Cookies & Bars
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Jean's Scottish Shortbread

This recipe was taught to my mother by a Scottish neighbor, Jean Martin, and Mom passed it on to me. I tried the Cinnamon Shortbread variant on a whim; everyone else seems to prefer it, but I like the original. Either way, it is a delicious butter cookie! - joe
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Ingredients

1 lb. butter (or 1/2 lb. butter and 1/2 lb. margarine)
5 cups unbleached flour
1 cup cane sugar
superfine sugar to sprinkle (see note below)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour and sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, knead the butter well, until soft. Gradually add the flour/sugar mixture while continuing to knead, until all is well mixed. Do not over work!

Press into an ungreased 11x17 pan. Take a fork and poke through the dough across the width of the pan, making similar lines about 1-1/4" apart down the length of the pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, and then 250 degrees for 35 minutes. When done, cut immediately into bars, about 3/4 x 2 inches each (or whatever size you want). When almost cool, sprinkle generously with superfine sugar. Makes about 8 dozen cookies.

Variations

Cinnamon Shortbread
Add the following to the flour/sugar mix, before it is added to the butter:

3-4 tablespoons of cinnamon
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon of: mace, allspice, cloves, nutmeg

Tips & Notes

This really is best when done by hand. The texture of the cookie is a little off when it's made in an electric mixer (but it's still OK, so don't let that stop you from making the cookie).
I like baking them the full 35 minutes, so that the cookie is nice and brown. If you would like a more delicate cookie, bake a little less.
These freeze very well.
I cannot find superfine sugar in the stores anymore, but you can make it yourself. Thoroughly clean out a coffee grinder, add regular granulated sugar, and grind for about 2 seconds. If you do it right, you'll have superfine sugar; too long and you'll have powdered sugar. Due to the difficulty in cleaning a coffee grinder, I usually make about 3 cups at a time and store it.
I would not recommend using an airbake pan for these -- you want them to brown.