Ina Garten's shortbread is very good. You can jazz it up with some lemon zest (my favorite), chopped dried fruit (cranberries are good), nuts or dipped in chocolate as above in Ina's recipe from rob333. I tend to use her recipe more for tart crusts since it's a bit more stable than my own shortbread cookie recipe. This is the shortbread recipe I've used for cookies forever. I've done lots of testing, and shortbread just tastes better with salted butter IMO (my apologies to the baking police). You can roll these out thinner if you like. I prefer them a little thicker. I always use a small, star-shaped cookie cutter for these at Christmas. Just like Ina's, you can jazz these up. I often double the recipe. Shortbread Cookies Note: The flour/cornstarch can be replaced with 2 cups of cake flour. Sprinkling the cookies with sugar is optional. 2 cups flour 2 T. cornstarch Pinch salt 1/2 cup plus 2 T. powdered sugar 2 sticks salted butter, room temperature 1/2 tsp. vanilla First, remove 2 T. from the 2 cups of flour and replace with the 2 T. cornstarch. Mix salt with flour/cornstarch. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Form into ball and wrap in plastic. Chill for about 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat oven to 325. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to about 3/8- to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with about 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake about 20 to 25 minutes. Watch carefully, you want them to just barely get color (depending on your oven, you may need a little less or more time). Remove from oven, sprinkle with fine or granulated sugar, let sit for about 10 minutes, and remove to rack to cool.

I have a Nut Shorbread recipe, also Carol's (readinglady) and it is excellent. I made it for TG but you do need to watch it closely as it will burn easily and it is not suitable for rolled, cut or dropped cookies. Nut Shortbread (Carol) 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour -- (bleached preferred) 1/2 cup nuts -- (pieces - toasted) 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 6 tablespoons sugar pinch salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 teaspoons sugar -- (for sprinkling on top) Pulse flour and nuts together in food processor until finely ground. In saucepan melt butter. Add sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir in flour/nut mixture. 9-inch round or 8-inch square pan or 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan, greased or lined with foil. (Not necessary with stone pans.) Pat shortbread in pan. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 300°. Place rack in bottom third of oven. Bake shortbread 65-75 minutes. (A few minutes less for tart pan.) Sprinkle with sugar. Remove from pan and cut into pieces while still warm. Cool thoroughly. Keeps well in a tight tin or can be frozen. Here is the shortbread recipe I use for cut cookies. Like Sherry I do not like my cookies too sweet and this recipe is wonderful and I've been making it for almost 20 years now. Shortbread Cookies (My recipe) 1 lb of butter, softened 1/2 margarine (this is the only recipe I use margarine) 6 1/2 c. flour 2 c. sugar Mix all ingredients and mix until smooth. Roll out until about 1/2" thick. Roll and cut out shapes. If you are just making plain round cut cookies, prick with fork on top. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly brown on bottom. Michelle

