Nostalgic Shortbread

My favorite shortbread recipe came off the box of cornstarch from when were a kid. It’s simple, traditional, and most of all, reminds me of Christmas with my family. These are adapted from the box of Canada brand cornstarch, called “Grandma’s Shortbread”. Here is the original recipe. I do recommend if you are rolling it into shapes or want it to hold a particular shape that you refrigerate it for a bit, first. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of these, despite making them year after year.

Simple Shortbread

• Servings: 24
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3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
3/4 cup nondairy margarine (I used soy-free Earth Balance), softened

Put the sorghum flour, quinoa flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum, and icing sugar in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined. Add the nondairy margarine and stir with a wooden spoon until soft and smooth.

Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes (or longer if you are rolling them out).

Preheat the oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. The original recipe says not to line them but I always do out of habit.

Roll about 1-inch balls between your palms. Either press down with a fork or make a finger indent if you want to fill them with something (as I did).

The original recipe says to bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. I find that mine don’t brown on the Silpat, and take about 20 minutes. Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.