Ingredients

• 1-1/4  cups all-purpose flour
• 3  tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2  cup butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F. In a medium bowl stir together flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling. Using your hands, shape the mixture into a ball and knead until smooth.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough until 1/2 inch thick. Using a 1-1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into circles, rerolling scraps as necessary. Place circles 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until bottoms just start to brown. Transfer to write rack and let cool. Makes 16 cookies.

3. *To make shortbread strips, on a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 6x4-inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a utility knife, cut rectangle in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 16 pieces. Bake as directed.

4. Spiced Shortbread: Prepare as above, except substitute brown sugar for the granulated sugar and stir 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves into the flour mixture.

5. Cherry-Orange Shortbread: Prepare as above, except add 2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel with the butter and stir in 1/3 cup snipped dried cherries after cutting in the butter.

6. Butter-Pecan Shortbread: Prepare as above, except substitute brown sugar for the granulated sugar. After cutting in butter, stir in 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans. Sprinkle mixture with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla before kneading.

7. Lemon-Poppy Seed Shortbread: Prepare as above, except stir 1 tablespoon poppy seeds into flour mixture and add 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel with the butter.

8. Cranberry Shortbread: Prepare as above, except after cutting in butter, stir in 1/3 cup snipped dried cranberries.