Shortbread is one of the Hubby’s favorite Christmas cookies. Along with my rumballs, of course. You may be surprised by the amount of corn starch in the recipe. It’s not a mistake, it really uses a cup. What it does is make the cookie silky, just dissolving on your tongue, without giving any odd flavor. Note that this shortbread is not like a traditional Walker’s Scottish tablet shortbread, it’s a soft delicate cookie.
I was gifted an embossed rolling pin and have designated it as my shortbread roller, along with imprinting gingerbread.
For flat-topped shortbread cookies, I usually dip half a cookie in chocolate or cover it with a white and / or dark chocolate ganache and some sprinkles, but if you have time and inclination to do beautifully iced cookies, check out Sweet Sugarbelle’s designs, tips, and recipes.
A lovely version of shortbread are chocolate chip shortbread and chocolate chocolate-chip macadamia shortbread. For the chocolate chip version, add a cup of chips to the below recipe. For the chocolate chocolate-chip remove 1/2 cup flour and add 1/2 cup of dark cocoa, and add about a cup each of chopped macadamias and chocolate chips.
I tried my hand for the first time, at incorporating lavender into my baking. I made lemon lavender shortbread and it got the thumbs up from my guinea pigs. I added the zest of the 3 lemons and 3 teaspoons of culinary lavender to about one cup of the sifted flour and gave it a brief whiz in a small food processor, then added the flour back to the rest of the dry ingredients. The lavender does not taste like potpourri, it tastes actually quite citrusy with a hint of floral. It paired well with the lemon zest.
I have plans to make Earl Grey Raspberry, Chai, and more tasty varieties!
RECIPE NOTE I
So I have tried making cookies in my air fryer and it’s amazing! If using a smaller air fryer, lower the temperature to 325°F and bake for 5 minutes, turn the tray around, and bake for another 5 minutes. For the larger style (ex. rotisserie air fryers), keep the temperature at 350°F. The cookies came out perfectly!
RECIPE NOTE II – SPRITZ COOKIES!
If you want to make spritz cookies, use this recipe. You basically skip the refrigeration and go straight into making cookies. Form portions of dough into logs that fit inside the cookie press. This recipe makes approximately 160 small spritz cookies! It’s so easy (as long as you can get the cookie press working smoothly) that I may make most of my shortbread this way next year.
Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 2 cups soft butter
- 1 cup corn starch
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 3 cup flour
Instructions
- Beat the butter in mixer for approximately 5 minutes until fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
- Sift the dry ingredients together.
- Add the dry in portions to the butter in batches, mixing well.
- Roll the dough out approx 1/4" thick between two pieces of parchment paper.
- Transfer to a cookie sheet and place in fridge for minimum of an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Take out and use your cookie cutter of choice and place on silpad (or parchment lined) cookie sheet.
- Place cookie sheet into oven for approximately 15 minutes. You do not want to brown the edges!! (I put in for 11 minutes then go minute by minute with a close eye on the cookies.)
Notes
Stores well in freezer.
