Shortbread Cookies Galore!

Who doesn’t love a good shortbread cookie? Especially when it is all dressed up in coloured icing and in the shape of an Easter egg!

Butter is the secret ingredient in these bad boys. That’s right, butter and lots of it! So maybe consider only making these cookies for special occasions because they are quite indulgent.

Since Easter is just around the corner, I decided to make egg shaped cookies, however you can choose to make tulips, hearts, shamrocks, snowmen (you get the picture, any shape you’d like) or simply add chopped chocolate and call it a day.

The key to these Shortbread cookies is do not over mix and do not bake them for too long. As soon as the edges have a hint of golden brown, remove them from the oven and get them off that cookie sheet! That being said, here is the recipe…

Start by softening 1 ½ cups of butter in the microwave. Do not melt, just soften. Cream the butter in a large bowl using a hand held mixer or Mixmaster.

Next, add the following ingredients:

1 cup cornstarch
1 cup icing sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Once the dough has formed, stop mixing! Remember, do not over mix!

Now, if you plan on making your cookies into cool shapes, it is best to chill the dough first. Wrap in wax paper and chill in the fridge or freezer until firm. Flatten the dough in to a round, disc shape as it will chill more evenly this way.

Once chilled, roll the dough out on a floured surface using a rolling pin. Try not to make it too thin, approximately 7.5 millimeters to be exact. Use your choice of cookie cutters and go to town!

If your creative juices aren’t running high or if time prohibits you, skip the chilling and cookie cutting, and add chopped chocolate to the dough as soon as it is mixed. Form the dough into balls (approximately the size of a golf ball), place on a cookie sheet and flatten slightly.

Bake the cookies at 300ºF for 15 minutes or so. Once the edges start to brown slightly, remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Next up is the fun part. Using either store bought or homemade icing, decorate your cookies into masterpieces! Use swirls, dots, zigzags and squiggles to bring your cookies to life.