When I was growing up my
mother always made Shortbread using the family recipe, handed down by
her mother. It was shortbread the way it "should" be, three simple
ingredients, butter, berry sugar, and flour. I believed in that recipe. I
defended it as the best shortbread there was. Until I got married.
My
husband grew up knowing shortbread from a different recipe, the one
from the "Canada Cornstarch" box. We each thought "our" shortbread was
the best. The good natured argument went on for a bit until one
Christmas early in our marriage I decided to have a side by side "taste
test". I made both recipes and we voted for our favorite. We
both liked
the cornstarch recipe the best so from that point on it was the one I
used, except for one important modification. I made it larger. The
recipe on the box only makes 2 dozen. Are they serious? That wouldn't
last one evening around this house! Besides I kind of liked the way my
grandmother's recipe used up the whole pound of butter.
So here's
my adaptation of the cornstarch recipe. I've "super-sized" it so that
it takes a whole pound of butter and makes about 5 dozen cookies and
I've also simplified the mixing method.
Using an electric mixer, cream together one pound of (room temperature) butter, 1 1/3 cups of icing sugar and 1 1/3
cups of corn starch. Gradually add 3 cups of flour. Turn out onto a
lightly floured board/countertop and knead until well blended. Roll out 1/4
inch thick and cut with cookie cutters. Place on an ungreased cookie
sheet and bake at 300 degrees F. for 15 - 20 minutes until just the
outside edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
The
recipe itself has not been my only break with tradition. My mom used a
medium sized cookie cutter with a wavy edge (like the cookies on the
left). When I got married I could not find the same kind of cookie
cutter and had to substitute the flower-ish shape on the right. For
years I searched for a cookie cutter like my mom's so that I could have
shortbread the way it "should" be. Finally last year I found one. In the
meantime my own children have grown up with shortbread made with the
flower-ish cutter --- the ones on the right.
A few days ago
my married daughter
mentioned that she had made a batch of shortbread. She was complaining
that it didn't look the way it "should". You see, she can't find a
cookie cutter with "bumps" like mine. All she has is a cookie cutter
with a wavy edge. Bwahaha! Bumpy or wavy, there is one thing we both
agree on: Shortbread
must have three rows of fork pricks to look "right". Left plain they look naked, or blind, or somethin'.
I guess traditions are whatever you get used to.
Incidentally, my mother eventually abandoned her mother's recipe and made whipped shortbread each year.
