Granny's Shortbread

This was my great-grandmother's or great-great-grandmother's shortbread recipe, which we make every Christmas. The brown sugar is unusual - I think it might be a highlands-lowlands thing? But it certainly makes for tender and flavourful shortbread. Good quality butter makes a big difference too.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (scant)
• 1 tsp salt (scant)
• 2 1/4 cups flour

Method (in my mother's rambling email wording)
Cream the butter, sugar and salt, stir in the flour and knead lightly till it blends and holds together. Roll gently, with as little extra flour as you can manage, to 1/4" thickness, or something that feels right - they won't rise much (Not too thin!) Cut in suitable shapes, place on ungreased cookie sheets, bake at 250, 300 if your oven is unusually cool, until the bottoms are just starting to brown - I forget how long - maybe 15-20 mins. Knead and reroll trimmings, again with as little extra flour as you can manage, and repeat. I have always decorated (before baking) with slivers of glace cherries, but you could use dried cranberries or cherries, nothing, or your own invention. Cool completely and store in a cookie tin - freezing not required. If you eat them all, make some more. Bring with you when you come home for Christmas.

You see, dear blog reader, where I get it. I particularly love the instruction to make more after eating them all - it makes this like some sort of recipe go-to loop.