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My mother has been using this shortbread recipe for about 60 years and I've been using it for about 30 years. Last year, we were sitting chatting and my mother wondered why my cookies tasted different than hers. I joked with her about people who pass on recipes but leave out the secret ingredient, so that it never tastes as good as when they make it. Then it hit her: She uses salted butter in her baking and I use unsalted butter. There was no salt in my cookies-for 30 years!
I'm actually going to finish this post, and then go and make my Christmas cookies to see if they finally taste like Mom's.
These cookies actually get better as they age, if you keep them in an airtight container. They make a nice hostess gift, or a gift for under the tree or take them to an open house as your contribution. I volunteer at my local library helping kids do their homework, and I'm taking my cookies there as a treat for the kids and the library staff.Joyce Rossiter's Shortbread Cookies
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tsp salt (if your butter is unsalted)
1. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead with your knuckles until it starts to hold together. Turn out onto a work surface and continue kneading while folding the dough over. Continue kneading until it cracks when you fold it.
2. Gently roll out the dough until it is about 1/8-inch thick. If it doesn't stay together when you roll it out then you haven't kneaded it enough.
3. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters wasting as little dough as possible. Re-roll the scraps until you have used up all the dough. The more often you roll the dough the tougher it will be.
4. Place onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350ºF for 8 to 10 minutes, taking care that they don't burn. You can decorate them, or serve them plain.

























