Shortbread

This week I made dinner for the teachers at our school.  Our menu was Italian, but I figured they’d forgive me for flying farther north for the dessert.  I served the shortbread with a brown butter pecan glaze on top.

These cookies are some of the yummiest shortbread cookies around.  I love them.  The recipe comes from my Mom… the source for many of my favorite recipes.  And it’s very traditional Scottish shortbread.  Best of all they are SO easy.  Just 3 ingredients in the cookie.

Here’s the recipe:

• 1 lb. butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Slowly mix in the flour until well incorporated and dough pulls into a ball.  Turn out onto counter.  You may lightly flour your surface.  Roll out to desired thickness… between 1/4″ and 1/2″ thick.  (Remember the cookies don’t raise.)  Cut out in desired shape.  You may use a cookie cutter, or cut with a knife or pizza cutter into squares, diamonds or triangles.

Place on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 -25 minutes, until lightly golden.

Now for the glaze:

• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 Tbsp. heavy cream or half and half
• powdered sugar to desired consistency

In a saute pan, lightly toast the pecans.  Pour melted butter over the top and let cook for about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add cream.   Pour in powdered sugar while whisking with a spoon until you reach desired consistency… preferably a slightly thick glaze.  You can always add a bit more cream if the glaze is too thick.

Click over to Tasty Kitchen for the Printable Recipe.