Shortbread

I'm not a big fan of crisp shortbread. But I love this shortbread. No crunch factor but totally rich and buttery. I've had this recipe for over 30 years - a few of my friends and I started making it a long, long time ago. I have no idea who found the recipe first, but we all fell in love with it. Simple and 'luscious'. Now how many times have you ever heard shortbread described as 'luscious'?? Perfect with coffee or a cup of tea. Perfect. I promise!

Shortbread

1 pound of butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sugar
5 - 6 cups of unbleached flour

Cream the butter with the extracts. Gradually add the sugar and the flour. When the climate is dry, I generally only need 5 cups of flour. It was raining most of the day today and it took all 6 cups of flour to come together.

Pat/roll the dough out to a rectangle on an ungreased cookies sheet, 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick. Prick the top of the dough with a fork. Bake at 350 F for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the edges barely turn golden. Slice the dough while still warm, but leave on the cookie sheet until thoroughly cooled.