I don't knead shortbread. I use Sharon CB's Aunty Doe's shortbread recipe..since trying it..I don't make any other "cut out" shortbreads...They are delish dipped or drizzled in dark chocolate too..

Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Mon, Dec 17, 07 at 13:42

Here's the recipe from my Aunt which has been made for over 60 years and is a family favourite which has been passed on and on and on. It's one great shortbread!:
Aunty Doe's Shortbread

1/2 lb salted butter - softened to room temperature
1/2 cup sifted icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
2 cups flour

Mix butter and icing sugar, then add flour, mixing by hand.
Form into a brick shape...if necessary put in fridge to cool, then slice into thick rectangles.
(Slice thickly from the end of the "brick" and then slice each one again so the pieces come out at around 1" x 2" (2.5 cm x 5 cm) and about 3/4 inch thick. She liked to put a small dot of either red or green glace cherry in the middle of each.)

Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet at 275F for one hour.

SharonCb

For some reason there must need to be more gluten development than a regular shortbread recipe - or to bring all the ingredients together into a cohesive, workable dough - would be my guess.

Here's a shortbread that is a little different. It was the new holiday winner at our house 3 years ago. -Grainlady

TOFFEE WEDGES

Cookies:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour (I use freshly-milled spelt.)
1/2 c. toffee baking bits

Glaze:
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 T. whipping cream (half and half, or milk will work)

1. Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, beat powdered sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

2. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Stir in flour and toffee baking bits; mix well. Divide dough into 4 parts; shape each into a ball.

3. On ungreased cookie sheets, press or roll each ball of dough into a 5-1/2-inch circle. With knife, cut each circle into 8 wedges; do NOT separate. Prick each wedge several times with a fork.

4. Bake at 325°F for 10-15 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Cut into wedges; remove from cookie sheets. Place on wire racks. Cool completely.

5. In small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and whipping cream. Heat over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Place in a small resealable plastic bag. With scissors, cut small hole in corner of bag. Pipe glaze over cookies. Allow glaze to set before storing.

Makes 32 shortbread cookies.

Kitchen Tip: When cutting the dough into wedges, cut straight down through the dough, then lift straight up. Pulling the knife through the dough will drag the toffee bits and cause ragged edges on the cookies.

Grainlady note: I use my bench knife/scraper for the cutting task.

Shortbread is one of my favorite cookies to make and one of the most popular that I gift friends with. Rich, but not overly sweet, and as long as you keep them in a cool place (so the butter doesn't turn), they can stay good for weeks and weeks.

I use the recipe from the Fannie Farmer baking book and my food processor.

2 sticks butter (1 cup)
2/3 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
1/4 t salt

Process the butter, sugar and vanilla until it's smooth and then add the flour and salt. Process again until mixed.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch, and then cut into whatever shapes you favor. Place the cookies an inch apart on ungreased (yay!) cookie sheets and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. You want them to barely color around the edges, not go brown at all. Cool them on a rack.

Now, for my additions/alterations to the recipe...

I like to brush the cookies with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven...heck, I'm eating shortbread anyway, and that extra splash of butter flavor is so wickedly good.

Also, I get creative with my shortbread. It's a wonderfully flexible cookie, a good base for all kinds of flavorful additions.

I toast pecans, process them into crumbs and knead them into the dough. Grate Meyer lemon zest into the dough, and add some juice to the melted butter wash. Crushed candy canes are a fun Christmas time addition (be judicious with these, as too much can make the cookies stick to the sheet). A good quality cocoa powder makes for chocolate shortbread. Finely minced dried fruits (cranberry or apricot are my favorites). Toasted coconut...put some of the sweetened coconut you get in the baking section of the grocery store into a heavy fry pan over a med-high heat and stir it 'round until it starts browning and the aroma rises wonderfully. Then mince it and work it into the dough.

Gosh, I haven't made shortbread cookies for a while, and have been wondering what to make as little gifts for my clients...I think I've just decided!

This is my favourite Shortbread recipe. Been making this one for over 30 years.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Shortbreads
===========

Patty's Recipe
1975

300 degrees for 45 - 50 minutes
1/2 c butter
pinch salt
pinch baking soda
1/4 c fruit sugar,(Same as Berry sugar or very fine granulated sugar)
1 c flour
sugar to dredge
. Mix together Flour, salt and baking soda.

Cream butter and fruit sugar. Add flour mixture and mix well.

Pat firmly into round cake pan. Use tines of fork to make a decorate
edge around the outside of the dough. Now use fork to poke holes all
over surface. (This stops the shortbread from rising up during
baking.. Bake in low oven until just starting to colour. Should not
brown.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with fine sugar. Let sit 5 minutes and
then Cut into wedges while still warm. Do not remove shortbread
wedges from pan until cool.

Note:

This recipe can be doubled and baked in a rectangle pan, and cut into
fingers rather than wedges.

These little chocolate chip shortbreads are good too.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
=================================
1 cup butter
pinch of salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, flour,
salt, and chocolate chips.
Roll into 1 inch balls. Dip fork in to white sugar and flatten cookie.

Bake at 325° until golden. Do not let brown.

Thanks everyone! I'm drooling Ann! Do you use the regular sized chips, or small ones?

I remember Martha Stewart making shortbread cookies and she did not knead them.

My recipe says to knead for 10 minutes to ensure crispness. I've used this recipe for more than 25 years and my shortbread gets raves. I think it's the warmth of your hands reacting with the butter as much as anything else.

This is my favorite shortbread recipe. I got it from here, but I can't remember who's recipe it is. I LOVE shortbread cookies! I also have a few recipes that call for rice flour and one that is an orange cornmeal shortbread cookie. I'll have to dig those up when I get home.

Cinnamon Shortbread

2 cups all-purpose flour
3-1/2 teaspoons ground Vietnamese cinnamon (available through PenzeyÂs or King Arthur)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two round 8 or 9" cake pans (I use just one pan for extra thick shortbread). In a small bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, and salt together; set aside. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on low speed, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together. Add the vanilla extract. Stop, do not eat this mixture, it is terribly addictive! Gradually blend the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pans. Bake in the center of the oven for:

if the dough was divided between 2 pans: 20-25 minutes
if the dough was in a single pan: 45-50 minutes

This dough is brown, and difficult to tell when itÂs done, the edges should be golden brown and the center should barely spring back when pressed. On removing it from the oven, I take a pastry scraper and divide the shortbread into wedges. Cool completely, remove from the pan, and cut along the score lines. Stores & ships well.

Makes 12 to 24 wedges

Colleen....That's probably also why my Aunty Doe's shortbread has always turned out so well. I remember her telling me (and it's noted in the recipe) that she mixed the ingredients with her hands.

SharonCb

Ann_T -

On the Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies, the recipe says bake until golden - approx. how long will that be? Sorry, I am baking impaired. Thanks!

Thanks all. Copied and pasted.

Linda