Did you get invited to a potluck for the 4th of July?  Do you need to whip up something quickly to bring? Never fear!  Here’s a quick dessert you can make that’s tasty, flavorful, and really easy.  It’s based on a recent recipe from the New York Times of customizable shortbread:  there’s one basic recipe and then nine variations.  We decided to combine two of their suggestions into one shortbread, and it turned out pretty good!

Here’s what we used:

• Flour
• White sugar
• Brown sugar
• 2 sticks of butter
• A vanilla bean

Start by placing 2 cups of flour, 1/3 cup of white sugar and 1/3 cup of brown sugar into a food processor and mixing them together.  Then take your chilled butter, cut it up into slices, and add that in too.

Next, take your vanilla bean pod and carefully cut it in half.

Use the knife to scrape out the beans inside …

… and add those in to the flour-butter mixture.

Then use two knives to mix everything together to form a dough.

You should eventually have a moist yet crumbly dough, like this:

Press an even layer of dough into a square baking pan, then prick it all over with a fork.

Bake your shortbread at 325°F for 35-40 if you have a 9-inch baking pan or 45-50 minutes for an 8-inch pan, and take it out of the oven once it’s lightly brown on top.  Then you can slice it up into bars.

And it’s a delicious alternative to the usual cakes and brownies that people bring to celebrations.

As you can see, this shortbread is super easy to make.  From only five ingredients you get a sweet, buttery treat that mixes the flavors of vanilla and brown sugar and is sure to impress everyone.  So potluckers, don’t despair!  Make this shortbread and enjoy your holiday!