Shortbread Cookies
January 4, 2018 • Desserts,
A friend recently stopped by to see my new house and she brought some homemade shortbread cookies. I do love shortbread, but had no idea how incredibly delicious these were going to be. They were the most velvety, buttery texture and taste I think I’ve ever had in a cookie, so I asked her to share the recipe. Turns out, it’s a classic that’s been around for many, many years.
Brown Bag Designs has been making ceramic cookie pans and molds for a long time. My friend’s pan is over 20 years old and still works like a charm. The pan comes with a cook book and the recipe for the shortbread could not be simpler. 
She just warns to take the shortbread out EXACTLY after 10 minutes of cooling – any shorter or longer, she says, and it “just doesn’t cooperate.” And nobody wants that!
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar, unsifted
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour, unsifted
- Cream the butter until pale yellow, then add the powdered sugar and cream until mixed. Add vanilla and cream to combine.
- Work in the flour, kneading the dough on a board until smooth. Spray a ceramic shortbread cookie pan with cooking spray and then press the dough into the pan.
- Prick the entire cookie with a fork and bak at 325 degrees until lightly golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.
- Let cool exactly 10 minutes in the pan, then loosen edges with a butter knife and invert onto a cutting board. If you wish to cut the shortbread along the cookie lines, do it while still warm - if you try to cut it after it's cooled it will crumble.
- Cool ceramic pan completely before washing.