Rona Yuthasastrakosol wrote:
>
> "Gabby" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> >
> > My MIL's recipe, which produces cookies that absolutely melt in your mouth
> > was this:
> >
> > 1 lb butter (left at room temp for a few hours)
> > 3 cups AP flour
> > 1 cup cornstarch
> > 1 cup icing sugar.
> >
> > Her recipe called for sifting flour, cornstarch & icing sugar into
> softened
> > butter and mixing & kneading well.
> > I start with cold butter & throw everything in the Cuisinart. That
> produces
> > the same melt in your mouth cookies, less work.
> >
> > Gabby
> >
> >
>
> Just wondering...are you quite sure it's 1 cup cornstarch, rather than, for
> example, 1/4 or 1/3? I know there are a lot of whipped shortbread recipes
> around, but on the occasions that I've accidentally used more than 1/4 (or
> maybe it was 1/3, I'd have to check) cup of cornstarch, I got a very
> unpleasant tasting cookie that crumbled much too easily.
>
> It's my favourite, too, though I see it as a different animal from Scottish
> shortbread.
>
> rona


Probably right. Rice flour works well too instead of the cornstarch

Here is a Scottish recipe (from 'The Scottish Kitchen'):

4 oz flour
4 oz rice flour
4 oz butter
3 oz caster sugar
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tsp cream

Sieve the flours together and rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar. Bind
the mixture with the egg yolk and cream.
Divide mixture in half and press into 1/2 inch thick rounds on a floured
board. Crimp the edges and mark into 6 or 8 sections. Mark with a fork
and bake at 300 F/149 C for 45 minutes until browned.