Shortbread Cookies

    It is rare that I will avoid a cookie, but shortbread have never been my favorite. However, they have weaseled their way into pretty much every holiday so I know that people still must like them. Personally I find them dry and crumbly and the ones that come in a tin are especially stale. This year I have decided to give shortbread a second chance and now these will replace sugar cookies every year!

    The recipe I came up with made a buttery and slightly crumbly but not too dry cookie that just melts in your mouth. My shortbread also doesn't spread very much and they are not to sweet so they are perfect for decorating! You can eat them pain or add as many toppings as you want without the cookie making it too sweet.    

    I started this recipe off by creaming together butter and granulated sugar until it was super light and fluffy. While my stand mixer is still going I slowly dump in my powdered sugar and egg yolks one at a time. Once all of that was very well mixed I added my salt and vanilla and beat some more. The trick to these cookies is making sure the dough at this point is super well combined, light, and fluffy. 

    The last thing to do in order to make the dough was to slowly add in the flour and mix until it is well combined. When there were no more dry streaks I dumped the dough onto some cling wrap and shaped into a log and wrapped the cling wrap around it. I then refrigerated my dough overnight. The purpose of refrigeration is to make your dough less sticky while you roll it out. I recommend a minimum of 2 hours of chilling but if you are in a rush you can skip the chilling and use a teensy bit of powdered sugar to prevent the dough from sticking to your rolling pin. If you skip the chilling you may also have to reduce the baking time. 

    After chilling my dough I rolled it out and used a cookie cutter to make my shapes. You can decide how thick your cookies are but if they are on the thicker side they will not hold their shape as well and take longer to bake but if they are on the thinner side they will bake much faster and will be drier and crispier. 

    When my cookies were done baking I let them cool and ate them plain. However, these cookies are perfect for decorating or you can also dust them in powdered sugar for a festive fresh snow look. These cookies are so yummy and have the signature shortbread flavor and texture without being dry and crumbly. They're some of my new favorite cookies!

    How did this recipe work for you? Leave a comment!