SHEET PAN SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD

 I have always LOVED shortbread! For years, I baked various kinds of 'shortbread cookies,' but as much as I liked them, they never quite hit the mark. 

I came across a recipe recently for shortbread made in a sheet pan. The recipe sounded intriguing, except that it called for rice flour. I already have about 5 kinds of flour in my kitchen, none of which is white rice flour, so I started researching to find out if I could substitute something for the rice flour. Everything I read said that the rice flour imparts that specific light crumbly texture of true shortbread, and should not be left out or substituted. 

SO, of course, I got the rice flour! I stopped by THE MARKET in Woodstock, Va, because they have a full line of Bob's Red Mill baking products, and I got a small bag of white rice flour. I am not sorry I did! 

This recipe, altered a bit from the original, is as near perfect a shortbread as I've ever eaten! I love it! I hope you try it, and I sincerely hope you love it too!

INGREDIENTS

·      1 ¼ pounds (5 sticks) salted butter, room temperature

·      1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (I use raw organic sugar, which I believe contributes to the crispy texture)

·      1 tsp. vanilla extract

·      1 ¼ cups white rice flour (like Bob’s Red Mill…non-GMO)

·      4 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour

·      2 tbsp more of the same raw organic sugar for topping

HOW TO MAKE IT

Preheat oven to 275. In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed with the paddle attachment until well-blended and fluffy. Add the vanilla. Add rice flour and beat on low speed until incorporated, scraping bowl as necessary. Gradually add the AP flour, beat on low until blended, again, scraping the bowl as necessary.

Line a 12 x 17 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto the lined baking sheet and press or roll until very even and smooth. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tbsp of the topping sugar. Bake until shortbread is golden in the center, 60-65 minutes. Drape shortbread with another sheet of parchment and continue to bake until a finger pressed lightly in the center leaves no imprint, about 20-25 minutes more.

Set shortbread on a cooling rack and sprinkle with the remainder of the topping sugar. While hot, cut into 1x3 rectangles or 2 inch squares. A baking scraper works beautifully for cutting. Let cool completely in the pan.

Keep in airtight container at room temperature up to one week, or frozen, for up to 3 months.