Granny's Shortbread
By Sofia Bjornson

My granny is my mother's grandmother. I was only able to meet her three times before she passed. 
Still, we made her shortbread every Christmas with my mother and nana, until when my nana passed, too. One of the few things that I was able to take with me from them were the cookies that I still make with my mother. 
The recipe was made by my granny whilst she served in the second world war. The cookies were a traditional Scottish dessert, something her mother had missed after they moved to England. The  recipe is simple and doesn't take many ingredients, meaning that even she had the skills to make them. The cookies had existed before her but she had created her own version. She passed the recipe down from her, to my nana, to my mum, to me. Any kind of mathematical concoction made in the kitchen tends to be an inedible disaster, but these Scottish cookies, perfected by my granny, were uncomplicated enough for us all to master.
When my nana had kids, she could not afford many luxuries, but the shortbread that took only three ingredients was something she could still make with her kids.
My mother loves these cookies, won’t go Christmas without them. You can feel how much she misses her mum, but when we make them together, she’s able to bring my nana and granny back into her life in a way that makes her happier. 
Three generations of strong women that were terrible at cooking made room every year to bring warmth and sugar into their houses. Now, I can make shortbread cookies with my mother and watch her reminisce on the times she spent with her own mum and granny covered in flour and eating dough. These sweet cookies are the kind that break off effortlessly in your mouth and melt in milk. Perfect to bring to gathering and easy to devour in seconds. I have tried store bought shortbread -- it’s not just the tradition and love that make these cookies so good, it really is the best recipe out there. 
















Granny’s Shortbread Recipe 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (226g) salted butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (60g) icing sugar, sifted 
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour 
  • OPTIONAL: 1 tsp vanilla extract 


Instructions:

  1.  Preheat the oven to 300 F (150 C). Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  2.  Cream the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl, use an electric mixer or a wooden spoon to beat the softened butter and icing sugar together until the mixture is light and creamy. 
  3.  Add flour gradually (and vanilla to the mixture if using) to the butter mixture. Mix on low or until the dough comes together. DO NOT OVERMIX 
  4.  Shape and chill the dough by pressing evenly onto your baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for30m-1h.
  5.  Prepare for baking by removing the dough from the fridge. Then use your tool of choice to cut into the desired shape. Prick the surface with a fork to prevent puffing while they bake. 
  6.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Do not let the short bread turn dark brown. 
  7.  Cool on a serving rack and do not enjoy until completely cooled. 
  8. Keep out of reach from pets, siblings and  parents. (My shortbread did not make it to my stomach but was devoured by my mischievous dog and father.)