Friday Baking - Lemon Shortbread

If you read this blog in past years, you know that I love making shortbread.  I posted the recipes for Classic and Chocolate Shortbread years ago and you can find those recipes here: 
http://joyfulblessings.blogspot.com/2007/07/shortbread-for-dessert.html

Since we're still having warm weather lemon sounds good to me, so I'm planning on baking a lemon shortbread today.  Here's the recipe that we enjoy.  It's good on its own, or also with a scoop of ice cream.  I use a stoneware shortbread pan, but if you don't have one, you can pat the dough into a pie tin, or even roll it out into a circle on a cookie sheet.  Spray the pans with cooking spray first, and be sure to prick the entire surface of the dough with a fork to prevent bubbles forming.

A note... I actually used fresh lemon juice a few times when making this recipe - about 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon.  I usually have some fresh lemon juice in my freezer in a baggie.  I like to buy lemons, squeeze the juice and then keep in a ziploc sandwich bag.  I freeze it flat, and it makes it easy to break off chunks in an approximate teaspoon or tablespoon size.  I like it much better than the bottled lemon juice.  This system works well if I decide to make something lemony on impulse and don't have fresh lemons.


 LEMON SHORTBREAD

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 yolk from a standard "large" egg
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1-1/4 cups flour, unsifted

Cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy.  Stir in the egg yolk and the lemon extract.  Now work in the flour.  Knead the dough on an unfloured surface until it is nice and smooth.

Spray your shortbread pan lightly with a non-stick vegetable oil spray.  Firmly press the dough into the pan, working from the center out.  Prick the entire surface with a fork, and bake the shortbread in the pan in a 325 degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Be sure that the center is completely cooked, and doesn't look a little "doughy".

Let the shortbread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before you loosen the edges with a knife and flip the pan over onto a cutting board.  If the shortbread doesn't come right out, hold the pan upside down over the cutting board and firmly tap one edge of the pan against the board.  This should loosen the shortbread and it should drop out.  Cut the shortbread into serving pieces while it is still warm and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Let the pan cool before washing it in the sink or dishwasher.