• Preheat oven to 325°F. Gather the ingredients so you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. To make this recipe, you’ll need an 8″ baking pan or shortbread baking dish.
I used a Brown Bag ceramic shortbread pan, which worked perfectly for the 3/4″ thickness I desired.

Make the Dough

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together 3/4 cups butter (softened) and 1/3 cup granulated sugar just to combine. Add in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Next, stir in 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour just until it forms a stiff consistency.
The dough will appear crumbly at this point, which is perfect.
• Spray baking pan with a baking spray, such as Baker’s Joy or Ever Bake. Spoon the dough into the pan and press down with your fingers, spreading to the edge of the pan.
• Once the dough is patted down in the pan, I like to go over it with a small pastry roller lightly dipped in flour until it is smooth and flat. Then use a roller docker or a fork to poke holes in the top of the dough.
Poking holes in the dough before it bakes, helps to prevent the shortbread from puffing up or cracking on top.

Bake and Serve Shortbread

• Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until the edges and center are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to set for 10 minutes before carefully turning the pan over.
When turning the shortbread from the pan, I place a small baking sheet on top of the pan, then carefully turn it over to release it onto the baking sheet.
• While the shortbread is warm, sprinkle 3 tablespoons sparkling sugar over the top. Using a sharp knife or bench knife, carefully slice the shortbread along the pattern indentions.
If using a regular baking pan and not a shortbread pan, slice into triangles, squares, or fingers that are about 1 1/2″ thick.
• Serves 8.