Shortbread Bricks Recipes

SHORTBREAD BRICKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Butter five 5 3/4-by-3 1/4-inch loaf pans; set aside. Sift flour and salt into a bowl.
• Place butter in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, and continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes more, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add vanilla. Add reserved flour mixture, and combine on low speed, scraping sides with spatula if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers. Do not overmix.
• Divide dough evenly into prepared pans, spreading it about 1 1/4 inches thick. Smooth tops with fingers. Decorate by using a skewer to prick holes in the top to create a pattern or word. Bake until firm and just starting to color, about 2 hours. It may be necessary to re-prick the design in the loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven, to help keep holes uniform. Remove bricks from pans, transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool to room temperature. Slice to serve.

PAN SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Mix butter until light and fluffy.
• Add sugar and beat again till light and fluffy.
• Sift together flour and corn starch.
• Add flour/cornstarch to butter/sugar mixture one cup at a time, making sure its well combined before adding another cup.
• Continue to combine flour into mixture until all is gone. Mix well.
• Dump dough onto a clean medium sized cookie sheet with sides.
• Spread out evenly covering the whole sheet. I use a rolling pin and roll it over the top so my finger prints aren't in the dough.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup or less of sugar (can use colored sugar), I never measure I just sprinkle until it has a little sparkle.
• Bake at 325 for approx 20 minutes. My oven cooks really hot so you might have to add a minute or two until edges are light brown.
• When out of the oven, I cut the square or rectangles through the shortbread. When cooled I often dip one end into melted chocolate and then roll in sprinkles.

ALMOND SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• With mixer beat butter and sugar until creamy.
• Beat in almond extract and salt.
• Mix in flour and blend into a soft dough by hand.
• Press dough into an ungreased 8x8" pan, top with almonds, pressing into dough bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown around edges.
• Use a dull knife to cut into squares while still warm when cool use a spatula to transfer slices to a rack to completely cool.