Shortbread Cookies: Leftover Christmas Craving

I love shortbread cookies and look forward to indulging by eating a few during the Christmas holidays. But, this year, there was only one shortbread cookie on one plate and I didn't get it! So I will just have to make a batch for myself. I found this recipe at Furry Kitchen.

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350º. Cream together the butter and egg yolk. Add the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Mix the flour and salt together, then add it in three batches to the buttery mixture. Mix until crumbly. Knead the dough with your hands until it is soft and pliable. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle with about a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut the rectangle into strips and prick the tops of each strip with a fork. Transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring to a rack.

Why is it called shortbread?

Shortbread is a tradional Scottish treat. It is the granddaddy of backed goods, and is traditionally made from one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts oatmeal or white flour.

Most people classify shortbread as a cookie, but there are some who consider it a biscuit or even a cake. One would be hard pressed, though, to find someone willing to classify it by its given name—bread. Scottish bakers once fought to prevent shortbread from being classified as a biscuit to avoid paying a government tax on biscuits.

It is called short because of its crumbly texture. The cause of this texture is its high fat content provided by the butter. Short or shortening refers to any fat that may be added to produce a short (crumbly) texture. In 1921, the British government proclaimed that in order to be called shortbread a product must get at least 51% of its fat from real butter. Cookies marketed as shortbread outside Britain, however, do not have such a requirement. Typically unsalted or sweet butter is recommended in shortbread recipes so as not to affect the taste of the cookie.

Now, that I know all this, I think I would rather be called vertically challenged rather than short meaning crumbly and fat...