Classic Shortbread

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar (unsifted)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour (unsifted)

Using the back of a large spoon, cream the butter until it is light. Cream in the powered sugar, then the vanilla. Now work in the flour. Knead the dough on an unfloured board until nice and smooth. Spray the shortbread pan very lightly with a non-stick vegetable oil spray. Put the ball of dough in the middle of the pan, and working out from the center, firmly press the dough into the pan. Prick the entire surface with a fork, and bake the shortbread right in the pan at 325 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, or until it is lightly browned. Be sure that the middle is thoroughly cooked and doesn't look slightly opaque or the shortbread might stick in the pan.

Let the shortbread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before you loosen the edges with a knife and flip the pan over onto a wood cutting board. If the shortbread does not come right out, hold the pan upside down over the cutting board and firmly tap one edge of the pan against the board. This should loosen the shortbread and it should drop out. Cut the shortbread into serving pieces while it is still warm.

Let the pan cool before washing it in the sink or dishwasher.

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Maple Walnut Shortbread Our Personal Favorite. Please note: This recipe makes a double batch. You can either bake two pans-full at a time, if you have two pans, or you can make one recipe's worth of dough and use only half of the topping and chopped nuts. The other half of the topping keeps in in the refrigerator for a couple of days. 2 recipes of Classic Shortbread 3/4 cup (6 oz. or 168 g.) light brown sugar, packed 1/3 cup (2 2/3 fluid oz, or 80 ml.) pure maple syrup 2 Tbs. (a little more than 1/2 oz. or 18 g.) flour 1 yolk from a "medium" or "large" egg (not an "extra large" egg) 2 cups (8 oz. or 226 g.) chopped walnuts

Let the pan cool before washing it in the sink or dishwasher.

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Cranberry Nut Shortbread

Again, this recipe also makes a double batch, and for the same reason. You can either bake two pans at once, or you can save half of the orange-sugar topping and half of the chopped cranberries and walnuts in sealed jars in the refrigerator up to a couple of days for later use.

2 recipes Classic Shortbread
3/4 cup (6 oz. or 168 g.) light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup (2 fluid oz. or 60 ml.) orange juice concentrate
2 Tbs. (a little more than 1/2 oz. or 18g.) flour
1 yolk from a "medium" or "large" egg (not an "extra large" egg)
1 cup (4 oz. or 113 g.) walnuts
1 cup (3 oz. or 865 g.) cranberries

Prepare and bake the Classic Shortbread as directed. While it is cooking, mix the light brown sugar, the orange juice concentrate, the flour and the egg yolk in a small bowl.

In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, coarsely chop the walnuts and the cranberries, using on and off pulses.

When the shortbread is light brown, remove the pans from the oven and spread half of the orange-sugar mixture evenly over the top of each shortbread. Divide the cranberry-nut mixture in half, and thickly sprinkle it over the orange-sugar topping. Gently pat it in. Return the pans to the oven to continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes.

As soon as you remove the pans from the oven, run a knife around the edge of the shortbreads. Let the shortbreads cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Again, run the knife around the shortbreads, this time to loosen the edges and to be sure that none of the sugar is holding the cookie in the pan. Flip the pans over onto a wooden cutting board. If the shortbread doesn't come right out, and it probably won't, hold the pan upside down over the cutting board and firmly tap one edge of it until the shortbread releases.

Cut the shortbread into serving pieces while it is still warm. Here too, the "topping" winds up on the bottom of the finished cookies.

Let the pans cook before washing in the sink or dishwasher.

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Almond Shortbread
These are delicate, elegant cookies, perfect for special celebrations.

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup blanched almonds
1 cup less 2 Tablespoons unsifted all purpose flour

Place the almonds and 1/2 cup of the flour into a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Grind the nuts to a fine meal, using off and on pulses. Add the rest of the flour and pulse to mix.