Scotch Shortbread Food

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add 3-3/4 cups flour; mix well. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead for 5 minutes, adding enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Roll to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut into 3x1-in. strips. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick with fork. Bake until cookies are lightly browned, 20-25 minutes. Cool.

SCOTCH SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Mix flour, butter, and 1/2 cup sugar together in a bowl using your hands until dough is well combined. Press dough into an ungreased 11 1/2x 7 1/2-inch pan or jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are light brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Cut shortbread into squares in the pan while still warm. Cool completely before removing squares from pan.

TRUE SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Sift/sieve the flour into a bowl and add the pinch of salt. Put aside for the moment.
• Make some space in the fridge, if necessary, for the bowl you're about to use in case you quickly need to chill the mixture.
• Using butter, grease the baking tray well and put it aside for the moment. Yield for fingers (much preferred) is around a 7 to 8 inch square. For Petticoat Tails it will yield a chunky 8 inch circle.
• Pre-heat the oven (Gas Mark 3 (325F / 165C degrees)).
• Put the butter (if using unsalted butter then ADD a pinch of salt to it) into a medium-size mixing bowl and mash it with a fork until it is soft and creamy without lumps. But don't let your hand heat warm it so much it starts to get runny. If you do, then put the bowl complete with butter & fork into the fridge for 5 - 10 minutes to cool it, then take it out and mash quickly again until smooth and creamy with no lumps.
• Add the sugar and mix it in well, and quickly.
• Add the salted flour a VERY little at a time - mixing it in with the fork to start with, but do this quickly.
• Knead well (on a very lightly floured surface). I was advised: knead for several minutes, and that the longer you knead, the better the shortbread will be. I usually aim for kneading for anything up to 10 minutes as I was told to, but get fed up after 7 minutes and reckon it can't make THAT much difference! What is very important is: Don't allow the mixture to become too warm from your body heat whilst kneading. If it does, as before, put it into the fridge for a couple of minutes to chill it slightly before resuming. If you do find the need to chill it, as I often do on a hot day, then do knead it for at least a minute or so before rolling it.
• Something I should add despite the copious over-instruction here: I've never owned a rolling pin until a couple of days ago. I don't know if using one will affect the texture, but I always used to pat it down as best I could with my palms.
• Roll the mixture out to shape and size of the tray. For fingers, roll out to about 1/2 inch thick or perhaps even slightly thicker (this sounds awfully thick I know!, but it is important as if you go thinner it will affect the texture, and amazingly, the taste). For petticoat tails it needs to be a little under 1/2 inch thick to yield a chunky circle of about 7 to 8 inches.
• For fingers: prick all over with a fork and put it into baking tray. Do try to use one that can fit exactly, or one that at least three sides of the mixture fit snugly against, as any outer edges that don't butt right up against the sides of a tray tend to get a bit over-baked.
• For petticoat tails: using fork prongs, from the outer edge towards the centre, indent the top about a 1/2 inch all the way round to give it a nice crinkly edge - sort of like the teeth on a cogwheel, then prick all the way round the middle ideally rotating the fork or the pastry (or yourself!) to give a pretty effect when cut. Carefully lift and support the decorated circle and place and fit snugly into the circular baking tray. Score lightly (to about halfway downwards to bottom of the tray) into eight equal segments.
• Bake until golden brown for about 45 minutes at Gas Mark 3 (325F / 165C degrees). Do keep an eye on it! Petticoat tails seem to require a little less baking time. Hard to describe the colour to bake until. From experience I know what colour I'm looking for - you don't really want it to be undercooked, but when it's starting get a bit dark around the edges it's probably beginning to get a bit overdone already. Basically cook until it's just starting to darken round the edges then get it out quick and cool it - I usually place the hot tray on a very cold surface until cool.
• Whilst still quite warm in the tray, mark across and cut into finger-shaped pieces (if not making petticoat tails) - but leave them there in the tray, cut and together until fully cold.
• For petticoat tails it's customary to sprinkle liberally with castor sugar.
• Sorry to be such a pedant about this recipe! I feel a bit like a mother hen clucking about "must do this -- ", "should do that -- " :) But it is worth taking some care over as the resulting shortbread will be so good you'll be hassled to make it much more often by everyone you share the pieces with :).
• SERVING SUGGESTION:.
• Just on its own with a nice cup of tea or coffee, but also scrumptious on a plate with and/or dunked into a generous helping of creamy Cornish Dairy ice-cream and strawberries, jam (jelly) or fresh fruit.
• Personal Note:.
• I live an ultra low-fat, low-sugar (or at least low quantities of sugars at a hit), calorie-controlled lifestyle. (I'm on maintenance these days rather than reduction - I don't think I dare get any leaner or people would worry!).
• Notwithstanding, I still make and eat pieces of this shortbread occasionally despite the fact that there's nothing remotely low fat, low-sugar or low calorie about it. At least there's not much salt!
• You can make substitutions or add essences and flavourings and it'll probably work out fine but it won't be the same shortbread - it won't taste the same, it won't have the same texture, but the efforts you've put into making it (and clearing up afterwards) will have been the same. I reckon it's got to be worth trying it without substitutions first time around - you can always give the pieces that you know are much more than you really should be letting yourself scoff to friends and family who will bless you for it! And you don't NEED to eat them all at once! - they keep well in a biscuit tin or cookie jar in a cool, dark place for quite a long time (given half a chance!). I guess you could probably freeze them too (if enough left!).
• ADDITIONS SUGGESTIONS:.
• Occasionally just for a change, right near the end of kneading I have added glace cherries, or occasionally sultanas or raisins, sometimes with and sometimes without cinnamon. Cherries worked ok, but wasn't crazy about the fruit. You could even split the kneaded mixture in two and do half plain and half with extra stuff then nudge them together in the baking tray for baking. I've never tried dessicated/flakes coconut or chunky milk/dark chocolate chips or crystallized (candied) ginger pieces perhaps with a bit of ground ginger in with the mix though I've often been tempted to - do let me know how they turn out if you do!
• I do know that dipping the tops from above at an angle into good quality melted real chocolate (not baking chocolate) so that the bottom remains uncoated and only half of the top is coated then leaving to cool (that's the tough bit!) is absolute heaven on earth in the eating. It also occurred to me while choco-dunking one time to add some dessicated coconut into the chocolate first - but I didn't have any - bet it's nice though!
• Do enjoy and best wishes from England - and Scotland!

