I am from the UK and had a difficult time measuring out the ingredients as we don't have sticks of butter or have all purpose flour in UK . I searched the web and got a conversion chart for US to UK which helped. Although when I went to mix it by spoon it was rather difficult to bind together. Wonder if Martha would provide UK measures for her recipes too? I am hoping they turn out and are as tasty as everyone has commented before me.

I am from the UK and had a difficult time measuring out the ingredients as we don't have sticks of butter or have all purpose flour in UK . I searched the web and got a conversion chart for US to UK which helped. Although when I went to mix it by spoon it was rather difficult to bind together. Wonder if Martha would provide UK measures for her recipes too? I am hoping they turn out and are as tasty as everyone has commented before me.

Yes, very crumbly. I was gonna cut them out previous to baking too but I'm not one to stray from the directions since baking is such an exact science but maybe I will next time.

Great shortbread, but mine were very crumbly. I like the suggestion of cutting out before baking, and based on my experience, I would highly recommend that. The crumbs are very yummy, but a bit messy.

Good shortbread recipe, but it makes more sense to cut out the cookies before baking them. That way you can use all of the dough without any waste. You can also use a mixture of dried fruit --blueberries, apricots, cherries, sultanas, nuts. Trader Joe's have some nice fruit and nut mixes.

Made a double batch for Valentine's treats for co-workers today with a few changes. I added pecans, then patted out the dough to a 10-in circle and cut hearts before baking 15-18 minutes. After cooling, I drizzled them with white chocolate ganache (12 oz. real white chocolate, 1/4 cup heavy cream, a tablespoon light corn syrup, and half teaspoon of vanilla). YUM! Here's my blog post about it (with pics!):
http://lindseysluscious.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-funny-valentines-some-sw...

If you want something similar that's not crumbly do a recipe search for Martha's "Cranberry Noels" These were a cookie of the day back in December, but I just made them as hearts for Valentine's day and they turned out great. They're a little more like a butter cookie and less like shortbread, but very delicious. I chopped up 1/3 cup of white chocolate and added it in as well. They turned out great.

I had a very hard time cutting out the heart shapes. The shortbread tends to fall apart. I think the 9 inch pan would have worked out better as this would have made the shortbread thinner and easier to cut. Judging by the photo and the thickness of mine, the ones in the photo look thinner. Also, maybe cooking them in a glass pan instead of metal would have cooked it more evenly. They did taste wonderful though, even the crumbs!

I make these each year at Christmas to send to family, and they are delicious! I cut into squares to use every bit and not have any waste from cutting out shapes. I add chopped pecans as well as cranberries, and they are great. I like the idea of adding orange zest, too, and will try that this year. Thanks!

Excellent shortbread recipe. I cut them before baking though. I didn't chop the cranberries and also included orange zest which was amazing. I added coconut to some and Skor bits to others too. Just great. But the cranberry-orange zest ones are the best.

I used to make these all the time. They are fabulous and using cherries or mini-chocolate chips gives a great alternative. They were always a hit when I brought them into the office.

These look like they would taste boring but it tastes wonderful. I just cut them in squares. It something different besides cookies and cake all the time. Its a recipe I will make again and keep.

i made these last christmas. they were excellent!