Shortbread Cookies

Lovely soft buttery pie-crust-like cookies that are a little crispy on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth on the inside. Like a cross between a sugar cookie and a spritz cookie. They are delicious with chocolate icing on top or with cinnamon sugar and vanilla icing on top. I hope you give this simple recipe a try!

The recipe is here and pictures of the process are below:

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (170 g)

• 1/3 cup packed powdered sugar (67 g)

• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract (3.2 g)

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (207 g)

• 3/8 tsp. salt (2.6 g)

Toppings (optional):

• Cinnamon sugar

• Vanilla icing: 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 Tbsp. butter, 1-2 tsp. milk, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• Chocolate icing: 1/4 cup Powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder, 2 tsp. butter, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1-2 tsp. milk

Directions:

1. Sift together the flour and salt into a small bowl.

2. Cream butter on medium-high speed for 1 minute in a mixer with a whisk attachment.

3. Add in sifted powdered sugar and mix on medium-high speed for 2 minutes (scraping down sides as necessary).

4. Clear everything off the whisk attachment and switch to a paddle attachment (or rubber spatula).

5. Mix in the vanilla extract.

6. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the sifted flour and salt until it's just combined. The dough will be soft and sticky.

7. Wrap the dough into a disk shape in some plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

9. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into 1/4 inch or thicker. Cut out 2 inch cookies with a cookie cutter or knife. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

10. Re-roll leftover dough like before and make more cookies (and continue until all the dough is used.)

11. To make cinnamon cookies (optional): after cutting out circle cookies press them into cinnamon sugar and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

12. Place baking trays into the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking.

13. Bake cookies, one pan at a time, on the middle rack for 18-22 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom (they will still be a little soft in the middle).

14. Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

15. To make icing(s), mix together ingredients and warm in a microwave for 10-20 seconds to homogenize. Glaze cookies as desired.

16. 18 servings.

Sift the flour and salt together.

The butter should be soft enough that you can easily poke through it with your finger.

Before beating the butter together.

After beating the butter together for 1 minute.

After sifting the powdered sugar in and before beating the sugar and butter together.

After beating the butter and sugar together (soft and silky!)

After mixing in the vanilla extract.

Switch to a paddle attachment and slowly add the flour and salt mixture until just incorporated.

The flour and salt are incorporated so the dough is ready to go!

Shape the dough into a disk within some plastic wrap.

Refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes.

After chilling take the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll the dough into a 1/4 inch (or slightly thicker) inch thick slab. Use a 2 or 2 1/2 inch wide cutter to cut out cookies.

Re-roll the leftovers and cut out more cookies.

Lay out the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.

To make cinnamon sugar kind, smoosh the cookie into the cinnamon sugar.

The cinnamon sugar cookies.

Now you'll want to chill the cookies for 15 minutes before baking.

Before baking (these ones were a bit too thin).

After baking.

The underside of the cookies (lightly browned).

Before baking (these are the correct thickness)

After baking.

Then you can make chocolate icing, vanilla icing, or whatever else you want to decorate the cookies with and enjoy!