Shortbread Squares

I have made these with good Irish butter and also with regular butter from Costco and enjoy both equally.

½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups flour

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and water. Stir in salt and flour. Dump dough onto counter and gently knead until the dough is smooth. Form dough into a 10-inch snake. Pat the sides of the snake flat and square (see pictures below). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour or up to three days.

Remove plastic wrap and slice dough into cookie squares about a ¼ inch thick, or thinner if desired. Prepare a small bowl of sugar. Coat the cookies in sugar, and then place on a baking pan. Prick the cookies with the tines of a fork to make a pattern.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 9 to 12 minutes, or until the bottom edges start to turn a golden brown. Watch the cookies closely as they bake so they don’t over-brown. They should remain very light in color. If the oven heats unevenly, rotate the pan halfway through cooking. Cookies should cook enough to be crisp and dry when snapped in half.

If desired dip cooled cookies in about 4 ounces of melted dipping chocolate. (Ghirardelli chocolate melting wafers work well.)