These 'sandy' textured, melt in the mouth biscuits (cookies), are easy to make yet fantastic to eat. Traditionally you would press the dough into a tin and cook slowly, ending with a thick biscuit you cut into fingers when baked. I prefer to stamp them out from 1/4" (6mm) dough, into the shape of my choice. Usually, for plain butter shortbread I stamp them out with a round cutter - my choice, though not written in stone, you choose the shape you want them to be.
So, here we go with another very simple technique which tastes amazing!
Scottish Shortbread Biscuits (Cookies)
Ingredients Required:
225g (1 3/4cups/8oz) plain flour
100g (3/4 cup/4oz) medium ground cornmeal
225g (1 cup/8oz) butter
100g (1/2 cup + 1 tblsp/4oz) caster sugar
Method:
1. Cream the butter and sugar together until combined and the mixture lightens slightly. Do not over beat as you are not making a cake!
2. Sieve the flour and add to the butter/sugar mixture, along with the cornmeal.
3. Mix until fully incorporated.
4. Wrap and put into the fridge to chill.
5. Flour the surface and pin out your shortbread dough to ¼” (6mm). Use a cutter to stamp out rings.
6. Place on a lined baking sheet and put into the oven.
7. Bake until the edges of the biscuits/cookies begin to colour – 10 to 12 minutes approx.
8. Take out of the oven and sprinkle a little sugar over the top of each biscuit (cookie). (If you do this straight from the oven, the sugar crystals will melt on the underside and affix themselves to the biscuit, less will fall off when you move them).
9. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes to set up.
10. Remove to a cooling wire until cold. Store in an airtight tin.
Please do not add vanilla extract to this recipe; shortbread are a butter biscuit not a vanilla biscuit. You do not want to mask the wonderful flavor of butter do you?
A great recipe and so easy to make. Your friends will be stunned by how these turn out - surprise them with your ability!
Check out the previous biscuit (cookie) recipes recently posted. Click the highlighted name:
Anzac Coookies, an Antipodean classic.
Bourbon Creams, oh so chocolaty!
Coffee Royale, an adult chocolate chip cookie.
Don't forget to check out these lovely desserts too:
Almond and Plumb Tart, so delicious and easy to make.
Strawberry and Elderflower Syllabub - the partner to Scottish Shortbread.
Until the next time, adios Amigos 
From very sunny Almeria Province, Spain (39 C). X