CHRISTMAS WEEK!

Well, vacation is finally here! My kids are done with school and out now for 2-3 weeks. We look forward to lots of baking and fun!! This weekend we will get started on our gingerbread cookies and mexican wedding cakes. We've also been making lots of shortbread. For all my friends who wanted to know the recipe, I will include it here today. It is really meant to be made in a "Brown Bag Cookie Art" shortbread ceramic pan. These are available mostly online now as they are discontinued in most stores...ebay has them etc....(they have the greatest shapes and patterns on their pans.) If you don't have one of these pans, I think you can probably make the shortbread in a small pie dish and just bake it a little longer? Not sure, but I think the brown bags bake faster because they are ceramic. You may need to double the recipe if it is a large pan....ENJOY!!!













CLASSIC SHORTBREAD
(From the Brown Bag Recipe Book)

-1/2 cup butter at room temperature
-1/3 cup powdered sugar- unsifted
-1/4 teaspoon vanilla
-1 cup flour- unsifted

Cream the butter until it is light. Cream in the powdered sugar, then the vanilla. Now work in the flour. Knead the dough on an unfloured board until nice and smooth. Spray the shortbread pan very lightly with a non-stick vegetable oil spray. Firmly press the dough into the shortbread pan. Prick the entire surface with a fork, and bake the shortbread right in the pan at 325 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Let the shortbread cool in its pan for about 10 minutes before you loosen the edges with a knife and flip the pan over onto a wooden cutting board. If the shortbread does not come right out, tap one edge of the pan. Cut the shortbread into the serving pieces while it is still warm.

Let the pan cool before washing in sink or dishwasher.