I have been making this recipe for years and it's been in my family for over five decades. Simple and easy to make, these shortbread cookies are made by hand and you can decorate them many different ways.
Recipe for Really Good Shortbread Cookies
- 1/2 lb softened butter
- 2 cups flour
- 6 Tablespoons icing sugar
Mix flour and icing sugar in a bowl. Knead in softened butter until dough is firm and no longer crumbly. If the dough is very soft, as can be the case if your kitchen is warm, form into balls and put into fridge to harden up a little.
Sprinkle some icing sugar onto counter or table and roll dough out to approximately 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and use a spatula to lift cookies onto baking sheet. Baking sheet will not need to be greased.
The more you work with the dough, the softer it will be.
Cook cookies in 325 degree oven for 10 minutes. Bottoms of cookies should not be browned.
Decorating the Shortbread Cookies
We have always used an icing on the cookies and then decorated with sprinkles. To make the icing:
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons of milk
Mix together, if icing is too thick, add some more milk, a few drops at a time until icing is spreadable and not runny. Ice cookies and sprinkle with decorative sprinkles or candy balls.
Other Decorating Ideas for Really Good Shortbread Cookies
You can also cut shortbread cookies into circle shapes. After they have been baked, take one circle and spread some jam on it, cover with another circle cookie, to make a shortbread jam sandwich. Dust lightly with icing sugar.
Roll cookies into log shapes about 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches long. After you bake them and they have cooled, melt some chocolate and dip the ends of the shortbread cookie log into the chocolate. Leave as is or further dip the chocolate ends into nuts, coconut shavings or sprinkles.
Hand-Made Shortbread Cookies vs. Whipped Shortbread Cookie Recipes
Hand-made shortbread is a firmer cookie with a richer taste. Whipped shortbread is lighter both in taste and cookie texture. I find the hand-made shortbread to be much easier to work with and faster to make than going with whipped shortbread recipes.
Also, with whipped shortbread, there is not as many decorating options as with hand-made shortbread. The cookies are lighter and often are garnished only with a piece of cherry or a sprinkle of chocolate. With hand-made shortbread, you have many decorating options.
Finding More Good Shortbread Recipes Online
There are many more recipes for really good shortbread cookies online. Sites like Cooks.com and AllRecipes.com offer many recipe ideas and spectacular decorating tips. Browse around and try a few different recipes, adding those you like to your favorite cookbook.
Tamara Laschinsky - Health and wellness advocate, author, researcher and owner of Natural e GREEN: Natural Health & Wellness store!
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