COLEEN CHRISTIE'S SHORTBREAD
¾ cup and 1 tablespoon salted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup berry sugar
1 ½ cups 00 pastry flour*
1 fresh vanilla bean
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Put flour in a bowl and mix in seeds from vanilla bean pod. In an electric mixer, beat butter on high speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add sugar slowly until fluffy. Remove bowl from mixer and mix in flour by hand. Work the dough as little as possible.
Roll out to 1 cm thick. Cut with simple shaped cookie cutter or into bars with a knife. Prick with a fork and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Do not let brown.
Dust with sugar and place on racks to cool.
*You can use all-purpose flour, but the "00" is finer. The Gourmet Warehouse carries an Italian brand I use. Tip: Buy a high quality, heavy cooking sheet and your cookies will never burn from the bottom.
