookie cutters or press dough into shortbread molds (be sure to lightly grease mold and sprinkle with sugar). Place cookies 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-12 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on the size of your cookies. Do not let them brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.
allrecipes.com
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Shortbread
A good standard shortbread.
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
2 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
1 tablespoon milk
Preheat oven to 325F. Cream butter and sugar with a fork until light. Add the lemon extract if desired. Delicately add flour and dribble in the milk. Knead the dough for a minute or two. Press the dough into a lightly greased pan that has been sprinkled with sugar. Prick the surface with a fork. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Let cool for ten minutes, then loosen with a knife. Invert the pan, cut into pieces, and serve.
Goddess in the Kitchen
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Shortbread
From the recipe book accompanying the thistle-decorated shortbread pan I received from Mom for Christmas 2001. It’s a very light, flaky, sweet shortbread.
½ cup butter at room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
Cream the butter until it is light. Cream in the powdered sugar, then the vanilla. Now work in the flour. Knead the dough on an unfloured board until nice and smooth. Spray the shortbread pan very lightly with a non-stick spray. Firmly press the dough into the shortbread pan. Prick the entire surface with a fork and bake at 325°F for about 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool before you loosen the edges with a knife and flip the pan over onto a wooden cutting board. If the shortbread sticks, tap one edge of the pan. Cut the shortbread into serving pieces while it is still warm.
Brown Bag Cookie Art Shortbread Recipe Book
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Shortbread (or Burrebrede)
This is the first shortbread I made, from a book of medieval cookery. It was Aunt Sis's annual Bay Fest and the theme was Robin Hood. I adapted this recipe and made them as a treat for everyone. Pretty good. I don’t recall my changes and so include the recipe here, as is.
3 cups all-purpose unbleached white flour
½ cup superfine sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon powdered cardamon (I know I didn’t have this ingredient)
½ teaspoon powdered ginger (or this)
¾ teaspoon allspice (I imagine I used nutmeg)
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine sugar, spices, and salt evenly. Separate into two equal portions.
On strong, clean kneading surface, mix gently, by hand, one half the spice mixture into the flour.
Squeeze the butter in hands and bit by bit add spiced flour by working it into the butter on the board. Take time to thoroughly integrate.
Press batter into 8” square shallow pan.
Scaore the surface to make “fingers” (2” x 1”) of shortbread. Also make several shallow fork pricks on each finger.
With reserved spice mixture, evenly strew all cuts.
Bake 1 hour or less until firm and yellow, not brown.
Cool in pan; break into shortbread fingers and serve, tasking better several days old. This keeps beautifully if stored in an airtight tin or wrapped in tinfoil.
Madeleine Pelnar Cosman,
Fabulous Feasts: Medieval Cookery and Ceremony
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Almond Shortbread
A recipe from a docent, brought to the annual docent Christmas party. Very good! I added extra extract when I made these. Better after a few days.
1 lb. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
5 cups flour (or less—4 ½ cups works)
1 teaspoon almond extract
slivered almonds
Mix butter, sugar, flour, and extract. Spread thinly on cookie sheet. Score first and place an almond on each piece. Bake at 350°F until lightly browned.
a docent
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Chocolate Shortbread
I first made that around the Christmas holidays, substituting regular sugar for the powdered. It was a really spongy dough and the cookie itself actually rose. I didn’t think I’d like the graininess, but I did, especially because the chocolate flavor was so good. And then I lost the recipe and couldn’t find the ad (forgetting I’d typed it into the computer). So I logged on to tasteofhome.com and posted an ISO on the forum. I got several responses, including the second one below, which resembled the original (first one) and tasted just as good. And so now I have two good shortbread recipes. But don’t use a shortbread pan for these. They cookies are too soft, at least until they cool completely.
1 dozen
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup flour
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
1-2 tablespoons baking cocoa
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter. Add vanilla and mix well. Combine flour, sugar, and cocoa; add to creamed mixture. Beat until dough holds together, about 3 minutes. Pat into a 9 x 4 inch rectangle. Cut into 2 x 1 ½ inch strips. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick with a fork. Bake at 300°F for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cool for 5 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Taste of Home ad
Alternate: Chocolate Shortbread
1 cup butter
¾ cup confectioner’s sugar
1 ½ cup flour
few grains salt
1/3 cup cocoa
Heat oven to 300°F. Soften butter to room temperature. Cream butter until soft and fluffy. Beat in sugar. Stir in flour, salt, and cocoa, and mix well. If very soft, chill in refrigerator for ½ hour. Roll out dough ½” thick and cut into shapes. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool slightly and remove from pan.
Taste of Home internet forum
Chocolate Shortbread
From my shortbread book from Jessica’s Biscuit catalogue, this is a great recipe, very similar to Tex-Mex sheet cake but easier.
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup flour
Preheat oven to 300°F. Lightly butter an 8” round pan, preferably one with a removable bottom, or use an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on low speed or a wooden spoon, beat the butter until light in color, about 1 minute. Mix in the brown sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, and almond and vanilla extracts, and continue beating until the mixture is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Gradually mix in the almonds and flour until just combined.
Press the dough evenly into the pan, and use the back of a soup spoon to smooth the surface of the dough. Or, pat the dough into an 8” round on the baking sheet and decoratively score or flute the edges. Prick the dough attractively with a fork.
Bake in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until set and firm to a light touch. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the shortbread cool completely. Transfer the shortbread from the pan to a cutting board. With a sharp thin knife, cut into 12 wedges.
*To omit the nuts, add ¼ cup more flour.
Jann Johnson,
Shortbread
