Shortbread

Makes: 12 wedges

This traditional Scottish confection has few ingredients, is easy to make, and you will look like a talented cookie maker, that is, if people take the time to look at them before they wolf them down.

What you'll need:
9-inch pie plate, regular or deep dish
Small, sharp knife for cutting up butter
Mesh sieve
Hand-held electric mixer wire rack

Baking time: 30 to 35 minutes

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar (if sugar is
lumpy, sift first, then measure)
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter,
chilled and cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F with a rack in the center of the oven.

1 Place a mesh sieve over a medium mixing bowl and add the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt. Shake the contents into the bowl. Scatter the butter pieces over the dry ingredients. with the mixer on medium speed, beat the butter with the flour mixture until the mixture forms coarse buttery crumbs. Use your hands to press the mixture together into a ball of dough.

2. Press the dough into the pie plate. Do not force the dough up the sides of the plate; it should be as flat as possible. with a sharp knife, make 6 crosswise cuts, each about 1/8-inch deep, to score the dough into 12 pie-shaped wedges. Bake the shortbread for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it is fairly firm to the touch and barely golden. Remove the shortbread from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack. While the shortbread is still hot, cut down through the score lines with a small, sharp knife to make 12 individual wedges.

3. The shortbread can be stored in a covered tin at room temperature for up to 1 week. To freeze, allow the shortbread to cool completely after baking, then spread the wedges on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours. When the wedges are thoroughly frozen, stack them in a freezer-strength recloseable gallon-size plastic bag for up to 3 months. Use a waterproof marker to note the contents of the bag and the date. Defrost them in the bag at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.

Buy the Book!

Basic Baking: Everything You Need
to Know to Get You Started Plus 101
Luscious Desserts That You Can Make
By Lora Brody
Morrow Cookbooks/An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
William Morrow; November 2000
Hardcover $25.00, 325 pages
ISBN: 0-688-16724-1
Information provided by the publisher.