Grandma Swan's Scottish Shortbread
Ingredients:
1/2 lb butter
1 cup fine granulated sugar, less 2 Tablespoons
1 egg yolk
2 1/4 cup sifted flour
1 cup fine granulated sugar, less 2 Tablespoons
1 egg yolk
2 1/4 cup sifted flour
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Cream butter and sugar. Mix in flour.
Place the dough on a floured counter or pastry cloth, add egg yolk and knead until it cracks.
Chill dough for 30 minutes before using cookie press to place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-15 minutes.
Alternatively to using a cookie press, roll the dough 1/4 inch thick and cut into squares. Bake 20-25 minutes.
Cream butter and sugar. Mix in flour.
Place the dough on a floured counter or pastry cloth, add egg yolk and knead until it cracks.
Chill dough for 30 minutes before using cookie press to place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-15 minutes.
Alternatively to using a cookie press, roll the dough 1/4 inch thick and cut into squares. Bake 20-25 minutes.
Notes:
Keep in an airtight container in a cool, dry place to mellow over the course of three or four days as the flavors meld.
This original recipe made its way from Scotland over 100 years ago, turned up in the family recipe box in Canada, until it landed in Michigan. The annual tradition was that Carol's mom would bake buckets full of these buttery treats and hide them from us so they had a chance to ripen. Trying to find the hiding place where Carol's mom stashed them was more fun than trying to find christmas presents. More than half never made it to the cookie tray.
Halve the dough and add a few drops of food coloring to make holiday red and green.
Don't bake until brown! If they are brown on the edges they are overdone. They should come out of the oven looking slightly underdone.
Here's a tip that Carol will hate (she's a shortbread purist): Give your shortbread a tart, spicy lift by incorporating a couple spoonsful of sumac. Sumac adds a citrusy boost without overpowering the rich buttery flavor.
This original recipe made its way from Scotland over 100 years ago, turned up in the family recipe box in Canada, until it landed in Michigan. The annual tradition was that Carol's mom would bake buckets full of these buttery treats and hide them from us so they had a chance to ripen. Trying to find the hiding place where Carol's mom stashed them was more fun than trying to find christmas presents. More than half never made it to the cookie tray.
Halve the dough and add a few drops of food coloring to make holiday red and green.
Don't bake until brown! If they are brown on the edges they are overdone. They should come out of the oven looking slightly underdone.
Here's a tip that Carol will hate (she's a shortbread purist): Give your shortbread a tart, spicy lift by incorporating a couple spoonsful of sumac. Sumac adds a citrusy boost without overpowering the rich buttery flavor.