Top of the morning to you!  I am getting ready for a party for about 60 people.  Our theme is St. Patrick’s day, so I am trying all things Irish.

Online I was able to find several interesting recipes.  I started with Irish Shortbread.  Click here for the recipe I used from food.com.  Or click here for one from King Arthur Flour.  I used the first, but it did not state whether to use salted or unsalted butter.  I used unsalted because that is what I normally use and had on hand.  But I do think it would have been better with salted.

I doubled the recipe so that I would have enough for the crowd.  It was easy enough to make with the help of my KitchenAid.  I lined a one quarter size sheet pan with parchment paper, so that it would release cleanly when turned out.  There is no need to grease the paper since there is so much butter in the recipe.

Once I evened out the dough as best as I could with the palm of my hand, I used a large offset spatula to to smooth out the top.  Afterward I used a dough docker to poke holes evenly around the dough. A fork would work just fine. Not only do the holes keep it from puffing up during baking, but it also made a good guide, after baking, to use for cutting straight lines.  I cut my shortbread into small bite sized pieces since I will be serving them at a reception.

 

After baking, I did let the dough cool for a bit before I cut it into serving pieces.  Just don’t let it cool too long or it will crumble when cut.

This really is a good recipe, and I think you will enjoy serving it to your friends and family.  It is something different from a standard cookie and a lot easier to make since you don’t had to bake them individually.  These little cookies are like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow!