Last year I spent days making these shortbread cookies from the French Laundry. They are the absolute best shortbread I have ever had. In my life. I've adopted them as my holiday cookie of record.But they're far from traditional for my family. This weekend four generations of our clan will come together to make cut-out cookies -- a recipe handed down from my Austro-Hungarian great-grandmother (more on that next week). We look forward to them all year and to say they're labor intensive is only the half of it.
As personal a fingerprint, the cookies you bake for the holidays say so much about you, your traditions and tastes.
Share your recipes. You can EMAIL your recipes or upload them to the site.
I plan to make some of the most intriguing and celebrate your traditions. Favorites will be referenced in my Sunday column on Dec. 21st.
from Indulge: 100 Perfect Desserts by Claire Clark
225 g (8 oz.) plain flour
75 g (2 3/4 oz.) superfine sugar
1 vanilla pod
150 g (5 1/2 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
50 g (1 3/4 oz.) granulated sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the superfine sugar. Using a sharp knife, slit the vanilla pod open lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the tip of the knife. Add the seeds to the bowl, along with the butter.
Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients. As the mixture begins to come together, use your hand to help it form a dough (alternatively, you could use an electric mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed to make the dough).
Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it slightly. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 15 oblongs and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the baking sheet around and continue baking for 10 minutes, until the shortbread is golden brown. Remove from the oven and dust with an even coating of granulated sugar. Leave on the baking sheet to cool.
Heather;
I don't understand the quantities on the sugar and butter.
(51/2 oz.) Does this mean 51 oz. divided by 2? 2 oz would not be enough. Am I the only one that does not get it"
Mike
it means two & three fourths oz. & the next one is five & one half oz. & the last one means one & three fourths oz.
These cookies are amazing. They really are the best shortbread, and easy too. I made 6 batches of them today to give to friends and neighbors. Thanks for sharing the recipe.