Christmas Shortbread Recipe

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and
fluffy. Mix flour and salt, then beat into butter mixture until
thoroughly blended, to make a soft dough.

To make bars: on work surface dusted with flour, pat dough into
rectangle 1/2″ thick, 2″ wide, and about 17″ long. Use knife or
fluted pastry cutter to cut into 1″ bars. Use spatula to transfer
bars to ungreased cookie sheet, leaving 1″ between bars. Prick each
bar with fork several times. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly
colored. Do not overbake; the bars should not brown. Let cool on
cookie sheet for one minute, then carefully transfer to wire racks to
finish cooling.

To make wedges: Dust your hands and ungreased cookie sheet with
flour. Pat dough into ball. Pat ball into flat disk about 1/2″ thick
and 7″ in diameter on cookie sheet. With edge of plastic ruler dusted
with flour, mark disk in 8 wedges, cutting about halfway through
dough, and prick dough all over and crimp edges with fork. Bake for
30 minutes, then take cookie sheet out and cut through shortbread on
marked lines. Return shortbread to oven for five more minutes. Let
wedges cool on cookie sheet for one minute, then carefully transfer
to wire racks to finish cooling.

Nut Shortbread: add 1/4 c finely chopped toasted pecans, almonds,
walnuts, or hazelnuts to flour mixture.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread: add 1/4 c miniature semisweet chocolate
chips to flour mixture.

Orange-Chocolate Chip Shortbread: add 1 t grated orange rind and 1/4 c
miniature semisweet chocolate chips to flour mixture.

Lemon Shortbread: add 1 t grated lemon rind to flour mixture.