Vanilla Shortbread

I made shortbread! Yay! The kitchen is heaven at the moment. It smells like vanilla. You know when something is gonna taste good when it smells good.

The ingredients: flour, flour, sugar, butter, vanilla....

The dough was ready to roll..

I cut them into rectangles.

Baked and golden..

So many. So so many...

This recipe is from Sam Stern. So quick, so simple, and so good.

Ingredients:

200g butter, well softened

75g caster sugar, plus extra for rolling

150g plain flour

150g self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla essence

Pinch salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 150° C/300°F . Grease two baking trays with a bit of extra butter. Line with baking paper (optional).
2. Cream really soft butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon. Beat until the mixture is pale and soft.
3. Sift in the flours. Add vanilla essence. Beat everything together with a spoon, then finish off using your hands to pull the dough together into a smooth soft ball.
4. Put the dough on a surface lightly dusted with flour and sugar. Roll out the dough to about 5 mm/1/4 in thick. Cut out rounds or cool shapes with a cutter. Place on baking tray.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar, Leave on the tray to firm up, then store in a airtight container.