Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Some simple ingredients can create an exotic recipe. The mere mention
of yummy cookies makes our mouth water. People think that shortbread
cookies are difficult to make. Some people don’t even know that cookies
can be made within minutes.
Ingredients:
You will need things that are always available at home. You will need
flour, sugar, salt and butter. These are the only ingredients to make
the delicious shortbread cookies.
You have to add the ingredients in measured quantities. If you add
three-fourth cup of flour then you have to add one-fourth cup of
superfine sugar and half cup of butter. The flour has to be sifted
beforehand.
In cookies, the butter that you will use plays an important role. The
butter has to be of good quality. Cookies cannot be made with salted
butter. When the chefs talk about butter they mean butter and not
shortening or margarine. Shortening, margarine, lard can never give a
unique taste to the cookies. Butter is irreplaceable in cookies if you
want the cookies to melt in your mouth.
How will you prepare them?
The oven needs to be preheated to 350 degrees F. You can put the oven in
the preheated position beforehand so that you don’t have to wait for it
to heat up at a later stage. You can start preparing the mixture
meanwhile. At first mix the flour and the sugar. Add just a pinch of
salt. Salt is a flavor improver and a taste enhancer. The incorporation
of butter in the mixture needs to be done with care. You can do it with
a fork or with a cutter. Make sure that when you do it, the dough
reaches the required consistency.
If you find the mixing operation too taxing, then you can opt for a
mixer too. Machines have made the life of a common man easier and
simpler. So use the mixer machine to reduce your efforts. After the
mixing gets over, then you will have to move on to the next stage. The
next stage is the kneading operation. It is best if you have a wooden
board in your kitchen. Even if you don’t have that then just sprinkle
some flour on any smooth surface and knead the dough to give it the
required smoothness. The dough needs to be cooled in a refrigerator for
a few hours after the kneading operation. You can even refrigerate the
dough overnight.
You can divide the dough in the way you want. If you want small cookies
then divide it into eight pieces. If you want large or medium cookies
then divide the dough into four or six number of pieces. Don’t forget to
shape them round. You have to place each of these cookies in a baking
sheet. The baking sheets should have a lining of parchment paper. You
need to flatten out the cookies either with the help of your palm or
with the help of a flat bottomed glass. Make sure that you prick the
cookies with a fork before you put them in the oven. The cookies take
around twenty to thirty minutes to become light brown. After the cookies
cool down, you can enjoy the crispy and delicious cookies sitting at
home.
Christmas is the ideal time for baking cookies. Almost every household
becomes busy in preparing them. Nowadays people eat cookies all the year
round. You cannot blame them as well. Cookies are so mouth-watering that
you cannot really stay away from them for a long time.
Try these home-made shortbread cookies. You will never feel like buying
them from the store again.
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