Shortbread Cookies

The butter stays cold while any visible lumps in 220 g of cake flour and 30 g of rice flour are loosened. The cold butter is mixed briefly with 70 g of powdered sugar, stopping before its surface turns melted, glossy, or greasy. One teaspoon of vanilla is blended in at that point. The cake flour, rice flour, and one-quarter teaspoon of salt are then added with a cutting motion rather than prolonged beating. When almost no dry flour remains, the dough is pressed together by hand once and mixing stops. This handling keeps the dough from being repeatedly kneaded after it has already formed. It is rolled to an even thickness and cut into the chosen shapes. Cracked edges are joined with light fingertip pressure, and a fork makes shallow holes across the surface. The cut pieces chill for 20 minutes before baking. A firm surface and pieces that do not bend when lifted indicate that they are cold enough to move to the oven. They bake at 170°C for 18-20 minutes. Only the edges should be pale golden at the removal point; the whole cookie does not need a deep brown color. Freshly baked shortbread is fragile while hot, so the pieces remain undisturbed until they have cooled completely and can be lifted without breaking at the edges.