Buckingham Palace Shortbread

By sianshan

from Holiday Baking by Sara Perry

Oregon tea maven, Jan Lambert, insists that this is the very recipe made daily for the Queen's afternoon tea.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup plus 1 T cornstarch
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• up to 1/4 cup superfine sugar for sprinkling

Preparation

Step 1

In a med bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch and salt until well blended.

In a stand mixer set on med speed, beat the butter until creamy. Beat in the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 mins, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. On low speed, add the flour mixture in two or three additions until it forms a soft dough. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 30 mins.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or leave ungreased.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 3/4-inch-thick slab, about 5-8 inches. Transfer to baking sheet and bake until lightly golden and firm to the touch, about 40 mins. Slip the parchment paper with the shortbread onto a hard surface. Immediately sprinkle the shortbread heavily with the superfine sugar. While still warm, use a ruler and a paring knife, pointed straight down, to cut the shortbread into 1 or 1 1/2 inch pieces. Let cool completely. Tastes best at room temp.