I made Sharon's last night...and might have been the one asking for help till I re-read the recipe AFTER wondering why my very fine crumbs would not stick in the pan. (I have baked this in a 9" pan before.) AHA !!!! 1/2 lb, not 1/2 c of butter. I softened another stick of butter and then dumped the earlier batch in and mixed and voila...shortbread dough. I put it in the pan, chilled it overnight...thinking that by this time I might very well do something else wrong, and baked it today. I cut it into small fingers and it's delish. AnnT's recipe is also a reliable one and Annie had a post from Readinglady that makes enough to make three batches so you can vary the final product. (Annie or RL, correct anything that might be wrong pls.) DESSERT Scottish Shortbread in Three Variations Readinglady Carol sent me the recipe, then was kind enough to send me the rice flour, espresso powder and Callebaut chocolate to make it with. My favorite is the one with crystallized ginger chunks in it, but the mocha/dark chocolate one is really good too. Annie 1 large or 3 medium batches. "A truly great shortbread." 3 cups AP flour 1 cup rice flour (or sub cornstarch) 1 tsp. salt 2 cups good-quality fresh unsalted butter at room temp but not overly soft 1 cup fruit sugar (sub superfine sugar) Preheat oven to 325. Line at least 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside. (Alternatively you can use shortbread pans [moulds] or cut with decorative cutters. If you use cutters, chill the mixed dough first.) Have ready any flavourings you plan to add. Sift the AP and rice flours (or cornstarch) together with the salt and set aside. Beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar and cream until very light and fluffy. Add flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar in 4-5 additions, creaming thoroughly between each. I prefer to work in the dry ingredients by hand in a bowl large enough that I can use both hands to knead in the last bit of flour. Try to keep your palms off the dough as much as possible so the heat doesn't melt the butter and cause the dough to become oily. For plain shortbread, knead for 30 seconds after the last of the flour has been incorporated. For flavoured shortbread, divide the dough into 3 roughly equal parts and place each one in a separate bowl. Cover portions you're not working with with a piece of plastic wrap. Work flavoring ingredients into the dough as per the recipes below. Each will flavor 1/3 of the master recipe. For Moulded Shortbread: press the dough directly into the form. Prick dough all over with a fork and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until pale golden. Cool for 5 minutes, then invert the form onto a wooden board. Mark the divisions with a sharp knife to facilitate separating the pieces once the bread has cooled and set. A mould will hold 1/3 of the total recipe. For Shortbread Fingers: Use an 8-inch square baking pan lined with an overhang of parchment on two sides and press the dough evenly into the bottom. Prick with a fork and bake 30-35 minutes as above. This size pan will hold 1/3 of the total recipe. For Cut-Out Cookies: The dough will have to be chilled until it is cool enough to roll, about 20-30 minutes. The high butter content of this dough means it firms quite quickly; keep an eye on it so that it doesn't become too cold to roll. Wrap the mixed dough portions in plastic wrap and flatten each one into a disc. Chill, then roll out on a very lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4". Cut shapes from the flat of dough using sharp cutters. I like simple shapes like plain or fluted circles about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter, making each cookie a satisfying but not too decadent morsel. Transfer shapes to lined baking sheets and chill sheets for 10-15 minutes until dough is firm. Prick shapes once or twice with a fork and bake 15-20 minutes. Adjust time according to size and thickness of cookies. Tops should be just firm and edges just barely colouring. Cool on baking sheets set on wire rack for 7 minutes then transfer cookies to the racks. Cool sheets under cold running water and wipe dry before reusing. Repeat with remaining dough until all the cookies are baked and cooled. Short shortbread in airtight tins up to 2 weeks. Both dough and baked cookies may be frozen, well-wrapped. Frozen baked cookies should be layered with waxed or parchment paper and thawed in their wrappings at room temperature. Each 1/3 recipe makes about 24 cookies, or one 8-inch round or square. Variations: Each flavours 1/3 of the dough. May be doubled or tripled to flavor 2/3 or all of the batch. Dark Chocolate and Marbled Mocha: Before creaming butter and sugar, dissolve 1 T. good-quality espresso powder in 1/2 tsp. warm water to form a thick paste. Set aside. Gently knead 1 tsp. of this paste into 1/3 of the dough once the last of the flour mixture has been incorporated. Work the paste in just enough to evenly distribute it in a marbled effect throughout the dough. Wrap the mocha dough in a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten slightly into a disk. Chill for 20-30 minutes or until firm enough to roll. Roll and cut into shapes. Transfer to lined baking sheets, chill and bake as per recipe above. While the shortbreads are cooling, melt 4 ounces of finely chopped semisweet chocolate in a non-reactive bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently and remove from the heat when the chocolate is almost melted. Stir to melt completely. Dip cooled cookies vertically, one at a time, into the warm chocolate, half-coating them. Gently wipe bottoms on the edge of the bowl. Transfer dipped biscuits to a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow chocolate to set completely before storing cookies stacked between pieces of parchment or waxed paper, in airtight tins. Candied Ginger and White Chocolate: Knead 2 1/2 T. of finely chopped candied ginger (preferably Australian) into 1/3 of the dough after the last of the flour mixture has been added. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten slightly into a disc and chill until firm enough to roll. Roll, cut, chill and bake, then cool completely. Melt 4 ounces of finely chopped good-quality white chocolate in a non reactive bowl, etc. removing chocolate when it is about 3/4 melted. Stir to melt completely. Dip edges in the warm chocolate, creating a rim of white around the cookies. Transfer dipped cookies to a parchment-lined sheet and allow chocolate to set completely before storing cookies as described above. Annie

Here is the recipe I have used successfully for years. It is simple and versatile (Martha's original recipe suggests adding to each third, such as shaved chocolate, candied orange peel, ginger, etc.) Shortbread from Martha Stewart 1997 1 pound unsalted butter 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed 1 tsp salt 5 cups all-purpose flour Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Prepare three 8" cake pans by lining bottom with parchment paper. Cream together butter and brown sugar; beat two minutes at high speed. Add salt and flour, mixing after each cup added. When dough is well mixed and holds together, remove from mixing bowl and divide into thirds. Place each third of dough mixture into an 8" cake pan lines with parchment paper. With dull edge of table knife, score cookie into quarters (do not cut deep into dough), then score each quarter into three wedges. Prick design in with fork or wooden skewer. Bake in preheated oven at 275 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, until just slightly colored around the edges. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Separate cookie from pan by carefully running a table knife around edge. Place plate or cooling rack over pan and carefully turn over to remove cookie from pan, then turn cookie right side up to finish cooling. Cool completely before storing. Wrap well in plastic wrap or cellophane or store in tin. Best if stored at least one week before serving, flavor continues to improve over two or three weeks. Note: Shortbread freezes well.