Cyndys Scottish Shortbread Food

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place butter in mixer and beat with paddle until soft and light. Beat in sugar in a stream and continue beating 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture is very light and whitened. Stir in the flour by hand until it absorbed, no more or the dough will toughen.
• Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and flour the dough with pinches of flour. Press the dough out with your hands, then roll over once or twice very gently with a rolling pin until the dough is about 1/2-inch thick. Cut the dough with floured cutters and transfer the cut pieces to a paper lined pan.
• Bake the shortbread for about 15 minutes until it is very lightly colored. Cool the shortbread on a rack.
• To use a shortbread mold to shape, press the mold into the floured dough and cut around it. Transfer the cut and molded dough to a paper lined pan and chill about 1 hour until firm. Bake as above.

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Set oven rack to middle position.
• Preheat oven to 275°F.
• Have two ungreased 8-inch cake pans ready.
• Food Processor Method.
• Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes, wrap it, and refrigerate.
• Process the sugars for 1 minute or so, until the sugar is very fine.
• Add the butter and pulse until the sugar disappears.
• Add the flour and pulse until there are a lot of moist, crumbly little pieces and no dry flour particles remain.
• Dump the mixture into a plastic bag and press it together.
• Remove the dough from the plastic bag and knead it lightly until it holds together.
• Electric Mixer or by Hand.
• Use superfine granulated sugar for the best texture and be sure to soften the butter.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy.
• With your fingers or with the electric mixer, mix in the flour until the mixture holds together.
• If using the mixer, add the flour in 2 parts.
• For Both Methods.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.
• Pat each half into an ungreased 8-inch round cake pan.
• Use the tines of a fork to press 3/4-inch lines radiating like rays of sun all around the perimeter of the dough.
• Prick the rest of the dough all over with the tines of the fork.
• (this keeps the shortbread even and creates the traditional design).
• Bake for 60-70 minutes or until pale golden (do not brown).
• For even baking, rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period.
• Cool in the pans, on a wire rack, for 10 minutes.
• Invert the shortbread onto flat cookie sheet and slide it onto a cutting board.
• While still warm, use a long sharp knife to cut each 8-inch round of shortbread into 8 pie-shaped wedges.
• Transfer the wedges to wire racks to cool completely.

CYNDY'S SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Beat 1 cup of sugar together with butter and crisco til creamy. Gradually add all purpose & rice flour until dough forms ball. This is easiest in a kitchaid mixer, but if you do it by hand, you will have to put some muscle into it. Remove from bowl and knead on floured surface for 3-5 minute Press dough into heavy 9X13 pan. Even out with offset spatula. Pierce with fork forming lines to prevent crumbling when slicing into bars.Bake @ 325 oven for 55-60 min being careful not to let it brown. Remove from oven. Slice into bars along perferation marks. Shake remaining 4 tbsp sugar over surface. Put back into turned off oven for overnight to dry.