Aaaaaaaaahhhh. Now shortbread I know. Don't come from a Scottish family for nothin' ya know.
1 cup unsalted butter room temp (dont even think of substituting margarine,
though you can use salted butter, which I much prefer)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup superfine granulated sugar
2-1/2 cup flour (2-1/4 cup unbleached or white, 1/4 cup RICE flour
- this makes the cookies crisper)
OK, heat your oven to 275°F degrees with the racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven.
Cream together the butter and sugars. I actually prefer using salted butter, but my grandmother would have a cow if she knew. Add in the flour and mix with your hands. Yes, you will get messy. No, a spoon won't do it as well. Mix it until it just holds together. Think pie dough. If you over handle it, it's gonna be tough (you can see where a Kitchen Aid would destroy these cookies, no?).
Split the dough in half and press into two 8" cake pans. Use a fork to score around the outside edges all the way around each pan then use the tines to prick holes in the rest of the surface. This will create the traditional shortbread design which if I'm not mistaken is supposed to somehow represent the sun. I'm a little fuzzy on that. Put one pan on each rack right in the middle. After 30 min switch the pans from top to bottom and bottom to top and turn them so that the backs are now at the front (does this make sense?). This will make them cook more evenly.
Bake for 20-30 more minutes. They are done when they are a pale golden - DO NOT BROWN. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 min then turn out onto a cutting board. Use a long sharp knife and cut each round into 8 wedges. Cool completely. Put in an airtight container.
Now comes the hard part. Don't eat them for 2-3 days. They actually improve by sitting a little while. Of course, around here they rarely make it to the next day, let alone 2-3 days.
You don't have to use rice flour, but it makes for a much better cookie if you do. If you do buy rice flour, keep it in your freezer to store it. The stuff goes rancid rapidly. If the store doesn't have it in the refrigerator when you go to buy it, but just on the shelf, pass. I've never seen it in a grocery, just at the health food store.
Enjoy,
Theresa - the Amazon Goddess who adores a good shortbread
(2/19/01)
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