3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse it a few times to make sure it is blended together well. Cut your butter into large chunks and add it into the dough, along with the almond extract. Then, whiz it for one minute. The dough will start to clump together and have a sandy appearance. Next, pour your mixture into a 9-inch square baking pan and spread it out into an even layer (A good trick is to use a flat-bottomed glass to press the dough down and make sure it is as smooth as possible). Lightly score the dough with a knife, making four rows one way and eight rows the other, for 32 shortbread pieces. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the shortbread has a light brown color. Once you remove it from the oven and while it is still hot, use a knife to cut the shortbread on the lines you scored before baking. Then, allow it to cool after you cut it. Once cooled, the pieces should break apart easily.