Buttery Shortbread

When the shortbread was baking in the oven half way, there was a hail storm here! .. Thank goodness that we didn't lose the power or I would be eating half cooked batter for tea! .. should I call it hail storm shortbread ? :D

Ingredients

1 cup (250 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup (30 g) icing sugar

¼ cup (60 g) granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups (235 g) plain flour

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 150°C

Have ready an ungreased 9-inch (23-cm) square baking pan or similar.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, cream the butter until fluffy and pale yellow. Add the icing sugar and the ¼ cup granulated sugar and continue beating until the mixture is no longer gritty when rubbed between your finger and thumb. 

Beat in the vanilla.

Sift the flour and salt together onto a sheet of waxed paper. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed or stir with a wooden spoon just until blended.

Using floured fingertips, press the dough evenly into the pan. Sprinkle evenly with the 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

Bake the shortbread until the edges are golden, about 1 hour.

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately use a thin, sharp knife to cut the shortbread into strips 3 x 1 inch. Use a toothpick or the tines of a fork to decorate the shortbread with a pattern of dots. Let the strips cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes before transferring them to the rack to cool completely.

Great with a cuppa.