{Holiday Cookie #1: Mom’s famous melt in your mouth shortbread cookies}
I’m off to Banff for the weekend for my company christmas party so I’ll leave you with a quick recipe that would make a perfect addition to your holiday baking.
A sure sign that the holidays are here for me is the appearance of my mom’s famous melt-in-your-mouth buttery shortbread cookies. She’s baked these every year for as long as I can remember and I swear they get better every year.
They can be shaped into trees or just dropped onto a cookie sheet in mounds and topped in the center with a few pieces of orange and lemon peel or a half a candied cherry.
They’re very delicate and fragile cookies (therefore NOT recommended for shipping). When you bite into one, its as if it instantly melts in your mouth. There aren’t many ingredients in it therefore you need to make sure you use the highest quality vanilla and butter for the best results. What I love about these is they’re not too sweet, so you’re not bouncing off the walls after eating a couple.
They freeze well (make sure to separate layers with parchment and don’t stack too many) and when left to defrost on the counter, they taste like they did the day they were baked.
Do try this recipe at home, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Mom’s melt in your mouth shortbread
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp good vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar, add vanilla extract. Sift dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture gradually. Do not over beat.
Chill dough for 1 hour. After chilling, shape dough into small balls, approximately 1 inch in diameter (or roll it out between saran wrap and cut with cookie cutters or just spoon them onto your parchment/silpat) Place on cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. After baking, remove from sheet to a cooling rack.
*You can sub 1/4 of the flour for 1/4 cup of cocoa for a chocolate shortbread cookie, exchange the vanilla extract for lemon or almond, be creative 
Really Nice Post..
I cannot wait to try these, they are very close to my fave shortbread recipe, but the icing sugar would make them more delicate I’d guess.
yes, they’re so simple to make! I made some like thumbprints with a dollop of homemade passionfruit jam in the center, a nice tropical twist
Just made a batch of these – I haven’t cooked them yet but the raw dough is amazing! I plan to cut them and decorate with a coloured cherry (tradition in our family)….
ooh how exciting, please let me know how they turn out! I’ve been sneaking one every day from my freezer, they’re so addictive.