Easy Shortbread Cookies Recipe: They Make the Royal Wedding Hysterics Easier to Swallow

Of course, we're not British, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate the royal wedding! Engrossed in all the royal wedding prep?

Too busy watching the horses' tails being brushed (Kate has a horse allergy -- what are they thinking?!) to cook up a royal feast? No worries; we have the perfect snack for you for the occasion -- shortbread cookies and a pot of tea. Brilliant! Lovely!

Just make sure you speak in your best Queen's English when you gather with your friends on your coffee (uhhh, tea) break. The Brits have the day off as a national holiday, but come Friday, you can make your workday go much smoother if you have these cookies close at hand...

This recipe is taken from the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland. (Blasphemy!) It makes 25 shortbread biscuits if using a 2.5-inch cutter.

You take:

1 1/4 cups plain white flour

1 stick butter

1/4 cup castor sugar -- you can find this at Whole Foods; it's usually called superfine sugar in the U.S.

The key here is the butter. You keep it cold and cut it up into small cubes (in the refrigerator if you have to.) Don't leave the cubes out on the counter if you are dillydaddling (or mooning over Kate's dress).

You mix the flour and sugar together into a bowl, then rub the cold butter cubes into the mixture using the the tips of your fingers. Then, you gather the whole mixture together and knead very lightly. (Don't sweat it! It's just a cookie!)

You roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick and then cut rounds with what ever shape cutter you have. You bake the cookies for 8-15 minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit. Then, remove them and cool them on a rack.

It's critical to keep an eye on the cookies once they are in the oven because they burn VERY easily, and some of them (weirdly) can be ready before others. Take individual cookies out and onto the cooling rack as they get to the right color.

 




The shortbread cookie that is the right color is the one on the left (sitting on top of the two others). The ones below it are too pale, and the other ones on the plate are too dark. If your cookies are too dark, they will taste bitter. Which is exactly how you'll feel if you don't do something just a little bit different on the royal wedding day. Cheers!