Shortbread Cookies

I am giving this a four star rating because I think it is a little more complicated than necessary and because I think the addition of an egg yolk makes an incredible difference in the end result. I rolled this out and baked it on a silpat and then cut it with fluted square cookie cutters while still warm. I had almost no waste (just some nice bits for a cook's treat) and this obviated the extra tray and the extra cooling period. This is also wonderful with the addition of some citrus rind and/or almond extract.

This recipe is super simple to make with only 4 ingredients and with staples I usually keep on hand. It took only 15 minutes to whip up the dough, but the procedure to cut and shape the cookies is a bit involved, but I appreciated it because it allowed you to cut and move the cookies without smashing them. The final product was pretty good. Very close to the standard butter cookies that I usually make around the holidays. They were okay, nothing spectacular. I also used two smaller cookies and some Vanilla Ice Cream (p 319) and they were the perfect cookies for ice cream sandwiches.