most freaking awesome delicious shortbread cookies

Internet, you have given me many fabulous recipes which have turned out great. So, in return, I will relinquish my shortbread recipe. I sold these at the Saturday Market this summer and each week I would sell out, no matter how many I made. This is my grandmother's recipe. I have a feeling she probably got it from her mother, and so on. The trick is simplicity. I like to make a lot of dough and then make smaller batches with mix-ins. But here is the basic dough recipe, 1 batch. Beware, it is hard to eat just one!!!

Pre-heat oven to 275 F

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup flour   (you can substitute with RICE FLOUR to make these GLUTEN FREE!)

Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl, sift well.
Add butter.
Mix together using hands.
When dough is uniform, dust rolling surface with flour and roll the dough out thin (1/4 inch?).
Cut out with cookie cutter of your choice.
Dust baking trays with flour as well.

Bake approx 12 minutes, until just going golden. Take out of oven and leave on pan for extra minute or two. It's all a matter of personal preference.  Here are some mix-in ideas, the same applies. These are great plain and also dipped in chocolate! Or make a depression in the centre of the cookie with your thumb and fill with jam :) yum yum..even better if you roll in chopped nuts!

- lavendar (1tbs chopped up)
- candycane (chopped into small bits
- various nuts chopped up
- pistachios
- sprinkles
- chopped up dried fruit

Enjoy!

                                   (booth's-eye view from the summer, cookies are in the basket)