Shortbread

Last Edit December 23, 1999

Every country has a fat bomb of its own. Here are several. Great for kids to make because you mix these with your hands! Some are rolled out after chilling (chill dough by slamming it into the freezer - works faster than the refrigerator chilling - just don't freeze it!) Arteries will clog if you eat much of this!

Peanut Butter Shortbread

Or, how to eat yourself to 400 pounds without effort.

1/2 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature.
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Cup creamy peanut butter
2 Cups flour (white)

Put everything into a bowl. Use your hands (wash them first and dry them well) and mix until course meal consistency. Like biscuit dough. Press into an 8inch pan - square or round. Use a fork tine to outline the edges of about 16 cookies. Squares or wedges. (i.e., poke the dough with a fork.)

Bake 1 hour at 300 degrees. Until lightly browned. Cool slightly and cut with a sharp knife.

Dip one end of cooled cookies into melted chocolate. Like a Hershey's bar. OR drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the cookies.

Men love these. So do I. So I don't make them except at Christmas.

Displacement Measuring - How To

If you aren't using the margarine that has tablespoons and cups marked on its wrapper, you need to know displacement measuring. They used to teach this in school.

If you need 1/2 Cup of shortening, peanut butter, etc (solids only), put 1/2 Cup of water in a 1-Cup measuring cup (or 1 and 1/2Cups water in a 2-Cup measuring cup). Add shortening, or whatever, until the water level is at 1 (or 2 Cups). The shortening or whatever should NOT be poking over the top of the 1-Cup (or 2 Cup) mark. Drain the water. You have 1/2 Cup of whatever solid you were measuring. Easy.

Use a different measuring cup for the flour and sugar!

This is an artery-clogging desert. Use sparingly!

Scotch Shortbread

They live in a cold climate! They use up the calories!
1 Cup soft Butter (1/2 lb)
1/2 Cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 Cups Flour

Mix with hands. Chill. Roll out 1/3 - 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes. Bake on ungreased cooking sheet (Nonstick is best.) The cookie should not get brown nor change shape - it won't rise and it should not shrink.

Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Variation:

1 Cup soft butter
1/4 Cup sugar
3 Cups flour

Press into a square pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Cool for 10 minutes. Cut into squares.

Variation (and what on earth does scant mean?):

Another one:
1 stick butter ( 1 stick is 1/2 Cup)
1/2 Cup vegetable shortening
2 scant Cups flour. This is 2 Cups with a little bit scooped out.
1 Cup of flaked coconut
3 tablespoons sugar

Cream together. Make into two wrapped rolls (refrigerator cookies style - like in your grocer's freezer.

Chill until you can cleanly slice them with a Ginzu knife (a SHARP blade)

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 20 minutes- they should be a VERY LIGHT brown. Dip in powdered sugar. (Or set them on your wire rack and sift confectioner's sugar over them.)

Finnish Cakes - and Blanching Almonds

3/4 C soft butter
1/4 C sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 Cups sifted Gold Medal Flour (white)

Mix the first three until a crumbly texture, mix in the flour. Chill.

Roll out 1/4 inch thick. Cut into strips (2.5 inches by 3/4 inches) Like I measure these!. Brush tops with egg white. Sprinkle with a mixture of 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/3 cup finely chopped blanched almonds. Blanched almonds are almonds that have had that brown skin removed. You do this by boiling water, soaking the almonds in it and then denuding them.

Bake at 350 for 17-20 minutes.

Shortbread

Peanut Butter Shortbread

Displacement Measuring - How To

Scotch Shortbread

Variation:

Variation (and what on earth does scant mean?):

Finnish Cakes - and Blanching Almonds