Shortbread (Irish Confectioners')

Irish butter has a high butterfat content, making it especially flavorful. It's expensive to use for everyday baking but worth the splurge for this shortbread, where the ingredient shines.

9 oz Irish butter, preferably Kerry Gold
2 Tbsp. milk
¾ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached, sifted
2 Tbsp. coarse sanding sugar

Prepare an ice-water bath with a medium metal bowl set inside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until deep golden brown, about 8 minutes. Immediately pour butter into bowl in ice-water bath and whisk in milk. Stir mixture constantly with a rubber spatula, scraping the sides of the bowl, until mixture begins to thicken, about 3 minutes.

Remove bowl from ice-water bath and let stand until mixture thickens to the consistency of room-temperature butter, about 30 minutes.

Beat butter mixture with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in confectioner’s sugar and vanilla, and continue to beat for 2 minutes more. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour.

Butter a 10” fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press dough evenly into bottom of pan using plastic wrap. (Make sure dough is flat; a small offset spatula may help.) Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C/130°C fan, Gas Mark 2).

Cut through dough to make 8 wedges using a sharp paring knife and a ruler. Cut a round from the center using a 2¼” ovenproof cookie cutter; discard dough. Return cutter to hole. Prick wedges all over with a wooden skewer.

Refrigerate, covered, for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle sanding sugar evenly over shortbread.

Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until golden brown, 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes. Let cool in pan set on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Remove shortbread from pan, and cut along lines into wedges. Let cool completely on rack.

Makes 8 servings.

Cook's Note: Shortbread can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.