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Shortbread Cookies


This is one of those recipes that you will either love me for or curse the day that I was born.  (It's August 6 for those of you who make these and then step on the scale.)  These cookies contain about a stick of butter per cookie...well, that might be a slight exaggeration, but that is precisely why they are so irresistible.  I made these a couple weeks ago and what I wouldn't give right now for one of these crumbly, decadent, sweet cookies melting in my mouth as I write this.  Sadly, they were polished off within a day or two of making them.  Yes, August 6 was on the receiving end of some curses the other week.  Poor August 6.

This is a recipe I got from Barefoot Contessa.  What I love about it, other than the fact that they are downright addictive, is that it only takes a few ingredients and it is pretty quick and easy to put together.  You don't need a lot of special equipment, but if you have a shortbread cookie cutter, that would make it just that much easier.  Since I don't, I just cut my cookies into 3 inch by 1 inch rectangles and they work just fine.  You could also dip these in some melted chocolate and they would be that much harder to resist.  You could get fancy and include some ingredients into the dough like orange zest or lavender or whatever your little heart desires.  I like to stick to the basic, sweet simplicity of straight up butter.  I want to enjoy every decadent, fattening and yet totally worth it bite. 

Shortbread Cookies

3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
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Comments

  1. Ashley B.April 6, 2011 at 12:46 PM

    Shortbread is my weakness...but what if I don't have a mixer w/a paddle attachment? Will a regular hand mixer work okay too?

    ReplyDelete
  2. NicoleApril 7, 2011 at 1:43 PM

    Oh yes, that would be fine. I don't know why it says mixer with paddle. I would think you could do it with a bowl, wooden spoon and some elbow grease. But you could use a hand mixer too.

    ReplyDelete

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