Christmas Shortbread

Here's another super simple Christmas recipe. Takes all of 10 minutes to prepare.

2 cups butter at cool room temp.
1 cup sugar (I substitute a couple TBspns of strawberry jello powder in with the sugar to give it a little color and a hint of fruit flavoring).
1 1/2 cups cake and pastry flour
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Cream butter well, blend in sugar and cream thoroughly. Combine flours and blend gradually with wooden spoon into butter mixture. Press into ball and and knead lightly on floured surface till smooth. Press into two 9 inch square cake pans to a height of about 1/2 inch (you can do this in round pie plates, or any shallow baking dish). Prick all over with fork. Bake at 275 for 45 minutes or until just faintly golden. Wait until almost cool and then cut into one inch by two inch rectangles.


If you want to fancy these up, instead of baking in pans, roll (between palms) into invidual balls, toss one fourth of balls in coconut, one fourth in crushed almonds, place on cookie sheets, flatten, thumb press the centre of remaining plain cookies and dab with assorted jams and chocolate centres. Bake 14 min's at 350 deg. or until faintly golden.