These cookies are my downfall. Under the premise that it’s March and that means St. Patrick’s Day is coming, which means that I have an extra excuse to make all the Irish recipes I want and Ireland is a neighboring country of Scotland where they make the best shortbread in the world I have made these cookies 3 times this last week.
Actually, It’s really totally justified for me to use St. Patrick’s Day as an excuse to make these cookies. Shortbread is often made in Ireland and England as well.
If you’ve ever had Walker’s shortbread cookies you know what I’m talking about when I say they are amazing. They’re imported directly from Scotland and the ingredients are simple. Butter, flour and sugar. I love their shortbread rounds, in particular and so I’ve made my own ‘Knock-off’ version of them.
These cookies are simple to make, with simple ingredients. The brown sugar gives them a flavor boost, in comparison with white sugar and the texture is crisp but tender. And they are so very buttery. Make sure to use only real butter when making these, a substitute will not be able to produce the same product that butter will.
I use cornstarch in place of some of the flour in my shortbread. It helps the cookie achieve a lighter texture and reduces the gluten slightly, which results in a more tender cookie. It is also best to avoid a lot of gluten development when mixing the dough by only mixing the flour in until it is just combined. Over-mixing the dough will result in a tough cookie.
- 1 C. (8 oz.) Butter, softened
- ½ C. Brown Sugar, packed
- 1¾ C. Flour
- ¼ C. Cornstarch
- ¼ t. Salt
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Mix together in a separate bowl the flour, cornstarch and salt.
- Mix the flour into the butter until just combined. Take care to not over-mix.
- Roll dough out on a nonstick mat or flour coated surface to a thickness of about ⅓".
- Cut the dough into rounds with a circular cutter and place on baking sheet, 2" apart. Using the bottom of a glass that is smaller in diameter than your circular cutter, press the glass bottom into the top of each round, making a circular indent. Prick the center of each cookie a few times with the tines of a fork.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just before they start to brown.
- Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.
