The long and short of it all

I have a sweet tooth … a mean mean mean sweet tooth.  I could survive on baked goods, but unfortunately you would have to airlift me out of my house in about 6 months.  For this reason, I do survive on other items from the food pyramid…grudginly so. 

   Flipping through Jamie Oliver’s cookbook, Cook with Jamie (which is wonderful – more on this one in future blogs)  I found several desserts that I am dying to try out.  Reading cookbooks is therapy for my stomach, but, I can only read about main courses and vegetables for so long until I find myself heading towards the desserts.  I can wander among the pages of the dessert section for hours indulging in the ingredients and imagining the smells wafting through my own kitchen.  Hmmm….OK, enough of my rambling about my love of baking … I think I have a crush on flour, sugar, and butter! 

  Anywho…back to where I started.  While flipping through Jamie’s book (first name basis – in my dreams!) I found a recipe for shortbread that claims to be the best in the world, so I had to give it a shot.   When something is claiming to be the best, how can you resist!?! 

Let me tell you, it is amazing with a cup of tea or if your cup of tea is a cup of coffee, then that works too!  This is a fool proof recipe, trust me!  After reading the recipe several times over I still screwed up (or so I thought)!  Ugh….  Amazingly though,  the shortbread turned out great!  Evident by how quickly it disappeared when I brought it home.

So, this mishap caused me to make another batch of shortbread…oh darn!  I used cornstarch again, but this time I used the amount that the recipe actually calls for.  The dough was dryer (naturally) and I ended up using my hands to mix, which brought the dough together.  The hand mixer just made it crumble.  The end result was much the same suprisingly.  The only differences were that the second batch was more flaky,  more crumbly, and my mom thought it didn’t taste as sweet.   I will  stick with the 2/3 C. of corn starch because the dough was much easier to work and came together with ease.  I also liked the taste and texture of the first batch better as did the rest of my family.  So this recipe is an adapted version of Jamie Oliver’s. 

 This is a very simple recipe containing only 4 ingredients, all of which are staples in most pantries.  It is easy to whip up when a sweet treat is needed! 

Ingredients (amended)

• 2 sticks + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter @ room temperature, plus extra for pan
• 1/2 C. + 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
•  2 Cups all – purpose flour, sifted – don’t pack
• 2/3 C. cornstarch

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F and butter 9 inch pan (round or square works nice)
2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and the color has paled.
3. In another bowl, sift together the cornstarch and flour.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar and butter mixture and mix to combine. 
5. Turn out onto a well floured surface and roll dough out to approx. the size of your pan
6. Carefully transfer your dough to prepared pan.  Lightly press dough into pan with fingers just to make it fit.
7. Poke dough with fork all over.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown
9. Once removed from oven and when still warm sprinkle with sugar and don’t be skimpy!
10. Cut once it has cooled slightly.