Thoughts:

I saw this cookie press over the summer, and just couldn’t resist. These finished shortbread rounds, despite being a very crumbly dough, come out moist and wonderful. I am partial to cardamom, but you can tweak them with whatever add-ins your clockwork hearts desire. Tasty, flaky, they’re ideal with a tall glass of cold milk, or a cuppa.

My press came from Wandering Wood, a merchant within the SCA. If you’d like to contact them to order your own fabulous press (they do custom work!), you can find them here.

Recipe for Shortbread Gears

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks butter (1 cup)
• 2 1/4 cups flour 
• 1/2 heaping cup sugar
• 1-2 tsp. ground cardamom
• pinch of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes. Roll out the chilled dough to 1/2″ thick. Using a 3″ round cutter and a cookie stamp, punch out discs of shortbread. Or, if the dough is too crumbly, you can press it into cookie cutter shapes.

Carefully transfer the shortbread to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 325F for 10-15 minutes. The shortbread should be pale in color. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.