Patty Ann's Scotch Shortbread

Five ingredients. No eggs, no vanilla, no leavening tricks. Just butter, flour, sugar, salt, and a pinch of baking powder. Scotch shortbread is one of the purest expressions of butter in cookie form, and this recipe keeps it beautifully simple.

A full cup of butter creamed with sugar until smooth, then the sifted dry ingredients worked in to form a tender dough. The high butter-to-flour ratio is what gives shortbread its signature sandy, crumbly texture that dissolves on the tongue. There’s no egg to make it chewy and no liquid to make it soft. Just pure, rich, buttery snap.

Chill the dough before rolling so it handles easily, then roll to a quarter inch and cut into whatever shapes you like. A light sprinkle of colored sugar before baking adds festive sparkle for the holidays. Ten to fifteen minutes in a moderate oven is all it takes for a pale golden finish.

Chef Tips

• Use real butter, not margarine. Shortbread is essentially a butter delivery system. The flavor of the butter IS the cookie.
• Don’t overwork the dough. Once the flour is incorporated, stop mixing. Overworked shortbread loses its tender, crumbly texture and becomes tough.
• Bake until just barely golden, not brown. Shortbread should be pale with the faintest hint of color at the edges.
• These keep well in a tin for up to a week, which makes them ideal for holiday gifting.

Variations

• Press the dough into a round pan and score into wedges before baking for traditional shortbread rounds.
• Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the creamed butter for a warmer, more aromatic shortbread.
• Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted dark chocolate for an elegant finish.