scottish shortbread

Today, I found myself really craving shortbread.  I have very fond memories of eating Walker's shortbread biscuits as a child -- the rich, buttery goodness of those biscuits was pretty spectacular.  You can still buy them, although I do think the quality has gone down over the years.

Anyway, I didn't have much time and wanted to throw something together quickly.  Fortunately, I found a very well-rated recipe that looked incredibly simple to make.

I made a quarter-batch of this recipe, with just a few additions.  From other reviewers' comments, it seems like a pretty adaptable recipe (one reviewer mentioned using spelt flour!).  Although some reviewers do mention success with margarine, I actually think that margarine is even more unhealthy than butter.

[Note: In a second round, I added mini-chocolate chips and they were a delicious addition; add them once most of the kneading has been done, if you decide to try this out].

Anyway, here goes:

Makes approximately 4 dozen biscuits/cookies. 

Ingredients:
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Line baking sheet or shallow pan with parchment paper, and grease lightly.  
3. Cream butter and sugar with a stand or hand-held mixer.
4. Add vanilla or almond extract.
5. Add about 3 3/4 cups of the flour, and mix well.
6. Sprinkle a board with the remaining flour, and knead for 5 minutes, adding flour if needed.  
7. Flatten dough out onto a baking sheet or shallow pan.
8. Prick the dough with a fork to create a "pinprick" pattern.  
9. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until golden brown on the top).

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/scottish-shortbread-iv/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=scottish%20shortbread&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page