Hazels65 wrote:
> I used to make it with just flour, butter and sugar. Now they add
cornstarch,
> baking powder, nuts, extracts. Which one do you favor?
>
> Henrietta


2 sticks of butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup rice flour
1 tsp vanilla

Cream the butter and sugar and vanilla together, then gradually sift in
the flour, beating well after each addition. That's the basic dough.
If I'm feeling fancy, I add 1 cup coarsely chopped crystallized ginger
after all the flour has been added, and add 1 tsp of fresh ground
ginger to the flour mixture. I also sometimes add the fresh grated peel
of one lemon. If you can't find rice flour, you can use all regular
flour, and the cookies will still be very good. But the rice flour
makes them nicely crisp and a bit more delicate.

Roll the cookies out to about 3/8 inch, and cut into rounds. Bake in a
300 degrees F oven for 10-12 minutes. You want the cookies delicately
brown around the edges. These tend to disappear rapidly, so I guess
people like them. =o)Even a Scottish grandmother would probably like
them, even if she doesn't feel they're 100% authentic.

Melissa