Great-aunt Annie's Traditional Shortbread

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups cake flour, sifted (not self-rising)
• 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (sanding)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• 2 spray a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
• 3 in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar.
• 4 stir in vanilla.
• 5 with mixer on low speed, slowly add flour.
• 6 mix until well combined.
• 7 evenly spread cookie dough into prepared tart pan. refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• 8 sprinkle shortbread with sanding sugar.
• 9 using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, make a shallow cut in the center of the dough.
• 10 using the tines of a fork, score dough from the edge of the circle in the center towards the edge of the pan into 12 equal wedges.
• 11 transfer tart pan to oven and bake until light brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the shortbread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
• 12 immediately re-score circle and wedges with cookie cutter and the tines of a fork.
• 13 transfer to a wire rack and let cool 1 hour.
• 14 remove shortbread from tart pan and let cool completely.
• 15 cut into wedges with a serrated knife along the scored lines.