05 September 2009

3 ingredient deliciousness

When I read labels, I am usually horrified at the number of ingredients that go into processed foods. And half of those ingredients are mysterious things that sound like they could also be used in pharmaceuticals or paint.

Usually this is a reminder to me that I probably shouldn't be eating them. But I was looking awhile back at the side of a shortbread package, and it said: flour, sugar, butter. So in addition to being gratified that it didn't contain junk, I thought "hm, that sounds pretty easy." I put it to the test yesterday, and the results are yummy! Not only that, it is a lot cheaper to make it from scratch.

I used the recipe from the Joy of Cooking, which techically has 4 ingredients as it calls for both powdered sugar and granulated sugar. I think there is room to fiddle a little with the proportions, but I would definitely make it again. And I don't think I will be buying a packet of shortbread anytime soon.

1 comment:

jm said...

here's the recipe i use:

1 cup of all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons of confectioners sugar
1/2 cup of butter

also this is super for a crust on a quick fresh fruit tart. take the shortbread dough, press into a pie tin and bake. when cooled, add uncooked berries washed and dried. then take some fruit preserve and warm till syrupy, pour over fruit and chill. whip your own cream and top at serving time.

my next experiment will be to make some savory short bread by substituting grated parm for some of the butter and maybe adding some rosemary.