One of my roommates recently observed that the cookie to paper ratio in our lives at the moment is definitely skewed in the wrong direction. She is sadly correct: the end of term draws nigh, and papers flutter about our heads like a flock of seagulls—numerous, noisy, and less than welcome.
I can’t do much to scare the flock away besides buckling down and writing them, but I can make cookies. Shortbread, moreover.
This is baking at its simplest and best—just butter, sugar, flour, and a touch of lemon for brightness.
Lemon Shortbread
- 1 C softened butter
- 1/2 C coconut sugar
- zest of two lemons
- 2 1/2 C all purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 325°.
Cream together the butter and sugar and mix in the lemon zest. Gently incorporate the flour a little at a time to form a crumbly dough. Press the dough into a buttered 9×9″ baking pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the shortbread turns golden and the edges start to pull away from the pan.
Allow the shortbread to cool for five minutes before cutting it into squares, triangles, diamonds, or whatever other shape your heart desires. Let them cool completely before removing them from the pan.
Makes 24-48 pieces, depending on how big you cut them.
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[...] I want to delve more into gluten-free baking. Right now I’ve only scratched the surface—there’s so much to learn. How do the different flours behave? I don’t want passable imitations—I want food that is tasty in its own right, food that is nourishing, not just a concoction of gums and starches. First stop, the stars: six months without bread is long enough. Also, I need a gluten-free version of this shortbread. [...]