Happy National Shortbread Day! Shortbread is something of a phenomenon of a cookie. Originating from Scotland but beloved throughout the world, shortbread is deceptively simple but outrageously delicious. It's called shortbread because it is a 'short' dough, meaning it contains a lot of butter but no eggs, which results in a crumbly texture. Although there is nothing wrong with a good plain shortbread, one of the reasons I love these cookies so much is because of how easy you can change the flavour. These are Lavender Lemon Shortbreads, a personal favourite of mine and a recent crowd-pleaser at my Grandma's 90th Birthday Tea. Lemon and lavender add just enough fragrance and bite to the rich, sweet cookie base. Wonderful paired with a hearty black tea, such as Earl Grey or English Breakfast, but equally at home as a complement to bright greens like Sencha or Matcha. Just some of the variations you can make on shortbread are: coconut, green tea, rainbow sprinkle, chocolate chip, cocoa, and cinnamon sugar; the list can go on and on. As long as you aren't adding liquid ingredients you can flavour them however you want. The amount of additive will vary based on strength and personal preference, so I recommend starting small and working your way up. If you needed an excuse to bake some shortbread, now you have one! Shortbread dough also freezes beautifully, so make it in large batches and keep a round or two on hand for when you have unexpected company. This is the recipe that I currently base all of my shortbread off of. It came out of Will Torrent's beautiful book, Afternoon Tea At Home.
Simple Vanilla Shortbreads by Will Torrent (super paraphrased by me) 300 g butter, softened 150 g caster sugar zest of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 400 g all purpose flour pinch of salt (I added about a tablespoon of lavender. Lavender can be off-putting for some people, but I really like to taste it.) Cream butter and sugar until pale and light. Add zest from lemon, vanilla, and lavender if using. Mix thoroughly. Sift in the flour and salt and mix until smooth. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours. Remove from fridge 20 min before you wish to bake. Dust work surface with flour, roll out dough to desire thickness. Cut out desired shapes and arrange on parchment lined baking sheets. Leave a little room for spreading. Prick shapes with a fork; place pans in fridge to re-chill dough. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake on middle rack of oven for about 15 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Cool completely and serve.
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