For as long as I can remember, I’ve been eating this shortbread. When I was little, my grandma would make it all the time. We would sit at the kitchen table together and have shortbread and tea (my tea having lots of milk and sugar in it – obviously). Sitting at that kitchen table with her were some of major childhood memories.
My grandma has since passed away, and my grandpa’s wife has now carried on the tradition. I think it’s so sweet that she always makes this recipe when we’re all getting together. She knows how much we love it – and we all love her for it. It takes me right back to all those times in the kitchen with my grandma.
I always knew that this was a special family recipe, and I thought that since it came out so delicious every time that it must be difficult to make. It wasn’t until Emily (my grandpa’s wife) gave me the recipe several years ago and I made it for myself that I realized it was nowhere near as intimidating as I had imagined. It’s quite easy to make, actually!
While it’s not hard to make, the process is a bit messy. To cut down on the mess, I mix the dough together in the same dish I’m going to bake the shortbread in. It contains everything much more that way. My grandma used to mix it on the counter, then transfer to the dish once the dough was combined. I find it easier to skip that step – and it definitely cuts down on the mess.
This shortbread recipe is very easy to follow, doesn’t require any hard to find ingredients, and produces a flaky, buttery bite each and every time.
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks of butter
- 2 cups sifted flour
- 3/4 cup rice flour
- 3/4 confectioners sugar
Directions:
- Cut cold butter into cubes and spread out in the bottom of the 13×9 baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, mix together sifted flour, rice flour, and confectioners sugar. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mixture over the butter.
- Mix together the butter and dry ingredients using your hands. You want to smash the butter into the flour mixture, almost like making pie crust.
- Add another third of the flour mixture and incorporate that, then the final third. At this point, the dough is still almost falling apart, but will adhere together if you try and form it into a ball.
- Press the dough evenly into the baking dish. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, take out the shortbread and score it. Use a sharp knife to cut only the surface of the shortbread. This will make it easier to cut when it’s fully baked. I also use a fork to make a design on the top of the shortbread. This isn’t necessary, but it’s something my grandma always did, so I’m keeping the tradition alive.
- Once the dough is scored, bake for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool before fully cutting the shortbread.
