I was just reading a novel set in the Scottish Highlands and came across this recipe online. I had to give it a try. My maternal grandfather’s line did go back to the Irish coastal region and my mother always said his lineage was ‘Scotch-Irish’ but I don’t recall ever tasting shortbread like this! I’m thinking I could add a batch of this shortbread to the offerings at our next bake sale…next to the pile of scones I bake!
Just a thought…this was my first try. They tasted good. However, I did another search for ‘authentic shortbread’ and found another recipe. I’ll try it next. Stay tuned for my second try.
This recipe appealed to me because I could melt the butter instead of having to cut it in to the flour.
The recipe called for cornstarch, sugar (or a mix of regular and powdered sugar) and flour.
First, I measured out the cornstarch, sugar, salt and flour.
Then, I added the dry ingredients to the melted butter.
This made a nice dough, easy to mix.
I patted the dough into an 8″ x 8″ pan that was sprayed with oil.
About halfway into the baking, I realized I had forgotten to poke holes in the dough, so I pulled it out of the oven, poked holes and sprinkled coarse sugar on top (I had forgotten to do that too!).
It baked about 45 minutes at 300 degrees F. After removing it from the oven, I cut the pan into small finger-sized servings with a table knife and let it cool in the pan.
When completely cool, I scored the servings again. They easily lifted right out of the pan. They were delicious! I shared them with Kathy’s family last weekend. They were a hit! I still plan to try the other ‘authentic’ recipe, which cuts the butter into the flour and uses regular sugar that’s been buzzed in the blender to make it finer. I’ll post that next…after I try it! I think some form of shortbread will make an appearance at the next bake sale! Enjoy!
If you have comments or questions, please email me directly at maryjkisner@gmail.com.