Whole Wheat Shortbread

I set out to make Ina Garten’s shortbread but had no white flour.  

So I substituted whole wheat flour.  To compensate for the heavier 

flour I double sifted it and changed it from 3 1/2 cups to 3 1/4 cups.  

It was still quite heavy and dense so I added a splash of lowfat milk 

and then everything came together nicely.  It took the whole 25 

minutes to cook them and they turned out  scumptiously well.  

Here’s the recipe - my changes are in italics.

Whole Wheat Shortbread Cookies (adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe)

3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature (3 sticks)

1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling (I used colored sugar for the top)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, double sifted

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, 

or use a regular hand mixer, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar 

until they are just combined. Add the vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them 

to the butter-and-sugar mixture.

4. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together.

5. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. 

Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and 

cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an un-

greased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Alternately, roll the dough 

into a long, 2-inch cylinder before refrigerating. Once chilled, slice the 

cylinder into 1/4-inch circles. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking 

sheet and sprinkle with sugar.

6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow 

to cool to room temperature. Makes 20-30 cookies.