Shortbread Cookies Recipe & Video

By efriend

Ingredients

• 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar
• 1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure
• Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/shortbreads/shortbreadcookies.html#ixzz2oVvanddI

Details

Servings 1
Cooking time 10mins
Adapted from joyofbaking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Shortbread dough is
so versatile. Once you have made the basic shortbread batter, you can add about

1/2 cup (90 grams) of chocolate chips to make chocolate chip
shortbread, or add 1

tablespoon of

instant espresso powder for a coffee favor. All it takes to have a cinnamon
flavored shortbread is to add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or

or

a more delicate tasting shortbread, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, replace

1/2 cup (65 grams) of the all purpose flour with cornstarch (corn flour). Shortbreads

can also be cut into various shapes and sizes using your favorite cookie cutter.
They can also be baked in a

tart pan, or baked in a rectangular pan and then cut into shortbread "fingers". If you like, dip the ends of the baked shortbread in melted chocolate
as we have done here. Royal shortbread is the name given when one end of the
baked shortbread is dipped into melted chocolate.

n a separate

bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter
until smooth and creamy (about 1
minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the
vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated.
Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough
for at least an hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in
the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

. Cut into rounds or
other shapes using a lightly floured cookie
cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for
about 15 minutes. (This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain
their shape when baked.) Bake for 8 -

Place 3 ounces (90 grams) of the finely chopped
chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water.
Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat. Add the remaining
chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until it has completely melted and is
smooth and glossy. Taking one cookie at a time, dip one end of each cookie in
the melted chocolate and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once all
the cookies have been dipped in the chocolate, place the baking sheets in the
refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.

Makes about 20

shortbread cookies.