Recipe: Shortbread Cookies

I love Shortbread Cookies… no doubt about it…. I will always make a beeline for them. I just love the buttery flavor.

I’ve tried numerous recipes…. recently I posted a recipe for Chocolate Frosted Shortbread Bars that are absolutely delicious. My only gripe with them is that they tend to be very light and flaky… I like my Shortbread Cookies to have a little more crunch… well maybe not crunch but not as delicate. I was given advice to add a bit more flour… so I tried it… nothing ventured nothing gained.

The result is the following recipe…. I liked the way it came out…. it had the same buttery flavor I love and the cookies held together nicely.

My recipe is a little different from most Shortbread recipes, I use light brown sugar and add a little salt and vanilla to the dough… it enhances the flavor.

You can go to the trouble of rolling out the dough and using cookie cutters or you can use a small melon ball scoop and then flatten the balls with the bottom of a glass or you can roll the dough into a log and wrap it in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for about ½ hour then unwrap it and slice it.

I like to do the log method but tried the melon ball scoop technique this time. Both methods were easy …. but I found that when I used the melon ball scoop method, and pressed them flat with a glass… they tended to split around the edges… they didn’t come out looking quite as perfect as when I slice them.

I recommend using a mixer to make the dough. The dough will be extremely crumbly at first, keep mixing until the dough comes together to form a soft dough.

Enjoy!



Recipe: Shortbread Cookies

All you need:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt

All you need to do:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper for easier cookie removal.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Add the flour and salt slowly beating and medium speed.

Beat until a soft dough forms.

Choose a method of cutting the cookies:

Roll the dough out and cut out cookies using a cookie cutter OR

Roll the dough into a log and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Unwrap and cut the dough into slices OR

Using a small melon ball scoop, scoop dough unto the cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a lightly greased glass, press gently down on the balls to flatten.

Pierce cookies with a fork and bake at 325 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until edges