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With fun ideas, helpful information, and even some creative recipes, the Inkless Tales Newsletter -- a monthly-ish production -- is a great way to keep up with what's going on here.
You could, if you wanted to, roll the dough into balls, flatten them, and bake as cookies instead of bars.
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Scottish Shortbread
Not so healthy, but great for holidays, delicious, and very fun to make together.
FIRST.... Pre-heat the oven to 350°. This is very important to avoid the shortbread becoming overbaked on the outside and on the edges.
That tends to happen if you bake it higher than 350°.
Ingredients
- One pound (four sticks) butter
- One cup of sugar
- Six cups of all-purpose flour
Use a large, rectangular pan. One that is 18 inches long is the perfect size for one batch of shortbread.
In a very large bowl, let the butter soften. Do not melt it. Add the sugar and mix the two together until creamy. The heat of your hand is very effective in mixing the butter and sugar even though it feels kind of gooey in between your fingers.
Add the flour in small amounts, maybe 3/4 cup at a time, and knead it with the palm of your hand very thoroughly. It's impossible to knead it too much. The more you knead it, the better the texture. If your arm doesn't get sore, knead some more!
Knead until the mixture is a very stiff dough. (You may wind up with a little leftover flour. It's ok. Most times you won't use the full six cups.)
Spread it as evenly as possible into the pan, filling all the way into the corners. This stuff does NOT spread during baking. Score the edges with a fork, or, if you want to be really fancy, there are lots of nice short bread molds out there. Shortbread molds really well.
Another idea is to sprinkle a little colored sugar (holiday-specific colors maybe) on it before baking to give it a little extra festive touch.
Place it on a center rack in the pre-heated oven, and bake between 45 minutes and 55 minutes. The best way to decide if it's done is by appearance. Some like well-done shortbread, while some may like it really pale. Once it starts browning, you can decide for yourself.
You must cut it into bars immediately when you remove it from the oven, as you will not be able to cut it when it's cooled and crumbly.
Can be stored airtight for approximately two months. It does not freeze well.
-Elizabeth Bushey
elizabeth@inklesstales.com
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