Great-Grandma Daniels’ Shortbread
Submitted by: Linda Baker / Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Who passed this recipe down to you? My grandmother, daughter of Great-Grandma Daniels
Recipe origin: County Essex, England
How old is this recipe? It was probably passed down to Great-Grandma Daniels, making it 175+ years old
The story behind the recipe:
This is a 'special occasion' treat, partly because it takes a bit of patience to make. My grandmother, Nan Baker, taught me the recipe when I was quite young. It's been served at every Christmas I can remember, and many more before I was born! I converted it from weight to cup measurements. The rice flour gives it a nice crisp crunch.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
9 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp rice flour (ground rice)
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup margarine (using all butter makes it very hard to work with)
How to make it:
Combine the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter and margarine. Then work the dough with your hands to bring it together. Shape and pat the dough, half at a time, on a flour-dusted worktop (I use parchment). You can roll it out, too, to about 1/4". It may crack at the edges so roll from the outside in. Cut in squares or rectangles about 1" x 1" or 1" x 2". Try not to re-roll scraps as it can toughen the dough. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet, prick tops with a fork. Bake 25-30 min. at 300 F, till golden brown on bottoms.
(PS Sometimes I decorate the tops a little - slivers of candied cherries.)