Well overdue update...

So clearly the Christmas season is well and truly gone, decorations are down, mince pies all eaten! I have had several questions from friends about The Shortbread Outcome.

Derelict as the laptop has been over the past month, I have blown off the dust and return; hopefully more regularly; to the realm of writing and sharing that is this blog!

I took The Shortbread very seriously. So seriously that It Never Got Made. kid you not. I got totally bogged down in my research. I had columns and charts, I interviewed devotees (both in eating and baking), and analysed my own results. I took notes of tips, ingredient annotations and different methods. I was warned off by an elderly officianado who told me that in Canberra shortbread never works well unless you have air conditioning. It's too hot/dry/dusty/etc apparently. Who knew? This was corobborated by another friend who had the same experience.

After all the brilliant investigations, it was Christmas Eve, and I didn't have the half salted and half un-salted butter receommended by Margaret Fulton, so chickened out.

There. I admitted it. Part of the reason for not posting for so long was the shame!!! Maybe now the pressure is off I can bake to my hearts' content...

j

Christmas Baking - The Great Shortbread recipe hunt

Shortbread. You either love it or don't - there is no middle ground. My Nan used to make shortbread in little rounds with half an almond on top. This was always a hit with me, and I loved the buttery texture. Some shortbread is too crumbly, some is too hard, a lot is just gluggy. Mum's friend J has The Best shortbread I have had since Nan's. Consistently good, it's the kind of thing that you can't say no to, even when you are full to the brim and couldn't possibly fit another thing in.... except J's shortbread. Yummm.

So for the first time, I am determined to make my own. Yes, me of the instant gratification is Planning Ahead!

However, it is not so easy. Which recipe do I use? J is away and uncontactable, so her prized recipe eludes me. Rice Flour - you need that don't you? Recipe on the box - would this be a good start? Then I remember the 4 ingredients book, and also that Margaret Fulton was from Scottish heritage, so hers will be a winner won't it? How can recipes vary so much for a little biscuit? All sources however tell me that the oven is important. My old, unreliable, stand-alone burns things on the bottom when it intermittently fires out heat, do I need to outsource the actual baking?!? I am still not giving up, despite the supermarket shelves groaning under the weight of commercial shortbreads. I am determined. A woman on a mission. So where do you go when Google is unsatisfactory? The Blogworld!

So I ask YOU - do you have a recipe that produces light, crisp, buttery goodness that I could try please? In the vein of Julie and Julia I am tempted to blindly turn to Margaret Fulton, forsaking all others, but am open to suggestions.

In the meantime, I will make the mince pie pastry and await any suggestions!

With thanks - J