Shortbread is one of our favorite cookies to make—it’s easy, it gets better with time, and you can store it for up to a month, not that it’s ever lasted that long around us. We’ve found shortbread perfect for feeding large crowds, transporting to picnics, and including in care packages (it travels remarkably well). You can make shortbread plain or with a number of flavorings. We share one of our favorites here with you, which we don’t just greedily snack on—we also cut it into tiny bits and tuck it into our Orange Blossom Water Ice Cream with Pistachio Shortbread.
MAKES 81 (1-INCH) SQUARES
½ cup (64 grams) pistachios
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
⅔ cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (2 grams) kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks/226 grams) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
1. Preheat the oven to 300˚F; position a rack in the middle. Spread the pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes, or until fragrant. Transfer the nuts to a plate and let cool completely; roughly chop and set aside.
2. Raise the oven temperature to 325˚F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with overlapping, perpendicular pieces of parchment paper trimmed to fit the pan with about a 2- to 3-inch overhang (so that you can easily pull the shortbread out when you are ready to cut it).
3. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter, egg yolk, toasted pistachios, and orange blossom water and pulse until a scraggly, loose dough comes together. Dump out the dough, loose bits and all, onto the counter and knead until combined. Press the dough into the baking pan and score it all over with a fork.
4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the shortbread is golden and firm. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift the shortbread out of the pan and cut into pieces (we like 1-inch squares) on a cutting board. Transfer the shortbread to a cookie tin. The shortbread will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for about 1 month.