Buttery and delicious, a simple shortbread cookie recipe should be in every home baker's arsenal. Why? Because shortbread is such a wonderfully versatile dessert.
It can be used as the base for lemon and other bars. It's easy to cut into fun shapes, dip in melted chocolate, wrap in pretty packaging, and give as a gift. Spread with a sweet filling, like nutella or dulce de leche, and you've got quick sandwich cookies. For an elegant dinner party dessert, serve alongside scoops of ice cream or pot de cremes.
However, my favorite way to enjoy the melt-in-your-mouth treat is right out of the oven with no frills, but a generous sprinkling of festively-colored sugar. I've tried many recipes and always come back to this one by the Barefoot Contessa. She is, after all, the master of making blissful basics. See her technique and read more
