Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

User avatar
ChrisGreaves
PlutoniumLounger
Posts: 15498
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 23:23
Location: brings.slot.perky

Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by ChrisGreaves »

I have gotten back into Shortbread Cookies. Three ingredients (shortening, flour and sugar in equal volumes) .
A new tip from The Toronto Star is to place the dough between two sheets of (or in a folded sheet of) Parchment Paper. Much easier to roll flat, and no mess on the rolling-pin.

More details on my web page.
Home_IMG_20161206_155828776.jpg
Home_IMG_20161206_155934593.jpg
Home_IMG_20161206_161843514.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
An expensive day out: Wallet and Grimace

User avatar
Rudi
gamma jay
Posts: 25455
Joined: 17 Mar 2010, 17:33
Location: Cape Town

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by Rudi »

My wife and I made some shortbread cookies yesterday and used Xmas cookie cutters to cut them out from the rolled dough. :thumbup: :xsmile:
Regards,
Rudi

If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.

User avatar
BobH
UraniumLounger
Posts: 9215
Joined: 13 Feb 2010, 01:27
Location: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by BobH »

Anyone care to share a recipe for the dough?

Shortbread is not in my repertoire.
Bob's yer Uncle
(1/2)(1+√5)
Intel Core i5, 3570K, 3.40 GHz, 16 GB RAM, ECS Z77 H2-A3 Mobo, Windows 10 >HPE 64-bit, MS Office 2016

User avatar
Rudi
gamma jay
Posts: 25455
Joined: 17 Mar 2010, 17:33
Location: Cape Town

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by Rudi »

Its a VERY easy recipe...
SERVING - 48 --- YIELD - 4 dozen

INGREDIENTS
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 cups butter, softened (4 sticks)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
Mix all the ingredients together and roll (should look like a long sausage).
Cut into circles and place on a baking sheet.
(Alternative: Roll flat with rolling pin -- cut into squares or use cookie cutters for shaped cookies.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for about 10 minutes. If not totally baked, bake for another 10 minutes.
After baking, sprinkle to coat with fine castor sugar (optional).
Regards,
Rudi

If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.

User avatar
BobH
UraniumLounger
Posts: 9215
Joined: 13 Feb 2010, 01:27
Location: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by BobH »

Thanks, Rudi!

Is that self-rising or plain flour?
Bob's yer Uncle
(1/2)(1+√5)
Intel Core i5, 3570K, 3.40 GHz, 16 GB RAM, ECS Z77 H2-A3 Mobo, Windows 10 >HPE 64-bit, MS Office 2016

User avatar
Rudi
gamma jay
Posts: 25455
Joined: 17 Mar 2010, 17:33
Location: Cape Town

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by Rudi »

I used self-raising flour (since its the only flour I had in the cupboard).
I do see though that most recipes (after looking at several from a google search) refer to plain flour though.

I'd probably recommend to use plain flour if you had!
Regards,
Rudi

If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.

User avatar
ChrisGreaves
PlutoniumLounger
Posts: 15498
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 23:23
Location: brings.slot.perky

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by ChrisGreaves »

Rudi wrote:My wife and I made some shortbread cookies yesterday and used Xmas cookie cutters to cut them out from the rolled dough. :thumbup: :xsmile:
You let your wife use the kitchen?

Did you try the roll-between-the-sheets method (with the dough?)
Last edited by ChrisGreaves on 21 Dec 2016, 16:15, edited 1 time in total.
An expensive day out: Wallet and Grimace

User avatar
ChrisGreaves
PlutoniumLounger
Posts: 15498
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 23:23
Location: brings.slot.perky

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by ChrisGreaves »

I have quoted 1:1:1 ratio, but my friend makes better shortbread with a 2:1:4 ratio
I have quoted 1:1:1 ratio, but my friend makes better shortbread with a 2:1:4 ratio
I have quoted 1:1:1 ratio, but my friend makes better shortbread with a 2:1:4 ratio
BobH wrote:Anyone care to share a recipe for the dough? Shortbread is not in my repertoire.
Well Bob, it is now.
I see a recipe below.
Here is my simple one - three ingredients:

half a cup of shortening at room temperature. I use a little cake of cooking margarine, but I've used butter and that smooth margarine spread for bread, toast etc.
half a cup of sugar. Right now I'm using up a bag of icing-sugar, but ordinary white sugar works too, as would, i suspect, brown sugar.
half a cup of flour. I use all-purpose, but plain or self-raising should work just as well.

