I’ve spent a lot of time baking over these many socially distant weeks, but only very rarely pulled out the electric mixer or food processor. Somehow, the simplicity and intimacy of whisking everything by hand has been extremely satisfying.
This is why, when a shortbread craving hit, I didn’t reach for my tried-and-true recipe. I opted for an easy one-bowl version that calls for melted butter.
I hadn’t made it in years, and had forgotten just how compelling those bars were: sandy-textured, sugar-topped and deeply and impossibly buttery. That they were about the easiest thing a person could bake was beside the point, though never a bad thing.
To make the easiest shortbread ever, heat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8- or 9-inch square pan with parchment paper. (You don’t need to butter the pan: The shortbread dough will do it for you.)
[For variations on shortbread flavors, see Melissa Clark’s shortbread, 10 ways.]
In a bowl, whisk together 2 cups/130 grams all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup/40 grams rice flour (or ¼ cup/30 grams cornstarch, or use more all-purpose flour), 1/4 cup/50 grams granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in a cup of melted unsalted butter — if you’ve only got salted butter, reduce the salt to a pinch. Press the dough into the pan, and bake it until golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.
As soon as it comes out of the oven, shower the top with more sugar and be generous. Use a butter knife to cut the shortbread into bars in the pan while it’s still hot. If you don’t, the whole thing will crumble if you try to cut it later. (It’s still tasty, but very messy.)
You could flavor the shortbread with a teaspoon of grated citrus zest, or vanilla extract, or ground cardamom. And maybe I’ll try that one day. Or then again, maybe I won’t. When something is this simple and this good, could it be better to just let it be?
This is part of a series in which Melissa Clark teaches you how to cook with pantry staples. See more.