Preheat oven to 325 F

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter & sugar together until light and fluffy.

Blend in flour and beat until thoroughly combined.

Stir in any optional ingredients. Shortbread is a wonderful recipe that can easily be adapted to fit your tastes. Add in chopped nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, or a little citrus zest. The ideas are endless, get creative and have fun!

Either roll the dough into a log or form into a mound. Wrap dough with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour to allow the flour, butter, and sugars to rest.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If you rolled the dough into a log, you can simply cut 1/4-1/2" thick slices to form cookie rounds. If you formed your dough into a mound, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to 1/4-1/2" thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out cookie shapes. Place each cookie on a lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and dust with confectioners sugar or dip in icing (confectioner's sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk stirred in). Enjoy!