Mix the shortening and sugar, mix in the flour.
Roll flat to about 1/2 cm thick.
Score and bake at your oven's cookie temperature (mine is 350) for about 15 minutes or until the cookies begin to turn a bit brown at the edges.
:cheers:
Last edited by ChrisGreaves on 05 Jan 2017, 16:20, edited 1 time in total.
An expensive day out: Wallet and Grimace

User avatar
BobH
UraniumLounger
Posts: 9215
Joined: 13 Feb 2010, 01:27
Location: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by BobH »

Thanks for the recipes!

It's interesting that flour is referred to as 'self raising' in your posts. Here it's labeled on the bag as 'self-rising.'
Bob's yer Uncle
(1/2)(1+√5)
Intel Core i5, 3570K, 3.40 GHz, 16 GB RAM, ECS Z77 H2-A3 Mobo, Windows 10 >HPE 64-bit, MS Office 2016

User avatar
Rudi
gamma jay
Posts: 25455
Joined: 17 Mar 2010, 17:33
Location: Cape Town

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by Rudi »

ChrisGreaves wrote:Did you try the roll-between-the-sheets method (with the dough?)
Your tip came in one day too late. :xsad: :xhumbug:
Regards,
Rudi

If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.

User avatar
kdock
5StarLounger
Posts: 720
Joined: 21 Aug 2011, 21:01
Location: The beautiful hills of Western North Carolina

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by kdock »

ChrisGreaves wrote:
BobH wrote: half a cup of sugar. Right now I'm using up a bag of icing-sugar, but ordinary white sugar works too, as would, i suspect, brown sugar.
Brown sugar is softer after baking than white sugar. You're likely to get limp shortbread.

Let the comments begin.
"Hmm. What does this button do?" Said everyone before being ejected from a car, blown up, or deleting all the data from the mainframe.

User avatar
BobH
UraniumLounger
Posts: 9215
Joined: 13 Feb 2010, 01:27
Location: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by BobH »

I don't think I've ever used brown sugar in baking. I use a lot of it in rubs to be applied to meats before I smoke them and in the sauces I prepare for use on the finished products, but I don't recall using it for baking.
Bob's yer Uncle
(1/2)(1+√5)
Intel Core i5, 3570K, 3.40 GHz, 16 GB RAM, ECS Z77 H2-A3 Mobo, Windows 10 >HPE 64-bit, MS Office 2016

User avatar
ChrisGreaves
PlutoniumLounger
Posts: 15498
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 23:23
Location: brings.slot.perky

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by ChrisGreaves »

kdock wrote:Brown sugar is softer after baking than white sugar. You're likely to get limp shortbread.
Thanks. I didn't know that.
Now I shall spend a large part of this afternoon baking batches of Shortbread with three kinds of sugars, then take them with me to Christmas Dinner in Mississauga tomorrow.
Cheers
Chris.
P.S. I generally don't comment on even Single Entendres! :laugh: :rofl: :xhumbug:
An expensive day out: Wallet and Grimace

User avatar
StuartR
Administrator
Posts: 12577
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 15:49
Location: London, Europe

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by StuartR »

Self-raising is the normal term here, I've not heard self-rising before.
StuartR


User avatar
Rudi
gamma jay
Posts: 25455
Joined: 17 Mar 2010, 17:33
Location: Cape Town

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by Rudi »

Seems that is another difference between the Common Wealth and the West...

The link above shows the different naming conventions of the product.
Regards,
Rudi

If your absence does not affect them, your presence didn't matter.

User avatar
StuartR
Administrator
Posts: 12577
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 15:49
Location: London, Europe

Re: Shortbread et al. rolled within sheets

Post by StuartR »

Interestingly the Oxford English Dictionary says that self-rising is the US term for self-raising, but one of the examples it gives for self-raising is:

1854 Daily Placer Times & Transcript (San Francisco) 7 Mar. 1/4 Among the advantages of the Self-Raising Flour, are: The saving of time in preparing it for the oven, [etc.].
StuartR