I have three sisters and one brother, and when we were kids, we all loved to mess about in the kitchen. In fact, each of us had a specialty: Suzanne made the best chocolate cakes; Julie baked carrot cake; George was always making profiteroles; and I love to make all different kinds of cookies. Carol-Ann didn’t bake all that much, but she was the one who always made shortbread. I can still remember her patting the dough into the “shortbread pan,” a very old 8-inch round baking tin that had been in our family forever. It was the only pan we used to make shortbread, and I’m pretty sure my mum still uses it today. This simple recipe uses only four ingredients, and if you use pure Irish butter, you’ll be rewarded with one of the best shortbreads you’ve ever tasted.
Makes 16 cookies
1 Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
2 In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until pale, light, and fluffy.
3 Add the flour and cornstarch. Mix very lightly until you have a smooth dough.
4 Press the dough into the prepared pan. With a knife, cut the dough into sixteen fingers measuring 1 x 4 inches (these marks will make it easier to cut your baked shortbread). Prick the dough all over with a fork.
5 Bake for about 50 minutes, until golden brown. Let the shortbread cool slightly in the pan, then, while it’s still warm, cut along the marks into 16 bars.
6 Store the shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.