Shortbread

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup butter

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter till mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling. Form the mixture into a ball and knead till smooth.
2. To make wedges,* on an ungreased cool sheet pat or roll the dough into an 8-inch circle. Using your fingers, press to make a scallop edge. With a knife, cut circle into 16 pie-shaped wedges. Leave wedges in the circle shape. Bake in a 325° oven for 25 to 30 minutes or till bottom just starts to brown and center is set. Cut circle into wedges again while warm. Cool on the coolie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from cool sheet; cool on a wire rack.
3. *Note: For strips or rounds, on a lightly floured surface, pat or roll dough 1/2 inch thick. Using a knife, cut into twenty-four 2x1-in strips; or, using a 1 1/2-inch-round cookie cutter, cut into 24 rounds. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 325° oven 20 to 25 minutes or till bottoms just start to brown. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
4. Spiced Shortbread: Prepare as above, except substitute brown sugar for the sugar and add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves into the flour-sugar mixture.
5. Lemon and Poppy Seed Shortbread: Prepare as above, except stir 1 tablespoon poppy seed into the flour-sugar mixture and add 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel with butter.
6. Butter-Pecan Shortbread: Prepare as above, except substitute brown sugar for the sugar. After cutting in butter, stir 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans into the flour mixture. Sprinkle mixture with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
7. Oatmeal Shortbread: Prepare as above, except reduce all-purpose flour to 1 cup. After cutting in butter, stir 1/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats into the flour mixture.