Dad's Shortbread

This is the time of year when things really do come speeding at you. It seems like only a few days ago that I was putting my daughter in her Halloween costume and now I’m getting her ready for her picture with Santa.

I find one of the nicest things this time of year is visiting with friends. Pretty soon I’ll be up in Calgary, Canada with my family and one of my favorite things about being home is visits with friends. Along with these visits come the trays and trays of holiday goodies. Some of them get made every year and are tradition; others are newer incantations that are sure to become favorites.

I know I have been remiss in posting recently, but I plan to make up for it this week with plenty of holiday goodies that you can make for your friends and family when they come by.

The first recipe is called in our family “Dee’s Shortbread” though it really has become “Dad’s Shortbread”. It is a simple recipe, only 3 ingredients, and is a true melt-in-your-mouth shortbread. For a hard-core shortbread fan this is the recipe for you, as it is not too sweet, but has the pleasant butter taste that melts on your tongue. I use only French butter in this recipe because when a recipe is this simple it is all about the quality of your ingredients.

Also, I prefer Dad’s Shortbread naked with no decoration, but my dad likes to buy those candied cherries and quarter them and put a quarter of a glistening red or green candied cherry atop each cookie before he bakes them. Your choice, but every since I was a kid I’ve loved the look of the cherries and not the taste. I always picked them off before I ate the cookie.

Here’s the recipe:

Dad’s Shortbread

Makes about 3 dozen cookies (depending on thickness sliced)

1 lb butter at room temperature
1 cup icing sugar (powdered)
3 ½ cups flour

Place all the ingredients in a bowl. Cut with pastry cutter until it resembles a fine meal. Take half (or a third) into clean hands and work and moosh together until it comes together to form a nice golden dough.

Roll each portion of the dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate until cool. Cut and bake at 350 until they just start to turn a nutty brown, about 10 mins. Cool on a wire rack.