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.

SCOTCH SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Cream butter until soft, gradually adding sugar creaming until fluffy.
• Mix in flour, BEAT until crumbly.
• Turn into an ungreased 13x9 pan.
• Press with gently with fingers into a even and firm layer.
• Prick evenly with a fork, you may wish to sprinkle the top with a little additional sugar.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes until LIGHTLY browned.
• Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into"finger" shaped cookies.

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD

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.

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Knead dough until smooth, about 6-10 times. Pat dough into an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Pierce with a fork. , Bake until lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Cut into squares while warm. Cool on a wire rack.

SCOTCH SHORTBREAD (COOKIES)

Steps:

• Beat butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Mix in flour.
• Wrap dough and chill for about 1 hour, or until firm enough to roll out.
• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Roll dough out on lightly floured board.
• Cut out cookies.
• Place on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned at edges.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Lightly butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add 1/2 cup butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gather dough together and form into ball; flatten into disk. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch-thick round. Transfer round to prepared pan. Using fingers, press dough evenly over bottom to edges of pan. Using tip of small sharp knife, score dough into 8 equal triangles, then pierce all over with fork. Bake until shortbread is cooked through and pale golden, about 45 minutes.
• Using tip of sharp knife, cut warm shortbread into triangles along scored lines. Run knife around shortbread to loosen. Cool in pan at least 30 minutes. Release springform pan sides. Using spatula, carefully remove shortbread from pan (shortbread will be fragile). DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store shortbread airtight in single layer at room temperature.

KITTENCAL'S SCOTCH SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees F.
• Prepare an ungreased 11 x 7-inch baking pan.
• In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar well.
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.
• Spread into a prepared ungreased baking pan.
• Prick well several times with a fork.
• Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.
• Remove from oven the dust with more icing sugar.
• Cool on wire rack.
• Cut into bars.

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.

SCOTCH SHORTBREAD II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix to combine. Chill until dough is easy to handle, about 10 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and place on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 10 to 15 minutes.