Quite a few years ago, my good friend Cheryl gave me a beautiful shortbread pan that was inspired by antique American butter molds. You press the shortbread dough right into the pan and bake it. When the pan comes out of the oven, after cooling for about 10 minutes, you have beautiful, intricately patterned shortbread wedges.Since my kids don’t like shortbread (I know, weird, right?), I decided to make coconut shortbread for James, seeing as Emma doesn’t like coconut either. I froze them until the holidays when I will dip the points in bittersweet chocolate. Voila, a shortbread Bounty bar.
For those of you who don’t like coconut and want to make plain shortbread, just make the following changes:
- omit coconut
- increase icing sugar to 1/3 cup
- decrease vanilla to 1/4 tsp
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup icing (powdered/confectioner’s) sugar, unsifted
- ¼ cup sweetened, flaked coconut
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 cup flour, unsifted
- Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.
- In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter until light.
- Add the icing sugar and vanilla.
- Add the coconut and the flour.
- Knead the dough on an unfloured board until nice and smooth.
- Spray a shortbread pan (or round 8″ cake pan) lightly with cooking spray.
- Firmly press the dough into the pan.
- Prick the entire surface with a fork to prevent air bubbles.
- Bake the shortbread for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- Let the shortbread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before loosening the edges with a knife and flipping the pan over onto a wooden cutting board.
- Cut the shortbread into wedges while still warm.
- Dip in melted chocolate, if desired.
Marie
