Here’s an interesting “shortbread-like” recipe that has only 4 ingredients and can be made in a food processor. What?! It’s true my friends! I must admit I’m not a shortbread fan, but l am a fan of baking and cooking. This recipe from Melissa Clark at the NY Times site is fool proof. I like her recipes as she breaks down a lot of “you can’t” with “why not”. Her recipes are genius and I have been trying them since they first opened up the site a few years back. Always a winner!

I call it shortbread-like because you can vary the ingredients – whaaaat!? It’s true. I made this with coconut sugar. Remember pantry cooking?! I had it (along with white, brown and icing sugar) but wanted to try this recipe to see if I could get the rich taste of the coconut with the mouth feel of shortbread. There is a simple ratio to follow – 1 cup of flour to ½ cup butter. Sugar, try ½ cup at first and then gradually add more with the next try. Oh, and use whatever type of sugar you like, I really liked the coconut sugar version.  

I pulsed the coconut sugar and flour to combine – you can also use a whisk and do this by hand. I added in cold cubed butter. The higher the fat content of the butter, the richer the taste i.e. European Style butter. I used unsalted as I had it, but you could even use salted, just cut back on the added salt. This can be done by hand as well using a pastry cutter, a fork, couple of knives etc. You want to take it to the stage of slightly wet sand – what’s slightly?! It should form a ball if you squeeze it in your hand – keep its shape.

I do remember eating shortbread as a kid, but never liking its crumbly texture or too buttery taste – oh thank heavens I outgrew that stage. But what I really like is the variations and options you have with this recipe. I sprinkled flaked maple sugar on top of the shortbread as it came out of the oven. Lightly tamped it into the hot shortbread, then using a small sharp knife, gently (without scraping the bottom of my non-stick pan) cut into thin rectangles. This is a nice treat, a spirit lifter in these stay at home times. As always – enjoy!

2 cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup coconut sugar
¾ teaspoon fine salt
2 sticks/1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch chunks
¼ cup maple sugar for sprinkling on top – optional, but oh so good

Heat oven to 325f, have a 9” square non-stick pan available
Add the flour, sugar and salt to your food processor and pulse to combine
Add butter the cubed butter and pulse to a crumb like texture – you should just see it start to form a doughy consistency
Empty the dough into the un-greased pan – there is enough butter in the dough – it won’t stick
Press into an even layer – I used the flat side of a large tenderizer for this, gently tamping to make an even layer
Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork
Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, as always, check at 40, 45 and 50 minutes it may need an additional 5 minutes
Remove from the oven when ready and sprinkle with the maple sugar if using – using the back of a spoon or the flat bottom glass gently press into the surface of the hot shortbread
Cut into rectangles and let it cool in the pan – it will firm up some more as it cools