When I wrote about Cookies and Failing to Act (HERE), Julie commented and added her mom's shortbread recipe, which is the cookie she imagined when reading the scene. I now think she is so absolutely right and that MUST be the cookie in the scene. I just made it, and it's wonderful! Mine didn't really turn out pretty because I messed them up when I pressed down with a fork. Not pretty, but sooooo yummy!
Here's what she posted (and Julie, thank you for the recipe!)
MOM'S SHORTBREAD (Julie's mom, that is)
1 cup butter (2 1/4-lb sticks) at room temp.
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
Sift the dry ingredients together. Mix in the butter with your hands (the heat from your hands melts the butter and makes the batter hold together better than if you mix with a spoon.) Roll into walnut sized balls and place on shiny, ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with a fork or cookie press dipped in flour. (You can crowd them on the cookie sheet - they don't spread).
Bake at 325 for 20 minutes, or until they're as golden brown as you like them.
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen. Can easily be doubled.
To make the Lavender Shortbread, just crumble in a small handful of cooking-grade lavender (I buy mine at Whole Foods) before you start mixing in the butter.
Imagine how honored I feel at finding my mom's recipe on one of my very favorite blogs! I'm so very glad you liked the cookies. I think they look fine. Shortbread is comfort food to me. I always remember my mom's cookies that were pressed down with a fork and served with the tine marks in them. I now use a pretty cookie press, but pictures in my mind of my mom's with the tine marks are very comforting.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,
DeleteThey're awesome! Thank you Julie's mom. :)
I kept thinking it was too crumbly (dough) and wanted to add butter to it. But that's what shortbread's supposed to be like, right? But when I tried to press down with a fork, they just broke. So I used my hand and rerolled and squished.
Yes, if they look too crumbly, or don't hold together, just keep mixing with your hands until it holds together. It just means that the heat in your hands hasn't melted the butter enough yet. The last bit of this I do as I'm rolling it into the little balls - keep working it until it seems like it will hold together - this usually only means another toss or two between your hands and rolling it.
DeleteThat might be why. It was a cold day and my heater wasn't working (which is why I did so much baking - I was keeping the stove on). And my hands never did warm up. LOL! As for the lavender, I like the little bits in there.
Deletemmmmm this looks great! My friend's daughter owns a lavender farm. I'll have to discuss this with her!!
ReplyDeleteThere's probably a better way to add the lavender - this gives you little bits in the cookies, which I don't mind, as the flavor does go through the whole cookie. But if you prefer not to have those bits, I bet you could soak the lavender for awhile and then just add a few drops of the lavender water once it's gotten as much flavor into the water as you will get. Just a few drops though - you don't want to change the chemical makeup, and butter and water don't like each other.
Delete