French Fridays with Dorie: Salted Butter Break-Ups

 

Have you ever wondered what shortbread would be like if it was soft, instead of crispy? Well, this is it, in all of it's buttery, flaky glory. The middle is tender and melting, like a cookie and the edges are crisp and shattery like the best shortbread you've ever had. Because it came out of your oven and it's remarkably simple to put together.

 

This giant cookie starts out like a pastry, but don't let that intimidate you. It's merely putting flour, sugar, salt and butter in a processor and pulsing it with a little bit of water until it comes together all by itself. See? You didn't have to do a thing.

 

The next step is dumping it out onto a counter and patting it into a square. It takes a little rest in the refrigerator (or the freezer, if you're impatient like me... ) and then you roll it out in that same square shape, which is far easier than trying to get a perfect circle. And the more rustic-looking the better. I love that. Brush the dough with an egg yolk wash, drag a fork across the top to decorate, and then pop it in the oven. Half an hour later you have the best sugar cookie you ever tasted. Buttery, salty, flaky and impossible to stop eating. It's a good thing it's so easy to make. Stop by French Fridays with Dorie to see what everyone else thought of these Salted Butter Break-Ups.