BEST SHORTBREAD RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• Put the butter in a large bowl and soften with a wooden spoon. Add the sugar and mix together. Be careful not to incorporate too much air or to overwork the mixture.
• Sift over the flour and semolina, then stir until well mixed. Knead briefly with your hands until smooth, then shape into a neat disc.
• Draw a 23cm circle on a sheet of baking paper. Roll out the dough to fit the circle, keeping the edge neat. Crimp the edge with your thumb, then, using a palette knife and ruler, mark 8 equal segments. Finally, use a fork to prick the dough – try to do this as neatly as possible, pressing the fork right through the dough (this will prevent it from rising).
• Chill for 20 minutes until firm. Preheat a flat baking sheet in the oven to 160°C/fan140°C/gas 3.
• Transfer the shortbread and its paper to the baking sheet and bake for 55 minutes until pale golden, being careful not to let it brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Loosen the base from the paper by running a palette knife underneath. Cool until crisp enough to move, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.
• Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it.