Crisp Shortbread Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse together flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some of the crumbs start to come together, but don't overprocess; the dough should be somewhat crumbly. (You can also mix the dough in a bowl using two knives or a pastry cutter.)
• Press dough into an even layer in an ungreased 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan, or a 9-inch pie pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes for the 9-inch square or pie pan, 45 to 50 minutes for the 8-inch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares, bars or wedges while still warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a bowl, beat butter, confectioners' sugar and lemon zest until blended. Beat in lemon juice. Gradually beat in flour., Divide dough into four portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough into a 5x3-1/2-in. rectangle. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Cut each rectangle into six squares, but do not separate. Prick tops with a fork. Sprinkle with sugar., Bake 20-25 minutes or until light brown. Cool on pans 10 minutes. Transfer shortbread to a cutting board; recut into squares. Cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Drop cookies by spoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Watch that the edges don't brown too much. Cool on wire racks.

Steps:

• Beat 2 sticks butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Whisk 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt, then stir into the butter mixture. Press into a buttered 8-inch square or 9-inch round tart pan. Score into wedges, strips, squares or diamonds with a fork, then chill 30 minutes. Bake about 1 hour at 300 degrees. Cool, then slice along the scored lines.

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-12-1/2-inch jelly roll pan and line it with parchment, then butter the paper.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low until the dough is just combined; do not overwork.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, spreading it out as evenly as possible with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, then use your hands to press and flatten the dough into a smooth even layer. Remove the plastic and cut the dough with a sharp knife into approximately 1-by-3-inch bars. Use a fork to prick a decorative pattern into the tops.
• Bake, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through, until golden, 60 to 70 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes in the pan, then re-cut the bars along the previous cuts. Carefully lift the bars off the parchment with a small spatula and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Beat the butter, then cream it with the sugar and orange zest until light. Stir in the flour and baking powder and mix together to form a dough.
• Divide the mixture into 10 balls, arrange on a baking sheet. Press each ball fl at with the tip of a round-bladed knife. Chill for 15 mins, then bake for 12-15 mins until light golden. Leave on the baking sheet for 2 mins before releasing with a palette knife. Slide onto a rack to cool. Will keep stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• In a bowl with a fork blend together butter and confectioners' sugar until combined well. Sift flour into butter mixture, tossing flours together lightly before combining with butter mixture and stir with fork until flours are incorporated. (Dough will be crumbly.) Press dough evenly onto bottom of a 9-inch metal pie plate.
• With tines of fork decoratively mark edge of dough and with a butter knife score dough into 8 wedges. Prick each wedge in several places with fork. Bake shortbread in middle of oven 30 minutes.
• Reduce temperature to 300°F and continue to bake shortbread 15 minutes more, or until golden.
• Cool shortbread in pie plate on a rack 5 minutes. With a sharp knife cut shortbread into wedges and transfer wedges to rack to cool completely. Shortbread keeps in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days.