Raisin Shortbread Cookies

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 350°F.

   Step 2

   Beat together the butter, salt, and vanilla until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour to make a thick dough. With your hands, gather the dough into 2 balls, one a little larger than the other. Flatten the smaller ball of dough into a thin, even layer on the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish, as you would a tart shell. (Or use a larger baking sheet with low sides and press the dough into a 9- by 13-inch rectangle.) Spread the raisins evenly over the dough and gently press to embed them. Break the other ball of dough into pieces and distribute them over the raisins. Pressing gently, spread and flatten them to cover all the raisins evenly with a layer of dough. (If the baking dish is shallow enough, you can finish the top with a rolling pin.)

   Step 3

   Beat the egg and use a pastry brush to coat the top of the dough evenly with egg. Slowly drag a fork back and forth across the dough to make a decorative pattern, using the back of the tines. Crisscrossed diagonal lines look quite nice. Bake about 40 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool and cut into 1-by 3-inch rectangular bars.