I love making shortbread adding the wonderful soft ginger that KA sells. A nice rounded tablespoon dollop is delicious. I have wondered about using Fiori di Sicilia. Its flavor is divine - would it blend in with the buttery flavor of shortbread? I too, have had difficulty in getting the celtic pattern on my shortbread pan to show up. What if I brushed the shortbread pan with oil before putting in the dough? It sounds like bringing coals to Newcastle, but perhaps it would aid in releasing the cooked shortbread? I'm having roughly 60 people over to my house next week for an early Wearin of the Green party - not on St. Pat's day, as we can't afford musicians then - and I expect to make a great deal of shortbread for the party. I'd love any suggestions before then on how to perfect the shortbread! Thanks Susan: a wee drop of Fiori in Shortbread wouldn't be amiss; just remember that less is more, and you don't want to overwhelm the butter. Brushing the mold with oil wouldn't hurt, especially if it's never been used before. But there's really enough butter in the shortbread so that sticking shouldn't be an issue. As for no holes, its more about packing the dough tightly into the mold than anything else. If you dough is pretty soft (room temperature) you can almost smear some of it into the design before packing the rest on top. We give the molds several hearty whacks on the counter to try and release any air bubbles. Once the mold is filled, I'd chill the dough a little bit before baking if it was very soft when you filled them so the butter firms up a little. As you probably know, shortbread actually improves a bit with some aging in an airtight container, so don't hesitate to get ahead on your baking for all those people! Best of luck. Susan

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