Brielle's Avalon

This is a super simple traditional cookie with only 3 ingredients, or 4 if you count vanilla. Using powdered sugar will give you a more delicate cookie while using granulated sugar will make the cookies crunchy around the edges and brown sugar will make them chewy.

1/2 c Butter (soft)

1/4 c Powdered sugar

1 tsp Vanilla (optional)

Cream this together. Yes, just keep smashing it all together til it’s smooth and creamy.

Mix in 1 1/4 c Flour

Mix well. It’ll look really dry and crumbly, that’s OK.

Turn it out onto the cookie sheet, divide it into 2 sections and flatten each into a big, round cookie, smashing all the crumbly bits gently together.

Make it about 1/4 inch thick, or about a finger deep.

Now dock it to make it look pretty and cook evenly. What’s docking? Basically it’s poking a few holes in the cookie to keep it from becoming misshapen. You can make the docking in any decorative design you want.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 min or until it starts to just lightly golden at the edges.

If it browns it’ll be overdone. Cut them into wedges. If you want you can add chopped nuts to the dough or drizzle caramel or chocolate on the finished cookies.

You can also roll into balls and flatten with the decorative bottom that some glasses have or roll out with a decorative rolling pin or the side of a fancy straight-sided cut-glass tumbler. Then cut the cookies into squares and bake as otherwise directed. Docking can help these forms of shortbread, too.

Enjoy with tea, milk, coffee…yum!

Or you can try making thumbprint cookies. I added a capful of vodka to make the dough more workable, but it smelled like an infirmary so I added a capful of rum. Better and more workable.

Then I rolled the dough into 24 balls and punched a thumbprint in each and filled them with a variety of things. Chocolate chips, lemon curd, blackberry jam and Fig jam. You can use any you have around, like grape, apricot, prickly pear, apple butter…

Unfortunately they didn’t turn out as planned. But they’re still yummy and good with milk, coffee and tea. Better luck next time, maybe with a recipe with egg in it.

You can also improvise with a fancy glass, either using the side to roll it

or the bottom to stamp it.

Rolled, cut

docked

baked. Keep in a tin or an old margarine container in the freezer or on the counter or even a proper cookie jar.