Melt in Your Mouth Shortbread

If you were reading this blog last Christmas you may recall my post on Shortbread cookies.  I absolutely love shortbread and love finding a *new to me* recipe to try each year.  Some of you may also recall a post I did back in September of 2010 about a very special young couple.  Turns out that my shortbread recipe for this year came from Rebecca who shared her mother’s recipe with her readers at her site A Little Bit of Momsense.  Rebecca cuts Christmas tree shapes from her shortbread dough and  together with her two children, they enjoy decorating their cookies.

Me…I just wanted the unadorned all butter taste so I did not decorate, not even with cut cherries and believe me when I tell you that these cookies literally melt in your mouth….seriously, you don’t even have to chew them.  I love this recipe!!!

 I followed Rebecca’s recipe and only added one teeny ingredient to it (*).

Melt in Your Mouth Shortbread (from A Little Bit of Momsense)

1 cup of butter (I always use salted butter but it’s a matter of personal choice)

1/2 cup of icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar – updated 11/21/2012 due to comments & emails rec’d)

1 1/2 cups of unbleached flour

1/2 cup of corn starch

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (*)

I cut my butter into thin slices directly from the fridge and then beat it with my stand mixer.  Using cold butter prevents having to chill the dough.

Beat the butter until smooth but not creamy.  You don’t want to over beat it.  When smooth, add your icing sugar and cream together.  In a smaller bowl I had combined the flour and the cornstarch and whisked them together before adding to the butter and icing sugar mixture.  As the beaters are combining the flour mixture with the butter mixture, I added the vanilla.  Don’t over mix your dough, just mix on 2nd speed until all combined.

Then I scraped down the bowl and formed a beautiful buttery ball of shortbread cookie dough.

No matter the size of my cookie dough ball, I always cut in quarters and roll out one quarter at a time.  I’ve always done that and even though I know it would be a time saver to roll out a larger portion at a time, force of habit and superstition prevents me from doing so

I used two fluted cutters, both 1 3/4″ wide and I roll my dough 5/16″ inches thick.  I chilled the cut cookies in the freezer for a few minutes before baking.  As you fill one pan, place in the freezer while you cut another pan full.

By the time the second pan is ready, it’s time to remove the one from freezer and bake!  I baked each tray of cookies for 12 minutes at 300°

I could hardly wait for these to cool before trying them but I did and they were worth the wait.  This is going to be my go-to recipe for rolled shortbread cookies.  I wasn’t sure how many one batch would yield.  With the size of the cutters I used, I got 3 dozen cookies.  Not enough!  I’m baking another batch right after I finish this post.

Ella and her Mom are still baking the Whipped Shortbread recipe. They have been making it for years, just as I did.

Ella Baking Shortbread at Nanna’s 2007

They haven’t tasted this new recipe yet, wait until they do.  I’m sure they’ll be like me and decide that this will be among their go-to recipes every Christmas.  Thank you Rebecca for sharing yours with us.  By the way, Rebecca’s husband received the all clear from his Oncologist and he is now cancer free!

Tagged as: Christmas Cookies, Shortbread