Great-Grandma Daniels’ Shortbread
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.)
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