Happy Shortbread Season
“The classic shortbread has a story that goes back to when I was a little girl! The recipe is hand mixed and so when I baked with my mom, she had a little stool I sat on with a bowl between my legs and I would mix away,” explains Carolyne, our Co-Founder. She goes on to say, “when we introduced our Crave holiday baking boxes, we made our classic shortbread the exact same way - physically mixing by hand, and everybody thought we were crazy.”
While we no longer hand-mix the shortbread, it’s still the same delicious, buttery cookie you know and love, and it’s a Crave staple for the holidays! Here is Crave’s Classic Shortbread recipe from Carolyne and Jodi’s maternal grandmother, Grandma Starling.
Crave's Classic Shortbread Recipe
2 cups flour (take out 2 tablespoons to save for later)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup butter
1⁄2 cup icing sugar
1. Heat oven to 300°F.
2. Measure flour & cornstarch into a bowl and whisk together.
3. Measure icing sugar into a bowl and set aside.
4. Place butter in another bowl and mix with your hands until soft, it will take at least 5 minutes.
5. Add the icing sugar to the softened butter 1/3 at a time, mixing well between each addition.
6. Continue mixing with your hands until the butter and sugar are very pale and warm to the touch.
7. Add the flour/cornstarch mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, 1/3 at a time, mixing well after each addition.
8. The dough is done when it starts to pull away clean from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.
9. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 1⁄2” thickness.
10. Use a 1 1⁄2 inch round or scalloped cookie cutter to cut cookies.
11. Place cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a fork, prick the top of each shortbread twice.
12. Place pan in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes.
If you prefer to use an electric mixer, follow the same directions using a hand held or stand mixer!
Order our Classic Shortbread as part of your baking box at cravecupcakes.ca